Which McDonald’s character is a striped burglar who tries to steal hamburgers?

The Hamburglar is McDonald’s striped burglar character who tries to steal hamburgers.

The character became part of McDonaldland advertising in the 1970s. His visual identity traditionally included a black-and-white striped outfit, a cape, gloves, and a wide-brimmed hat. The Hamburglar’s repeated attempts to take hamburgers supplied a simple comic conflict for television commercials and promotional stories.

The character’s appearance changed substantially over time. Early versions looked more like a small, mischievous adult burglar, while later advertising presented him as a younger, childlike figure. His speech, clothing, and proportions were also adjusted for different campaigns.

The Hamburglar is often confused with Grimace because both were major McDonaldland characters. Grimace was associated with milkshakes and later became friendly; the Hamburglar’s defining role was hamburger theft. The character’s name is a wordplay combination of “hamburger” and “burglar.”