Captain Crook was the McDonald's character associated with stealing Filet-O-Fish sandwiches in early McDonaldland advertising.
Captain Crook was created as a pirate-themed figure whose name and stories connected him with McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich. His role resembled the Hamburglar's mischievous behavior, but his target was fish sandwiches rather than hamburgers. This menu-specific connection made him part of McDonald's broader strategy of turning products into memorable characters.
The character appeared alongside the established McDonaldland cast, including Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, and Grimace. His pirate styling provided a different visual identity from the Hamburglar's masked burglar design.
Captain Crook is sometimes misidentified as the Hamburglar because both characters were portrayed as comic thieves. The distinction is the product they pursued: Captain Crook was linked with Filet-O-Fish, while the Hamburglar focused on hamburgers. Captain Crook became less visible as McDonald's reduced its reliance on the full McDonaldland character ensemble.