McDonaldland was the fictional world used in McDonald's television advertising from 1971.
The setting gave Ronald McDonald and other branded characters a shared story world. Advertisements presented McDonaldland as a colorful place populated by figures such as the Hamburglar, Grimace, Mayor McCheese, Birdie, and Captain Crook.
The campaign was designed to appeal strongly to children and connect the restaurant with imaginative play. Characters could appear in commercials, packaging, toys, and in-store promotions, creating a larger identity than a logo or slogan alone.
McDonaldland is sometimes confused with the name of an attraction or a single restaurant design. It was primarily an advertising universe, although McDonald's also used themed playgrounds and promotional materials that extended its visual world into physical locations.