Speedee appeared in McDonald's branding before Ronald McDonald.
Speedee was a chef-like character used by McDonald's during the company's early years. His name referred to the restaurant's emphasis on speedy service, an important selling point for the Speedee Service System developed by Richard and Maurice McDonald at their San Bernardino restaurant.
The character was associated with the restaurant's early signs and packaging before Ronald McDonald became the company's best-known mascot. Speedee therefore belongs to the period when McDonald's branding emphasized efficient preparation and service more directly than the later family-oriented McDonaldland imagery.
A frequent mistake is to identify Mayor McCheese, Grimace, or the Hamburglar as the earliest mascot. Those characters were introduced later, as part of McDonaldland advertising. Ronald McDonald also came later: the character began appearing in McDonald's advertising in the early 1960s. Speedee is the earlier mascot linked to the company's original service message.