Speedee was the McDonald's branding symbol removed from most U.S. restaurant signs during the 1960s.
Speedee had represented McDonald's early fast-service identity and appeared in the chain's original promotional materials. As the Golden Arches became the dominant visual mark, McDonald's phased Speedee out of most American signage. The shift reflected a broader change from emphasizing a named service system to emphasizing a memorable corporate symbol.
The transition did not mean that every trace of Speedee disappeared immediately. Early signs, historical photographs, and surviving artifacts continued to show the character. The mascot also remains important to the chain's branding history because it linked the restaurant's name with speed before the modern logo system matured.
The Golden Arches are sometimes described as replacing Ronald McDonald, but that is a different historical relationship. Ronald became prominent later as a character mascot, while Speedee was the earlier symbol displaced by the increasingly powerful arches identity.