What was the name of the McDonald’s character who played a hamburger-stealing villain?

The Hamburglar was the McDonald’s character who played a hamburger-stealing villain.

The Hamburglar became part of McDonald’s fictional character world in the early 1970s. He was portrayed as a mischievous figure whose central gag was trying to take hamburgers, especially the company’s signature burgers. His name combined “hamburger” with “burglar,” making the character’s role immediately understandable to young audiences.

Early versions had a more complicated appearance, while later redesigns gave him a shorter, more childlike look. He was commonly shown alongside other McDonald’s characters, including Ronald McDonald, Grimace, and Mayor McCheese.

The Hamburglar is sometimes confused with Captain Crook, another McDonald’s character associated with stealing food. Captain Crook targeted Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, whereas the Hamburglar’s defining target was hamburgers. That distinction makes The Hamburglar the canonical answer for the hamburger-stealing role.