McDonald’s first mascot, introduced in 1948 with a hamburger-shaped head, was Speedee.
Speedee represented the McDonald brothers’ Speedee Service System, the streamlined method that let their San Bernardino restaurant prepare a limited menu quickly. The character was drawn as a chef-like figure and appeared on early McDonald’s signs and promotional material.
Speedee is sometimes confused with the later Speedee service logo, which depicted a chef holding a hamburger. The mascot predates Ronald McDonald, who became the company’s dominant advertising character during the 1960s.
The name also reflected the restaurant’s emphasis on speed rather than the broader family-oriented branding McDonald’s later developed. As the company expanded under Ray Kroc, the Golden Arches and Ronald McDonald gradually became more recognizable worldwide.