Willard Scott played Ronald McDonald in the first televised McDonald’s commercial featuring the character in 1963.
Scott was a television personality and weather presenter who portrayed the early version of Ronald McDonald for local Washington, D.C., advertising. The character wore a costume built from familiar McDonald’s imagery, including a food container used as a hat.
This early portrayal differed from the standardized Ronald McDonald character that became familiar nationally. The design, costume, and performer changed as McDonald’s developed the character for broader family marketing.
Ronald McDonald became a central part of McDonald’s children’s branding during the 1960s. He was later joined by characters including Grimace, the Hamburglar, and Mayor McCheese, creating a fictional brand world commonly known as McDonaldland.