Which McDonald’s character is a masked thief introduced in the early 1970s?

The Hamburglar is the masked thief character introduced in the early 1970s by McDonald’s.

The Hamburglar was part of the McDonaldland advertising cast created to give McDonald’s campaigns a shared fictional setting. His recurring role involved trying to steal hamburgers, especially Big Macs, while the other characters attempted to stop or expose him. The character’s striped clothing, mask, and playful criminal persona made him immediately recognizable to children.

The Hamburglar went through visual and stylistic changes over time. Early versions looked more like a small, mischievous adult, while later advertising presented him as a younger, cartoon-like character. He is sometimes confused with Captain Crook, another McDonaldland figure, but Captain Crook was associated with Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. The Hamburglar’s branding role was to personify a playful craving for McDonald’s food.