Mac Tonight promoted late-night dining in McDonald's 1986 advertising campaign.
Mac Tonight was a character with a crescent-moon-shaped head, sunglasses, and a tuxedo. The campaign used the character to associate McDonald's with evening meals and late-night visits, expanding the brand's advertising beyond its traditional daytime and family imagery.
The character became especially memorable because the commercials used a reworked version of the song “Mack the Knife.” The musical style and moon-headed design gave Mac Tonight a noticeably different tone from McDonaldland characters such as Grimace or Mayor McCheese.
Mac Tonight is sometimes mistaken for a permanent McDonaldland resident. He was chiefly a promotional advertising character associated with the late-night campaign that began in 1986.