Which McDonaldland character was introduced in 1971 as a comical hamburger thief?

The Hamburglar was introduced in 1971 as a comical hamburger thief in McDonaldland advertising.

The character's name combines “hamburger” with “burglar,” making his role immediately understandable to audiences. Early versions had a more adult, outlaw-like appearance, including striped clothing and a disguise. McDonald's later redesigned him as a smaller, childlike character with a more playful look.

The Hamburglar was part of the expanding McDonaldland cast created to make McDonald's branding more imaginative and appealing to children. His recurring attempts to steal hamburgers supplied a simple comic storyline for commercials and promotional material.

He is sometimes confused with Captain Crook, another McDonaldland character associated with Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. Grimace was also part of the same fictional world, but his character was not the hamburger thief.