McDonaldland was the name of McDonald's 1970s advertising world featuring characters such as the Hamburglar and Grimace.
The fictional setting gave McDonald's a shared universe for television commercials, packaging, toys, and promotional displays. Instead of relying only on product shots, the campaigns used recurring characters and imaginary locations to make the brand more engaging for children.
McDonaldland included figures such as Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, Officer Big Mac, Professor, and Captain Crook. Their roles and designs changed over the years, but together they formed one of the most distinctive character-based advertising systems in fast-food history.
The term is sometimes confused with the name of an individual character or with later licensed promotions. McDonaldland refers to the overall fictional world, not just one mascot or one advertising campaign.