The Hamburglar was introduced by McDonald’s in 1971 as a masked, striped-shirt hamburger thief.
The character became one of the central figures in McDonaldland, McDonald’s fictional advertising setting. In his original form, the Hamburglar was portrayed as a small, mischievous character whose main goal was to steal hamburgers. His black-and-white striped clothing, cape, mask, and exaggerated speech made him visually distinct in television commercials and promotional materials.
McDonald’s later redesigned the Hamburglar into a more childlike character, simplifying his appearance while preserving the basic hamburger-thief idea. That redesign is why images of the character can look substantially different across decades.
The Hamburglar is sometimes confused with Captain Crook, another McDonaldland character associated with Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. The two belonged to the same advertising universe but had different roles. The Hamburglar’s defining brand function was his pursuit of hamburgers, not seafood products or restaurant management.