McDonald's original service-system mascot before the Golden Arches logo was called Speedee.
Speedee represented the “Speedee Service System,” the fast, standardized method developed by the McDonald brothers at their San Bernardino restaurant. The character was depicted as a chef-like figure and appeared in early McDonald's identification and advertising.
The mascot's name emphasized speed, which was central to the restaurant's original operating model. McDonald's later moved toward the Golden Arches as its dominant visual identity, and Speedee gradually disappeared from mainstream branding.
Speedee is sometimes confused with later characters such as Ronald McDonald or with the Golden Arches themselves. He belongs to the company's earliest branding period, before the modern cast of McDonaldland characters became prominent. The name also resembles other “Speedy” cartoon names, but McDonald's used the spelling “Speedee.”