The title of McDonald’s 1986 advertising campaign featuring the moon-faced character was “Mac Tonight.”
Mac Tonight was designed to promote McDonald’s evening business. The character appeared as a singing crescent or moon-faced figure wearing sunglasses, presenting nighttime visits as entertaining and distinctive. The commercials used a version of “Mack the Knife,” linking the campaign to a recognizable popular song.
The campaign was created by the Los Angeles advertising agency Needham Harper & Steers and became especially prominent in the United States during the late 1980s. Mac Tonight’s visual design differed sharply from Ronald McDonald and the McDonaldland characters, showing how McDonald’s used separate brand personalities for different occasions.
Mac Tonight is sometimes remembered as the name of the character alone, but it was also the campaign’s central title and slogan. The character was later withdrawn after a legal dispute concerning the use of the song.