McDonald's original mascot was Speedee.
Speedee was a chef character used in McDonald's early branding during the 1940s and 1950s. He represented the restaurant's emphasis on fast service and was closely associated with the Speedee Service System developed by Richard and Maurice McDonald.
The character appeared before Ronald McDonald became the chain's best-known mascot. Speedee is sometimes confused with Speedy, the later name of other fast-food characters, but McDonald's historical mascot was spelled Speedee. The character's design reflected the quick-service message that defined the brothers' restaurant concept.
As McDonald's expanded through franchising, its branding gradually shifted toward the Golden Arches and Ronald McDonald. Speedee therefore belongs mainly to the company's earliest visual identity, before the modern character-based McDonaldland era.