McDonaldland was the fictional world used in McDonald’s advertising during the 1970s.
The campaign placed Ronald McDonald among a group of original characters and locations designed to make the restaurant brand appealing to children. Characters included the Hamburglar, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, and Captain Crook, while the setting gave the advertisements a shared story world.
McDonaldland advertisements appeared in television commercials, packaging, restaurant displays, and other promotional material. The approach connected separate characters to McDonald’s food and visual identity instead of presenting each advertisement as an unrelated promotion.
The campaign’s characters changed over time, and some were later retired or used less frequently. McDonaldland is not the name of a restaurant chain or a theme park; it was a fictional advertising setting. Its broad use also makes it distinct from Ronald McDonald himself, who was one character within the larger world.