Which McDonald's mascot was introduced in 1971 as a mischievous hamburger thief?

The Hamburglar was introduced by McDonald's in 1971 as a mischievous hamburger thief.

The character was part of McDonaldland, the fictional advertising world created to give McDonald's a memorable cast of family-oriented mascots. In his early form, the Hamburglar had a more sinister appearance, wearing striped clothing and presenting himself as a comic food-stealing character.

McDonald's later redesigned him with a smaller, more child-friendly look. The updated version kept the basic idea of a character obsessed with hamburgers while making him less threatening and easier to use in playful advertising.

The Hamburglar is often confused with Grimace because both were major McDonaldland figures. Their roles were different: the Hamburglar was defined by his attempted hamburger theft, while Grimace began as a creature associated with milkshakes and later became a friendlier, simpler character.