The Hamburglar was McDonald’s masked character who tried to steal hamburgers.
The Hamburglar became part of the McDonaldland cast as a mischievous figure associated with McDonald’s hamburgers. His early appearance featured a small character in striped clothing, a black mask, and a cape-like outfit. He was usually shown attempting to take burgers while Ronald McDonald and the other characters reacted.
McDonald’s later redesigned the Hamburglar into a younger-looking character with a more contemporary costume. The redesign changed his proportions and presentation but kept the central idea of a playful burger thief.
The Hamburglar is sometimes confused with Captain Crook, another McDonaldland character. Captain Crook was associated with Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, while the Hamburglar’s defining target was hamburgers. That distinction made each character serve a different product-related branding role.