What was McDonald's original mascot logo, Speedee, named after?

McDonald's original mascot, Speedee, was named after the Speedee Service System. Richard and Maurice McDonald introduced that system when they redesigned their California restaurant in 1948 around rapid, standardized food preparation.

Speedee was depicted as a chef with a hamburger-shaped head and appeared in early McDonald's signs and packaging. The character represented speed rather than the later family-oriented image associated with Ronald McDonald.

The brothers eventually replaced Speedee branding with the Golden Arches. Speedee is therefore connected to McDonald's earliest operating model, while Ronald McDonald belongs to a later advertising era. The name is sometimes confused with generic “speedy” wording, but the historical term was the capitalized Speedee Service System.