Willard Scott played the first televised version of Ronald McDonald in a 1963 Washington, D.C. commercial.
Scott was a television personality and weather presenter who appeared as Ronald McDonald while working for the local station WRC-TV. The character was created as a friendly advertising figure who could appeal especially to children and help give McDonald’s a distinctive personality on television.
Scott’s version was not identical to the later Ronald McDonald. The early costume used a tray-like hat and other exaggerated fast-food imagery, whereas later designers developed the red-haired clown appearance that became standard in national advertising.
The character’s television debut is often confused with the introduction of other McDonaldland figures. Ronald McDonald came first; characters such as Grimace and the Hamburglar were added later as the brand built a larger fictional world around its restaurants.