Speedee was McDonald's first widely used mascot, introduced with the Speedee Service System in 1948.
Richard and Maurice McDonald reorganized their San Bernardino restaurant around a faster, simplified method of serving food. The Speedee Service System expressed that operating idea, and the Speedee character helped give the system a recognizable visual face.
The mascot's name emphasized speed, an important point of difference for the early restaurant. This branding belonged to McDonald's original drive-in and quick-service period, before the company developed the character-filled McDonaldland world.
Speedee is easy to overlook because Ronald McDonald became much more famous. However, Ronald arrived in the 1960s, while Speedee was tied directly to the 1948 service innovation that helped define the McDonald's business model. The two mascots represent different stages of the company's branding history.