Which McDonald's character was a striped, hamburger-stealing figure introduced in 1971?

The Hamburglar was the striped, hamburger-stealing McDonald's character introduced in 1971.

The character became part of McDonaldland, the fictional advertising world McDonald's developed for family marketing. Early versions were small, mischievous, and visually different from the later design. The Hamburglar's recurring story was built around trying to take hamburgers, especially McDonald's signature products.

His appearance changed substantially over time. Later advertising presented him as a more childlike character wearing a black-and-white striped outfit, a red cape, and a broad-brimmed hat. The redesign made the figure less sinister and more suitable for a family audience.

The Hamburglar is often confused with Grimace because both were prominent McDonaldland characters introduced during the same period. Their roles were distinct: the Hamburglar was a mischievous hamburger thief, while Grimace was a large purple companion character. The name directly combines “hamburger” with the word “burglar.”