Speedee was the name of McDonald’s hamburger-headed mascot used before Ronald McDonald.
Speedee appeared in McDonald’s early branding after Richard and Maurice McDonald developed their streamlined restaurant system in San Bernardino, California. The character was drawn as a chef-like figure with a hamburger-shaped head and was associated with the restaurant’s fast service.
Speedee was gradually replaced by Ronald McDonald as the company expanded its family-oriented advertising. Ronald became the central mascot in the 1960s, while Speedee remained an important part of McDonald’s earlier visual identity.
Speedee is sometimes confused with later McDonaldland characters, including Grimace and Mayor McCheese. Those characters belonged to a different advertising world created after McDonald’s had already moved away from Speedee-centered branding.