page_title: McDonaldland
section_title: Characters
hierarchical_section_title: McDonaldland / Characters
caption_attribution_description: English: A blue Fry Kid is perched on a McDonald's sign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
context_page_description: McDonaldland was a fantasy world used in the marketing for McDonald's restaurants during the 1970s through the 1990s. McDonaldland was inhabited by Ronald McDonald and other characters. In addition to being used in advertising, the characters were used as the basis for equipment in the "PlayPlaces" attached to some McDonald's outlets. The McDonaldland commercials featuring the characters were dropped from McDonald's advertising in 2003, but Ronald McDonald is still seen in commercials and in Happy Meal toys.
context_section_description: Ronald McDonald – The primary cultural icon and official mascot of McDonald's. He is a clown with red hair and a big red smile who wears a yellow jumpsuit and red shoes. While his suit has gone through various changes over the years, it has basically remained the same.
  Hamburglar (performed by Frank Delfino from 1971-1992, Jerry Maren in some commercials, Tommy Vicini from 1992 to 2003, voiced by Larry Storch from 1971 to 1986, Howard Morris from 1986 to 2003, Charlie Adler in some commercials during the mid 1980s and in The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald, and Carl W. Wolfe in some commercials during the 1990s) – A pint-sized burglar who was introduced in 1971 as one of the first antagonists of the commercials where often attempts to steal burgers from Ronald. Originally, Hamburglar spoke in a gibberish language which had to be translated by Captain Crook. He was reintroduced in 1985 as one of the main protagonists where he spoke in a normal sentence. From 1971 to 1992, Hamburglar was  In 2015, McDonald's brought back the Hamburglar as part of the promotion of a new sirloin burger.
  Grimace (performed by Patty Saunders, voiced by Lennie Weinrib from 1971 to 1986, Frank Welker and sometimes Larry Moran from 1986 to 2003, Kevin Michael Richardson in The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald) – A large purple monster who was first introduced in November 1971 as the "Evil Grimace". In Grimace's first appearances, he was one of the original main antagonists and was depicted with two pairs of arms which was used to steal sodas and shakes. "Evil" was soon dropped from Grimace's name and he was reintroduced in 1972 as a protagonist where he only has one set of arms. He was then a rather clumsy monster from then on.
  Mayor McCheese (performed by Billy Curtis from 1971–1979, Jerry Maren from 1980–1985, voiced by Howard Morris impersonating Ed Wynn in the commercials, Bob Joles impersonating Wynn in The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald) – An enormous cheeseburger-headed character who first appeared in 1971 and was removed in 1985. He sported a top hat, a diplomat's sash and a pair of pince-nez spectacles and was portrayed as McDonaldland's bumbling and incompetent mayor. He was the subject of a lawsuit filed by Sid and Marty Krofft for similarities to H.R. Pufnstuf.
  Officer Big Mac (performed by Jerry Maren, voiced by Ted Cassidy) – Introduced in 1971 and was dropped in 1985, he was similar to Mayor McCheese in appearance that he had a large burger for a head. In his case, his head was a Big Mac (minus the vegetables and special sauce) rather than a cheeseburger. Officer Big Mac was the chief of police and as such he wore a constable uniform with a disproportionately small custodian helmet resting atop his head bun. As the main source of law and order in McDonaldland, Officer Big Mac spent most of his time chasing Hamburglar and Captain Crook.
  Captain Crook (performed by Bob 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 was dropped in 1985. Captain Crook steals Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and often interprets Hamburgler's gibberish. He was revised in 1984 with a Muppet-like appearance and later became simply known as "The Captain" where he has a parrot and operates the S.S. Filet-O-Fish.
  The Professor (portrayed by Lou Wagner, voiced by Andre Stojka) – A scientist who was McDonaldland's inventor and researcher. He was introduced in 1971 and has invented different devices throughout McDonaldland like the Psychedelic Electronic Hamburger Machine (which made only pumpkins for some reason), the Dinner Gong, an invisible car that helped Ronald McDonald get to McDonald's to meet with the kids, a magnetic bat, and the Chicken McNugget Dip-O-Matic. In his first appearance, he was a bespectacled man with a short beard, neck-length hair, and a hat. In later appearances in the 70s, he was a bespectacled man with a long beard. In the 80s, he was a bespectacled man with a moustache, a long nose, and a helmet with a lightbulb on it. The chara
caption: A blue Fry Kid is seen sitting on a McDonald's sign in Greenfield, Wisconsin.
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