The Hamburglar was introduced by McDonald’s in 1971 as a burger-stealing mascot.
The character became part of McDonaldland, a fictional setting used in McDonald’s advertising and promotions. In his early form, the Hamburglar was presented as a small, mischievous figure whose main goal was to steal hamburgers.
His appearance changed over time. The original version looked more like an elderly criminal character, while later advertising redesigned him as a younger, more cartoon-like figure. That redesign is a frequent source of memories that differ from older commercials.
The Hamburglar was not McDonald’s first mascot: Speedee represented the brand earlier, and Ronald McDonald was introduced before the McDonaldland group expanded.