What was the name of McDonald’s first official corporate mascot after its 1961 rebranding?

Ronald McDonald was McDonald’s first official corporate mascot after its 1961 rebranding.

The character was created as a cheerful clown who could make the restaurant especially appealing to children. Willard Scott portrayed an early version of Ronald McDonald in Washington, D.C., television advertising in 1963. The character’s appearance developed over time, and McDonald’s later established a broader cast of fictional characters around him.

Ronald’s design was built from recognizable restaurant items: his costume included red-and-yellow colors associated with McDonald’s, and early versions used packaging-inspired clothing. His role was not simply to identify an individual product; he represented the family-oriented world of the entire brand.

Speedee was McDonald’s earlier mascot, while characters such as Grimace and the Hamburglar were introduced later. The 1961 date is important because it marks the corporate identity change linked to the Golden Arches logo, not Ronald’s first television appearance, which came in 1963.