Which McDonald's advertising character was a pirate introduced in the early 1970s?

Captain Crook was the pirate character used in McDonald's advertising in the early 1970s.

Captain Crook was part of McDonaldland, the fictional advertising setting created to give McDonald's a cast of memorable characters. His design and stories connected him with the restaurant's Filet-O-Fish sandwich, while other characters were linked to different parts of the brand's menu or identity.

The character appeared alongside figures such as Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, and the Fry Kids. McDonald's later reduced the prominence of many McDonaldland characters as its advertising style changed.

Captain Crook is often mixed up with the Hamburglar because both were prominent costumed characters from the same advertising world. The Hamburglar was a burger-stealing character, while Captain Crook was specifically portrayed as a pirate.