Which McDonald's character was originally created to promote the chain's breakfast menu?

Birdie the Early Bird was created to promote McDonald's breakfast menu.

Birdie joined the McDonaldland cast in 1980, when McDonald's was expanding the role of breakfast in its restaurant business. Her name directly connected her character to the morning and to the idea of arriving early for breakfast. She was depicted as a yellow bird wearing pink clothing and aviator-style accessories.

The character helped give McDonald's breakfast advertising its own identity instead of treating morning food as just another menu category. Her appearances linked the breakfast daypart with the same playful fictional world already associated with Ronald McDonald and other McDonaldland figures.

Birdie is sometimes confused with the Hamburglar or Grimace because all three appeared in McDonaldland promotions. Their branding roles differed: Birdie represented breakfast, the Hamburglar represented mischievous burger theft, and Grimace became associated with the restaurant's friendly character lineup.