McDonald's first restaurant mascot before Ronald McDonald was Speedee.
Speedee was a chef-like character used in the company's early visual identity. The mascot communicated speed, an especially important promise when the McDonald brothers were promoting their simplified, high-volume service system.
The character belonged to an earlier era of McDonald's branding, before the company developed the larger McDonaldland cast. As television became more influential, Ronald McDonald offered a more flexible and child-focused personality for national advertising.
Mayor McCheese and the Hamburglar came later as parts of McDonaldland, so they are not correct alternatives for the original mascot. The name Speedee is also distinct from the phrase Speedee Service System, which described the restaurant's operating method rather than a separate character.