The Hamburglar was redesigned in 1985 from a thief into a younger, friendlier McDonald’s mascot.
The original Hamburglar was presented as a small, mischievous character whose main purpose was to steal hamburgers. His early costume included a black-and-white striped outfit, a broad-brimmed hat, and a more adult, exaggerated appearance.
In 1985, McDonald’s updated the character for a younger audience. The redesigned Hamburglar had a smaller, childlike appearance and a more colorful outfit, making him fit more comfortably alongside the other McDonaldland characters.
This change is easy to confuse with Grimace’s earlier redesign. Grimace also changed significantly over time, but the 1985 transformation described here specifically concerns the Hamburglar and his shift away from a threatening or criminal-looking image.