Mac Tonight was McDonald’s signature moonwalking character introduced in 1986. He was depicted as a person with a crescent-moon head, dark sunglasses, and a tuxedo.
The character promoted McDonald’s evening business and was paired with a jazz-influenced version of “Mack the Knife.” His name and appearance made the nighttime theme immediately clear, while the moonwalk supplied a memorable visual gag.
Mac Tonight became a prominent advertising figure in the United States during the late 1980s. His campaign was separate from Ronald McDonald’s family-oriented role and focused more directly on evening dining.
Mac Tonight is sometimes mistaken for a permanent member of McDonald’s fictional character universe. In practice, he was a campaign character whose strongest association was with a specific period of advertising.