Who created the original 1960s design of Ronald McDonald’s costume?

Willard Scott created the original 1960s design of Ronald McDonald’s costume.

Scott was a television personality and weather presenter who portrayed the earliest Ronald McDonald in local Washington, D.C., advertising. His version of the character used McDonald’s food and packaging as visual elements, including a tray-like hat and a cup-shaped garment detail.

The first costume was much more elaborate than the simplified red-haired clown image most audiences later recognized. McDonald’s subsequently refined Ronald’s appearance for national advertising, giving him a more consistent costume and a clearer connection to the company’s family-oriented brand.

This credit is sometimes confused with the people who designed McDonald’s restaurant architecture or later corporate logos. Stanley Clark Meston is associated with the original Golden Arches building design, while Jim Schindler is associated with the 1962 arches logo. Scott’s contribution concerned Ronald’s earliest advertising presentation.