McDonaldland was the McDonald’s advertising world introduced in 1971 with characters such as Grimace and the Hamburglar.
The campaign presented McDonald’s as a fantasy landscape populated by personified food and restaurant ideas. Ronald McDonald served as the central character, while other figures gave the brand a continuing cast for television commercials, packaging, and promotional material.
Grimace and the Hamburglar became especially recognizable. Other McDonaldland figures included Mayor McCheese, Officer Big Mac, and Captain Crook. Their designs and roles changed over time as McDonald’s updated its advertising style.
McDonaldland is sometimes confused with a restaurant program or children’s play area. It was primarily a fictional advertising setting, not a separate McDonald’s product line or physical theme park.