What was the name of McDonald's first national television commercial character?

Ronald McDonald was McDonald's first nationally promoted television advertising character.

The character appeared in early 1960s television advertising as a clown associated with hamburgers and the McDonald's restaurant experience. His visual identity included a yellow jumpsuit, red-and-white striped clothing, and a hamburger-themed costume element in early versions.

Ronald's first television appearances were local, especially in the Washington, D.C., market, before McDonald's developed him into a national advertising figure. The company later placed him at the center of a larger fictional world called McDonaldland, alongside characters such as Grimace and the Hamburglar.

Ronald is sometimes described simply as the company's mascot, but his historical importance is more specific: he made McDonald's advertising highly recognizable to children and helped shift the brand from a restaurant sign and service promise toward a character-led family identity.