Which advertising character replaced Speedee as McDonald’s best-known mascot?

Ronald McDonald replaced Speedee as McDonald’s best-known mascot.

Ronald was introduced in 1963 as a clown character designed to appeal especially to children and families. Early television advertising presented him as a friendly figure connected with McDonald’s food and restaurants.

Television personality Willard Scott portrayed Ronald McDonald in the character’s earliest major advertising appearances. The character’s costume incorporated McDonald’s branding, including a red-and-yellow color scheme and a hat shaped like a food container in early versions.

Ronald became the central figure in a wider fictional group that later included characters such as the Hamburglar, Grimace, and Mayor McCheese. Speedee belonged to the company’s earlier fast-service identity, while Ronald represented the family-oriented restaurant image McDonald’s developed during the 1960s.