The Hamburglar was introduced by McDonald’s in 1971 as a masked, burger-stealing trickster.
He became one of the best-known characters in McDonaldland, a fictional advertising setting created to make McDonald’s restaurants especially appealing to children. The character’s early appearance was more sinister and goblin-like than the later, smaller character wearing a black cape and red clothing.
The Hamburglar’s repeated attempts to steal hamburgers gave McDonald’s commercials a simple comic story that could be understood without much dialogue. His name also directly connected the character to the brand’s signature food.
The character is sometimes confused with Captain Crook, whose advertising role centered on Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, or with Grimace, who began as a much less friendly shake-stealing figure.