Which clown mascot was first played by Willard Scott?

Ronald McDonald was the clown mascot first played by Willard Scott.

Scott portrayed the character in three local television advertisements for a Washington, D.C.-area McDonald’s franchise in 1963. The ads introduced Ronald as a hamburger-loving clown, and Scott’s earlier experience playing Bozo the Clown helped shape the performance. The character was created for local promotion before McDonald’s developed Ronald into a national mascot.

Ronald appeared in national advertising in 1965, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and commercials shown during the NFL Championship Game. Other performers later took over, including Michael Polakovs, Ray Rayner, King Moody and Squire Fridell, so Scott was not the only actor associated with the role.

Bozo is a frequent mix-up because Scott had played Bozo before becoming Ronald. Bozo, however, was a separate clown character; the McDonald’s mascot is Ronald McDonald.