Speedee was the McDonald's mascot before Ronald McDonald became the brand's leading character.
Speedee was a small chef character used by McDonald's in its early years. He was connected to the restaurant's emphasis on quick service and appeared in early signs and promotional material. The name echoed the Speedee Service System developed by Richard and Maurice McDonald.
Ronald McDonald was introduced in 1963 and gradually became much more prominent in American advertising. Other McDonaldland characters followed during the 1970s, making the brand's advertising world more elaborate than its earlier Speedee-centered identity.
Speedee is sometimes confused with later characters because McDonald's used several mascots over different eras. He was not the hamburger-shaped Mayor McCheese, the burglar character Hamburglar, or the company's later clown figure. His importance lies in representing the restaurant's original speed-focused positioning.