Which McDonald’s character is the chain’s clown mascot?

Ronald McDonald is McDonald’s clown mascot.

The character first appeared in McDonald’s advertising in 1963. He was created to give the growing restaurant chain a memorable, friendly personality that children could recognize. His costume used the brand’s visual language, including red and yellow, while his clown identity made him stand out in television commercials and public appearances.

Willard Scott, then a television personality, played the earliest Ronald McDonald in a series of advertisements for a Washington, D.C., McDonald’s franchise. The character was later redesigned and portrayed by other performers as McDonald’s expanded its marketing.

Ronald is often incorrectly described as McDonald’s first mascot. That distinction belongs to Speedee, who represented the company before Ronald’s debut. Ronald instead became the best-known face of the later McDonaldland era and one of the most recognizable advertising characters in the world.