McDonald's first mascot was Speedee.
Speedee was a chef character used to represent the restaurant's original Speedee Service System. That system emphasized fast preparation and service when Richard and Maurice McDonald redesigned their San Bernardino restaurant in 1948.
The character appeared before Ronald McDonald and helped communicate the brand's early focus on speed. Speedee was commonly shown wearing a chef's hat and was associated with the restaurant's early advertising and packaging.
Ronald McDonald eventually replaced Speedee as the best-known McDonald's mascot. The Hamburglar, Grimace, and Birdie were introduced later as members of a much larger character world. Because the Golden Arches became so dominant, many people incorrectly assume Ronald McDonald was the original mascot, but Speedee belongs to the earlier period of McDonald's branding.