The Hamburglar was introduced in 1971 as McDonald's mischievous hamburger-stealing mascot.
The character became one of the most recognizable members of McDonaldland. His role was simple and memorable: he tried to obtain hamburgers, especially Big Macs, while Ronald McDonald and other characters reacted to his schemes.
The Hamburglar's appearance changed over time. The earliest version had a more elaborate, childlike outlaw design, while later versions were streamlined into the shorter, more familiar character used in many advertisements. Those redesigns can make historical images look like different mascots even though they represent the same character.
The Hamburglar is distinct from Grimace, whose early advertising identity was tied to milkshakes, and from Mayor McCheese, whose role was civic rather than mischievous. His name is a wordplay combination of “hamburger” and “burglar.”