Which clown became McDonald’s central advertising mascot in the 1960s?

Ronald McDonald became McDonald’s central advertising mascot in the 1960s.

The character was created to make the restaurant especially appealing to children and families. Ronald’s bright costume, red hair, face paint, and oversized shoes made him visually distinctive in television advertising and public appearances.

Ronald McDonald was introduced in a 1963 television advertisement, helping establish a recognizable character-led style for McDonald’s branding. He later appeared alongside characters such as Grimace, the Hamburglar, and Mayor McCheese in McDonaldland campaigns.

People sometimes confuse Ronald’s introduction with the founding of McDonald’s or with the debut of the Golden Arches. Those are separate milestones: the restaurant began decades earlier, while Ronald belonged to the later family-marketing era.