McDonald's fictional advertising world introduced in the early 1970s was called McDonaldland.
McDonaldland gave the restaurant chain a shared setting for television commercials, toys, packaging, and promotional appearances. It turned McDonald's branding into a recognizable imaginary world rather than a collection of separate advertisements.
The setting included Ronald McDonald and a group of named characters, including the Hamburglar, Grimace, and Mayor McCheese. Each character had a distinctive look and role, helping children identify the brand through stories and repeated visual cues.
McDonaldland is sometimes confused with the names of individual characters or promotional playgrounds. It was the name of the fictional world itself. The campaign demonstrates how McDonald's used narrative, character design, and collectible experiences to make its restaurants more memorable to families.