Willard Scott created the original Ronald McDonald character for a 1963 Washington, D.C., television campaign.
Scott was working as a television personality when he portrayed the character in local commercials for McDonald's restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area. The first version drew on familiar clown imagery and included a tray-like hat, a paper cup on the nose, and a hamburger costume element.
McDonald's later refined Ronald's appearance and promoted him nationally as the company's cheerful ambassador. The character's design changed substantially from Scott's early portrayal, so modern images do not always resemble the original television version.
Ronald McDonald joined a growing family of branded characters that eventually included the Hamburglar, Grimace, and Mayor McCheese. The character became especially prominent in advertising aimed at children and in Ronald McDonald House Charities, though the charity is a separate nonprofit organization from McDonald's itself.