Who played the earliest televised version of McDonald's Ronald McDonald in 1963?

Willard Scott played the earliest televised version of McDonald’s Ronald McDonald in 1963.

Before becoming a nationally familiar mascot, Ronald appeared in a Washington, D.C., television commercial. Scott, then a local broadcaster and television personality, wore the early costume and presented the character as a clown associated with McDonald’s food.

The first costume differed substantially from the later standardized Ronald design. It included food-themed objects used as clothing and props, including a hamburger-shaped container. McDonald’s subsequently refined the character’s appearance for broader advertising use.

Ronald’s early portrayal is sometimes attributed to later actors who played the character in national commercials. Willard Scott is specifically associated with the first televised version, not with every later performance of Ronald McDonald.