The Hamburglar was McDonald’s mischievous burger-stealing character introduced in 1971.
The character became part of McDonaldland, a fictional setting populated by McDonald’s advertising figures. In his early design, the Hamburglar had a more elaborate appearance, including striped clothing, a mask, and a long black cape. His role was to try to take hamburgers, creating a recurring conflict in commercials.
McDonald’s later simplified and redesigned the character for a younger, more modern advertising style. Despite those changes, the burger-themed name and basic mischievous identity remained central to the character.
The Hamburglar is sometimes confused with Captain Crook, another McDonaldland villain associated with Filet-O-Fish. The two characters had different costumes and food-related roles.