Which McDonald's character is a hamburger thief in the McDonaldland advertising cast?

The Hamburglar is the hamburger thief in McDonaldland's advertising cast.

The character was created as a playful villain for McDonald's child-focused fictional world. His recurring goal was to steal hamburgers, while Ronald McDonald and the other McDonaldland characters tried to stop or outwit him. The concept gave commercials a simple comic conflict that could be understood without much dialogue.

The Hamburglar's appearance changed significantly. Early versions looked more like a small older criminal, while the later, familiar version was a child-sized figure wearing a black-and-white striped outfit and cape. The character's catchphrase and exaggerated behavior made him easy to recognize in commercials and licensed merchandise.

The Hamburglar is sometimes confused with Mayor McCheese, who was a civic character, or with Officer Big Mac, who served a law-enforcement role. The Hamburglar's defining role was always the attempted theft of McDonald's hamburgers.