Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. He inhabits the fictional world of
Why did McDonald's phase out Ronald McDonald? McDonald's decided to curtail the use of Ronald McDonald in campaigns due to reports of creepy clown sightings six years ago, the Associated Press reported.
Ronald McDonald was instantly recognisable as the fast food chain's mascot - but he was retired suddenly in 2016.
Hamilton B. Urglar (street name "Hamburglar") has been a part of the McDonald's canon since circa 1975 and — like most of the McDonald's characters who aren't Ronald — either portrayed as a cartoon character or as an actor inside a costume with a headpiece.
However, the most well-known and enduring mascots in the McDonald's roster are Ronald McDonald, Grimace, Hamburglar, Birdie the Early Bird, and the Fry Kids.
Out pops CosMc — an orange alien with six arms, a blob-like head, and sneaker-wearing feet. It's not clear if CosMc is wearing the spacecraft like a suit, or if it's part of his body like a turtle's shell. "Hi-ho Earth people, CosMc here!
Captain Crook (performed by Robert Towers, voiced by Larry Storch in 1971–1983, Tim Blaney in 1984–1985) – A pirate captain who was introduced in 1971 as one of the main antagonists and dropped in 1985. Captain Crook steals Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and often interprets Hamburglar's gibberish.
A common misconception is that the first hamburger was created in Hamburg, Germany. While the inspiration for the hamburger came from Hamburg, the sandwich concept was invented much later. During the 19th century, Hamburg became famous for their beef, from cows raised in the regional countryside.
McDonald's Hamburglar is one of the most recognizable fast-food mascots. As the foil to the lovable Ronald McDonald, the mischief maker will stop at nothing to steal and hoard every last burger for himself. But for the past several years, the Hamburglar's whereabouts have been unknown.
In his first television appearance in 1963, the clown was portrayed by Willard Scott. On March 28, 2000, Henry Gonzalez, McDonald's Northeast Division President, thanked Scott for creating Ronald McDonald during a taped tribute to Scott on the Today Show.
The Hamburglar is another character who has changed a lot over the years but his goal has always been simple: steal all the hamburgers. In the '70s, he was supposed to be an old man who spoke gibberish. A decade later, he was changed to become a child that was always causing trouble and irritating Ronald.
The burger chain gave owners permission to drop the $1 drinks promotion in January, according to The Journal. As of May, some franchisee groups have shifted to market the value menu instead.
The fast-food chain has said goodbye to its strawberry and toffee ice cream sundaes - much to customers dismay. The ice cream treat disappeared from the menu late last month with bosses saying the decision had been made because the puddings "weren't very popular".
"As if commercial fast food wasn't depressing enough, now McDonalds presents uniforms as grey and bleak as their food," said another. McDonald's explained that the move was a step in its commitment to becoming "America's first job" and to improve the restaurant experience.
They're German hamburgers, which are also called Buletten or even Danish Frikadelle, and are German-style meat patties that are pan-fried and often served hot or cold on a crusty bun as street food in Germany. Frikadellen are how the American hamburger came to be.
The term 'hamburger' comes from Hamburg in Germany, where a minced beef style dish was first created. All of our burgers are made from whole cuts of 100% British and Irish beef, with nothing added except a pinch of salt and pepper after cooking.
One of the earliest claims comes from Charlie Nagreen, who in 1885 sold a meatball between two slices of bread at the Seymour Fair now sometimes called the Outagamie County Fair. The Seymour Community Historical Society of Seymour, Wisconsin, credits Nagreen, now known as "Hamburger Charlie", with the invention.
Birdie is one of Ronald McDonald's friends. She was the first identifiably female character used in McDonald's commercials, introduced in 1980 to promote the company's new breakfast items. She is a brown bird wearing a pink jumpsuit, flight cap and scarf.
"Grimace" is the fluffy, purple character who tags along with Ronald McDonald. A McDonald's manager says Grimace is "an enormous taste bud" and it's meant to show that food tastes good.
As the main source of law and order in McDonaldland, Officer Big Mac spent most of his time chasing the Hamburglar and Captain Crook. The character was dropped during the streamlining of the characters in the mid-1980s. Officer Big Mac was voiced by Ted Cassidy.
Grimace was first introduced back in 1972, as "Evil Grimace." He had the same purple shape but four arms, and in a commercial at the time, swiped all of the cups from McDonaldland to stop anyone from having milkshakes or Coca-Cola.
Merriam-Webster defines grimace as "a facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval," but at McDonald's, it's the name of a large blob-like purple character with a big grin, often seen alongside pals Ronald McDonald and the Hamburglar.
As it turns out, the main reason that toys have four eyes is because McDonald's collaborated with streetwear brand Cactus Plant Flea Market on their designs. The brand is known for their off-beat designs, and one of their signature elements has long been a face with four eyes.
Imahara interviews various behind-the-scenes players, including Rickette Collins, McDonald's director of strategic supply, about everything from preservatives, additives and hormones to the notorious "pink slime" -- beef trimmings treated with ammonia -- that consumers believe gets added to the meat.
The Taylor ice cream machine takes four hours to clean and sanitize itself — and the process needs to be completed every single day. During these four hours, the machine, of course, cannot make ice cream. However, the employees know this, so most of the time they clean the machine at night.