Mac Tonight was the McDonald's advertising character introduced in 1986 as a moonlighting crooner.
Mac Tonight appeared in a campaign designed to promote McDonald's evening business. The character was depicted with a crescent-moon head, sunglasses, and a tuxedo, and he sang a rewritten version of the song “Mack the Knife.” His imagery connected McDonald's with nighttime dining rather than only daytime fast food.
The campaign became especially recognizable for its surreal character design and jazz-themed presentation. Mac Tonight is sometimes confused with McDonaldland characters, but he was a separate advertising creation rather than one of the permanent fantasy-world mascots.
The campaign also became the subject of legal controversy because Bobby Darin's estate objected to the altered use of “Mack the Knife.” McDonald's eventually stopped using the character in the United States.