McDonaldland was the name of McDonald’s fantasy advertising world featuring Ronald McDonald and Grimace.
The setting appeared in television commercials and other promotions beginning in the early 1970s. It presented McDonald’s products and ideas through a colorful fictional landscape populated by recurring characters, including the Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, Birdie, and Captain Crook.
McDonaldland gave McDonald’s a connected story world rather than a collection of unrelated advertisements. The characters helped make menu items memorable to children and created a recognizable visual language for family marketing.
McWorld is a common mix-up because McDonald’s used that name for a later promotional concept and merchandise. McDonaldland was the earlier character-based fantasy setting. Its best-known residents and locations became a distinctive part of McDonald’s branding history.