McDonald's first mascot was Speedee, introduced in the restaurant chain's early 1948 branding.
Speedee was a chef-like character used to represent the McDonald brothers' fast-service system. His name connected directly with the restaurant's emphasis on speed, an important part of the original McDonald's identity before the Golden Arches became dominant.
Speedee is sometimes confused with Ronald McDonald, but Ronald was introduced much later, in 1963, as a child-focused advertising character. The Hamburglar and Grimace also belong to a later generation of McDonald's characters.
The Speedee character eventually disappeared from most major McDonald's branding. The Golden Arches and other visual elements became more recognizable worldwide, while Speedee remained an important historical link to the chain's early identity.