Which McDonald’s character promoted the company’s breakfast menu after appearing in 1980 advertising?

Birdie the Early Bird promoted McDonald’s breakfast menu after appearing in 1980 advertising.

Birdie was designed as a yellow bird wearing flight-related clothing and was introduced during the period when McDonald’s was emphasizing breakfast as a major daypart. Her name made the message immediate: she represented getting up early and beginning the day with McDonald’s food.

The character joined the McDonaldland group, which used imaginative figures to give the restaurant’s advertising a shared setting. Birdie’s role was more focused than that of Ronald McDonald or Grimace, because her principal association was breakfast rather than the general McDonald’s menu.

Birdie is sometimes confused with Happy, who represents the children’s meal, or with later breakfast advertising that used no character. The 1980 introduction and breakfast connection are the key points that identify Birdie the Early Bird.