The Speedee character was removed from many U.S. restaurant signs during the 1960s as the Golden Arches became dominant.
Speedee was an early McDonald's mascot associated with the Speedee Service System, the restaurant model developed by Richard and Maurice McDonald. The character was shown as a small chef-like figure and represented fast service before the Golden Arches became the company's main visual identifier.
As McDonald's expanded, the arches offered a simpler and more flexible symbol for buildings, signs, packaging, and advertising. The transition did not erase Speedee from the company's history, but it reduced his role in public-facing branding.
Speedee is sometimes confused with Ronald McDonald because both were important company characters. They belonged to different eras and served different purposes: Speedee represented the original service system, while Ronald became the later consumer-facing mascot.