Which McDonald’s mascot, introduced in 1980, was a yellow bird associated with breakfast?

Birdie the Early Bird was the McDonald’s mascot introduced in 1980 as a yellow bird associated with breakfast.

Birdie was created to promote McDonald’s breakfast menu, which had become an important part of the company’s business and advertising. Her design used bright yellow coloring and bird features that visually connected her with the idea of waking early and starting the day.

She joined a larger cast of McDonald’s advertising characters, including Ronald McDonald, Grimace, the Hamburglar, and Mayor McCheese. These characters helped turn the restaurant brand into a broader fictional world aimed especially at children and families.

Birdie is sometimes mistaken for a general-purpose mascot. Her defining branding role was breakfast promotion, not the original representation of McDonald’s as a whole.