Which song was adapted for McDonald's 1980s Mac Tonight advertising campaign?

McDonald's 1980s Mac Tonight advertising campaign adapted the song “Mack the Knife.” The commercials reworked the title into “Mac Tonight,” linking the character and the restaurant brand to evening dining.

Mac Tonight was a crescent-moon-headed character introduced in 1986. Actor Doug Jones performed as the character in the original commercials, which used a modified version of Bobby Darin's famous recording-era song.

The campaign is sometimes confused with a general McDonald's late-night slogan, but Mac Tonight was specifically an advertising character and campaign. The song itself was not originally written for McDonald's: “Mack the Knife” originated in Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's 1928 musical The Threepenny Opera and later became a major popular-music hit.

Mac Tonight became especially associated with McDonald's nighttime branding during the late 1980s, although the character was later retired after a legal dispute involving musician B.B. King.