The Hamburglar was the 1960s McDonald's character portrayed as a striped-shirt thief who tried to steal hamburgers.
The Hamburglar became part of McDonald's fictional advertising world during the 1970s expansion of McDonaldland, although the character was introduced in the late 1960s. He was depicted as a small, mischievous figure whose central joke was his desire to take hamburgers. His costume and exaggerated behavior made the character easy for children to recognize in television commercials and promotional material.
The character's design changed over time. The earliest version was more ghostlike and sinister, while the later version became shorter, friendlier, and more child-oriented. These redesigns reflected McDonald's broader effort to make its advertising world appealing rather than frightening.
The Hamburglar is often confused with Captain Crook, another McDonaldland character. Captain Crook was associated with Filet-O-Fish advertising, whereas the Hamburglar's defining theme was hamburger theft.