McDonald’s original 1948 mascot was Speedee, a chef used to represent its Speedee Service System.
Speedee appeared in early McDonald’s branding as a smiling chef whose name referred to the restaurant’s emphasis on fast service. The mascot visually connected the company with its streamlined food-preparation system, introduced by Richard and Maurice McDonald at their San Bernardino restaurant.
Speedee was later replaced by Ronald McDonald as the company’s better-known public mascot. This change reflected McDonald’s growing focus on family advertising and children’s marketing during the 1960s. Speedee did not disappear from the company’s history, however: the character remains an important link to McDonald’s pre-Ronald era.
The name is sometimes confused with Speedy Gonzales, the Warner Bros. cartoon character. They are unrelated. Speedee was a McDonald’s branding figure created to communicate speed and consistency rather than a fictional entertainment character.