The Hamburglar was introduced in 1971 as McDonald's burger-stealing McDonaldland villain.
The Hamburglar became one of McDonald's most recognizable advertising characters during the expansion of its McDonaldland campaign. His central joke was simple: he repeatedly tried to steal hamburgers, especially Big Macs, from the other characters.
The character's early design was more sinister and adult-looking than the later version most viewers remember. McDonald's redesigned him in 1985 as a smaller, childlike character wearing a black-and-white striped outfit and red clothing.
The Hamburglar is often mixed up with Captain Crook, another McDonaldland character associated with Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. Their costumes and roles differed, but both belonged to the same family-friendly advertising world built around Ronald McDonald.