Speedee was McDonald’s original mascot before Ronald McDonald became prominent.
Speedee was depicted as a chef-like figure and represented the restaurant’s fast-service promise. The McDonald brothers used the name Speedee Service System for the operating methods developed at their San Bernardino, California, restaurant.
The mascot appeared in early McDonald’s signs and promotional materials before the company adopted a much broader character-based advertising world. Ronald McDonald was introduced in the early 1960s and eventually became the chain’s best-known mascot.
A common mix-up is confusing Speedee with the Golden Arches. Speedee was a character and service symbol, while the arches became McDonald’s dominant corporate emblem. The arches also originated in the restaurant architecture rather than as a mascot.