McDonaldland was the name of the fictional advertising world where Ronald McDonald lived.
McDonald's introduced the setting in 1971 as a colorful fantasy environment populated by branded characters. Ronald McDonald served as its central figure, while the Hamburglar, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, and other characters appeared in commercials and promotional materials.
The setting gave McDonald's a way to turn its branding into an ongoing story world for children. Characters could support different products, restaurant promotions, and television campaigns while still sharing the same recognizable visual universe.
McDonaldland is sometimes confused with the name of an individual mascot or a restaurant attraction. It was the fictional world itself, not Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, or a specific menu item.