Ronald McDonald became McDonald's second major mascot after Speedee.
Speedee represented the restaurant's early focus on rapid service, but McDonald's later shifted toward a more character-driven advertising identity. Ronald McDonald was introduced in the 1960s and developed into a friendly clown figure associated with the company, children, and family-oriented restaurant visits.
The wording “second mascot” refers to the broad sequence of major company mascots, not to every temporary promotional figure McDonald's ever used. Characters such as the Hamburglar, Grimace, and Mayor McCheese joined Ronald in the company's fictional advertising universe, but they did not replace him as the principal mascot during his peak prominence.
Ronald's role and public visibility changed over time, particularly as McDonald's adjusted its marketing. Even so, his historical importance is clear: he helped move the brand from a service-system identity represented by Speedee toward a character-led identity centered on family entertainment.