McDonald’s first mascot was Speedee, introduced in 1948 as part of the restaurant’s original branding.
Speedee was depicted as a chef-like character with a hamburger-shaped head. His name referred to the McDonald brothers’ emphasis on fast service, especially after they redesigned their San Bernardino restaurant around a streamlined production system.
Speedee appeared on early signs and promotional materials before Ronald McDonald became the company’s best-known character. The character is sometimes confused with Speedy, the later name used for a different advertising figure associated with Alka-Seltzer.
The Speedee era belongs to McDonald’s pre-national branding history. As the company expanded through franchising, the golden arches and other visual elements gradually became more important than the original mascot.