McDonald's original chef-hat-wearing mascot was Speedee.
Speedee appeared in McDonald's early branding during the 1950s, before Ronald McDonald became the chain's best-known character. He was drawn as a smiling chef with a hamburger-shaped head and represented fast service.
The name connected the mascot to McDonald's original Speedee Service System, the streamlined restaurant method developed by Richard and Maurice McDonald. That system emphasized a limited menu, assembly-line preparation, and quick customer service.
Speedee is sometimes confused with later McDonald's characters, especially the Hamburglar and Mayor McCheese. Those figures belonged to the broader McDonaldland advertising world, while Speedee represented the restaurant's earlier service concept. Ronald McDonald replaced him as the central mascot in the 1960s.