What was the name of McDonald's fantasy advertising world launched in 1971?

McDonaldland was the name of McDonald’s fantasy advertising world launched in 1971.

The setting placed Ronald McDonald among colorful characters and locations built around restaurant imagery. It gave McDonald’s a continuing story world that could support television commercials, packaging, playgrounds, and promotional merchandise.

Characters associated with McDonaldland included Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, and Birdie the Early Bird. Their designs and roles changed over time, so individual character histories should not be treated as identical.

McDonaldland is sometimes mistaken for a physical theme park or a separate restaurant chain. It was primarily a fictional advertising setting, although its imagery appeared in real McDonald’s promotional environments.