Mac Tonight was the McDonald's campaign character who sang “Mack the Knife” in moon-themed commercials.
McDonald's introduced Mac Tonight in 1986 to promote evening dining. The character had a large crescent-moon head, wore sunglasses, and performed a modified version of Bobby Darin's song “Mack the Knife.” The advertising connected the restaurant with nighttime meals rather than only daytime visits.
The campaign was created for McDonald's U.S. restaurants and became especially recognizable through its surreal visual style and repeated musical hook. It was not intended to replace Ronald McDonald as the company's main mascot.
Mac Tonight is sometimes confused with “Mac Tonight” merchandise or later references to the character, but the original branding concept was a television advertising figure. The campaign also differed from McDonaldland characters such as the Hamburglar and Grimace.
The character's name was a pun on “Mack the Knife,” while the moon design reinforced the campaign's evening message. This combination made Mac Tonight one of McDonald's most distinctive short-lived branding experiments.