McDonald's named its first mascot Speedee, introduced in 1948 before Ronald McDonald.
Speedee was a chef-like character used to represent the McDonald brothers' fast-service system. His name emphasized speed, which was central to the restaurant's early identity after its 1948 shift from carhop service to a streamlined walk-up operation.
The character appeared in early McDonald's signs, packaging, and advertising. Speedee was not the same character as Speedy Gonzales, and he was not a later replacement name for Ronald McDonald. Ronald became the company's best-known mascot after his introduction in 1963, while Speedee gradually disappeared from consumer-facing branding.
Speedee also helps explain why early McDonald's branding focused less on a broad fictional world and more on the promise of quick food. The Golden Arches, the red-and-yellow color scheme, and character branding became more prominent as the chain expanded nationally and internationally.