The Hamburglar was originally presented as a McDonald's advertising villain who stole hamburgers.
The character was part of McDonaldland, the fantasy setting used in McDonald's advertising from the early 1970s. In his original form, the Hamburglar was a small, mischievous character associated with stealing hamburgers and speaking in unusual, fragmented phrases.
His design changed substantially over time. The earliest version looked more like an older, sinister trickster, while later advertising redesigned him as a younger, more cartoon-like figure. Those visual changes helped make the character friendlier and more suitable for children's marketing.
The Hamburglar is sometimes confused with Captain Crook, another McDonaldland villain associated with Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. Mayor McCheese represented the town's mayor, while Grimace began with a different, more mischievous role before becoming the friendly purple character familiar to later audiences.