McDonald's used Speedee as its early mascot before Ronald McDonald became the chain's leading character.
Speedee was a cartoon chef created for McDonald's original Speedee Service System. The character represented fast preparation and helped communicate the restaurant's emphasis on quick service during the late 1940s and 1950s.
The name Speedee is closely connected with McDonald's early branding, but it is sometimes confused with Speedy Gonzales, a Warner Bros. cartoon character. Speedee also predates the McDonald brothers' later family-oriented advertising characters.
Ronald McDonald was introduced in 1963, while the later McDonaldland campaign added characters such as Grimace, the Hamburglar, and Mayor McCheese. Those characters belong to a different phase of the company's branding history.