McDonaldland was the fictional community created for McDonald's advertising, where Ronald McDonald and other mascots lived.
McDonald's introduced the McDonaldland setting in the early 1970s as a way to connect its characters into a shared branded world. The commercials used colorful locations, food-themed scenery, and recurring figures such as Grimace, the Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and Birdie.
The setting gave McDonald's a consistent visual framework for children’s advertising. Rather than presenting each mascot as an isolated character, the company could place them in stories with recognizable relationships and locations.
McDonaldland is sometimes confused with a restaurant name or a physical theme park. It was primarily an advertising universe, although McDonald's restaurants and promotional materials sometimes used its imagery and terminology.