Mac Tonight was the McDonald's advertising character introduced in 1986 with a crescent-moon head and a nighttime-dining theme.
The character appeared in a campaign designed to promote McDonald's as an evening destination. Mac Tonight wore a tuxedo, sunglasses, and a large crescent-moon head, and sang a rewritten version of the 1950s song “Mack the Knife.” The campaign's musical presentation made the character distinct from McDonaldland's earlier cast.
Mac Tonight was especially associated with the slogan and song “It's Mac Tonight!” The advertisements helped McDonald's emphasize dinner and late-evening visits rather than concentrating only on breakfast and lunch.
Mac Tonight is sometimes confused with Ronald McDonald or with the moon imagery used in unrelated advertising. The character was a separate campaign creation and was not one of the original McDonaldland citizens. Legal disputes involving the song's rights later affected the campaign's use.