The Hamburglar joined McDonald's advertising cast in 1971 as a mischievous hamburger thief.
The character was part of McDonaldland, a fictional world created for McDonald's advertising. The Hamburglar's central joke was simple: he wanted to steal hamburgers, especially Big Macs, but was repeatedly stopped or exposed. His striped clothing and later black cape made him visually distinctive in television commercials and print advertising.
The Hamburglar's design changed over the years. Early versions looked more like a small, older burglar, while later campaigns presented him as a younger character. The basic role remained the same, making him one of the most recognizable members of the McDonaldland cast.
The character is separate from Grimace, Mayor McCheese, and Ronald McDonald. Those figures occupied different roles in the same advertising universe, so identifying the hamburger thief specifically points to the Hamburglar.