McDonald's named its fictional brand world McDonaldland.
McDonaldland was introduced in 1971 as a colorful setting populated by advertising characters including Ronald McDonald, Grimace, and the Hamburglar. It gave McDonald's a shared story world that could appear in television commercials, restaurant playgrounds, packaging, and promotional materials.
The name is sometimes confused with the individual characters who lived in that setting. McDonaldland was the fictional environment, not the name of Ronald McDonald or any one mascot. Its branding drew on children's television and fantasy imagery, making the restaurant experience feel like part of a larger world. Although the setting became less prominent in later advertising, it remains a major chapter in McDonald's visual history.