McDonald’s original hamburger-selling mascot was Speedee. The character represented the Speedee Service System, the brothers’ early promise of fast, standardized food.
Speedee was drawn as a smiling chef with a hamburger-shaped head. The mascot appeared in McDonald’s early signs and promotional material before Ronald McDonald became the company’s best-known character.
A common mix-up is confusing Speedee with Speedy Gonzales, the Warner Bros. cartoon character, or with the later McDonaldland characters. Speedee belonged specifically to McDonald’s early branding and reflected the restaurant’s emphasis on rapid service.
The Speedee identity was gradually replaced as McDonald’s developed a broader family-oriented image. The Golden Arches and Ronald McDonald eventually became much more prominent symbols of the brand.