The Hamburglar is the striped-shirt trickster who first appeared in McDonald's national advertising in 1971.
The character was created as part of McDonald's expanding cast of fictional personalities. His defining behavior was trying to steal hamburgers, giving the restaurant a playful villain who could appear in comic advertising alongside Ronald McDonald and other characters.
The original Hamburglar looked different from the later version many viewers remember. Early designs were more adult and sinister, while a redesign in the 1980s made him shorter, younger-looking, and more cartoonlike. His black-and-white striped clothing remained a key visual cue.
The Hamburglar is often confused with Grimace because both became prominent members of the McDonaldland group. Their roles were different: the Hamburglar was defined by hamburger-stealing antics, while Grimace was presented as a large, friendly purple character. The character's name is a direct pun on “burglar” and “hamburger.”