McDonaldland | McDonald's Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia 1971–1974: Early years The McDonaldland set, used in many commercials that aired in the 1970s. The first phase of the McDonaldland concept began in January 1971, when McDonald's was replacing its drive-ins with mansard roofed restaurants. The early commercials were built on an upbeat, bubble-gum style tune, and featured a narrator; many had plots that involved various villains trying to steal a corresponding food item, foiled by Ronald. McDonaldland itself, as it was depicted in the commercials, was a magical place where plants, foods, and inanimate objects were living, speaking characters. In addition to being the home to Ronald and the other core characters, McDonaldland boasted a theme park of "Thick Shake Volcanoes", anthropomorphized " Apple Pie Trees ," "French Fry Bushes" (where McDonald's French Fries grew from bushes), " The Hamburger Patch " (where McDonald's hamburgers grew out of the ground like plants), " Filet-O-Fish Lake", and many other fanciful features based around various McDonald's menu items.

In the commercials, the various beings are played by puppets or costumed performers, very similar to those used in the popular H.R. Pufnstuf TV show. Some of the commercials were directed by Howard Morris , who voiced some of the characters in the commercials as well. 1974–1979: Transition years The McDonaldland line saw significant changes during this period. Notably, Grimace (who was introduced as an evil villain) was revamped in 1974 as a protagonist. Then in 1977, the Uncle O'Grimacey character was introduced for a brief promotion for Shamrock Shakes around St. Patrick's Day. Also during this period, the McDonaldland Characters would begin promoting "Happy Meal Toys" in 1979, based on popular franchises of Disney, Warner Bros, DC Comics, etc. Lawsuit Needham Harper & Steers, an ad agency (now known as the Omnicom Group) vying for McDonald's advertising accounts, had originally hoped Sid and Marty Krofft, the creators of H.R. Pufnstuf, would agree to license their characters for commercial promotions.

After the McDonaldland promotion went forward, the Kroffts were dismissed without being credited or paid. In 1973 the Kroffts successfully sued McDonald's, arguing that the entire McDonaldland premise was essentially a ripoff of their television show. Specifically, the Kroffts claimed that the character Mayor McCheese was a direct rip-off of their character, "H.R. Pufnstuf" (a mayor himself). McDonald's initially was ordered to pay $50,000. The case was later remanded as to damages, and McDonald's was ordered to pay the Kroffts more than $1,000,000 when the case was finally settled in 1977. As a result of the lawsuit, the concept of the "magical place" was all but phased out of the commercials, as were many of the original characters. 1980–2003: Popularity and decline In the early 1980s and throughout the 1990s, McDonaldland remained a popular marketing device.

The characters that remained following the lawsuit were Ronald McDonald, Grimace, Hamburglar, and the French Fry Gobblins (renamed the Fry Guys, and later the Fry Kids with the addition of the Fry Girls, in an apparent attempt to make them seem more kid-friendly). Mayor McCheese, Officer Big Mac, Captain Crook, and the Professor were used until the mid-1980s (however they did return for a Sears advertisement in 1987). Birdie the Early Bird would join the lineup soon after, representing the restaurant's new breakfast line in the early 1980s. Some of the characters' physical appearances were revised in later commercials (notably Hamburglar, Grimace, and Birdie). From then on, the characters seemed to live in reality and they interacted with real-life characters, but commercials still took place in "McDonaldland". Soon after, the Happy Meal Gang and the McNugget Buddies were prominent features in the commercials (representing the restaurant's " Happy Meals " and " Chicken McNuggets " respectively, being the menu items that mainly appealed to kids) along with Ronald.

Merchandise featuring the McDonaldland characters also grew to popular demand for children, the most notable of these being a kid magazine titled "McDonaldland Fun Times", publishing six issues a year. A made-for-television movie, The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island , was released in 1989, featuring much of the McDonaldland characters from the '80s. From 1998 until 2001, Klasky Csupo and McDonald's released a videotape series titled The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald . The series depicted Ronald, Grimace, Birdie, the Hamburglar, and a few new characters like Ronald's pessimistic dog Sundae. These videos would begin in live action, in what resembled a modern-day McDonaldland. Then when the characters would enter down a tube, or other means of travel, they would become animated. In all the video tapes, Ronald goes on adventures with his friends and they learn new things along the way. In the 2000s, McDonald's experimented with the possibility of animating the characters to improve ratings. Various spots featuring the Hamburglar and other characters alongside celebrities were planned but were canceled.

A conflict emerged between agencies regarding whether to continue using the characters or to follow through with the desire of ad agency Leo Burnett to elevate the "I'm lovin' it" campaign and phase out the characters completely. The latter option was chosen, and the McDonaldland characters were retired. 2004–present: Just Ronald McDonald In recent years, the McDonaldland premise has largely been phased out of advertising campaigns . Despite this, the McDonaldland characters continue to appear in McDonald's play areas, decorative seats for children's birthday parties, and bibs. They also appeared on some soft drink cups until 2008. They do however still appear as cookies in pouches respectively titled "McDonaldland Cookies". As of 2014, the characters appear on the windows of some McDonald's restaurants. Modern commercials nowadays usually depict Ronald McDonald alone in real-world situations with real children, whether he visits a local restaurant or goes to visit sick children at Ronald McDonald House . Grimace, however, had a non-speaking appearance in an advertisement for Monsters vs. Aliens Happy Meal Toys, while Hamburglar (in a new look) also appeared in a more adult-oriented commercial advertising the Big Mac .

Characters McDonaldland | half-assed productions Half-Assed Productions How to Fix it Workshop McDonaldland Back in the 70s, McDonald’s decided to expand it’s universe. They created a fictional place called McDonaldland. The place consisted of Triple Thick Milkshake Volcanoes, Hamburger Patches, French Fry Fields, Apple Pie Trees, & Fillet O Fish Lake. They created new characters to interact with Ronald McDonald in this fast food world. It was a huge marketing campaign that was catchy yet creepy at the same time. Unfortunately, the whole idea was stolen. You see, in the early 70s, there was a couple of puppeteer brothers named Sid & Marty Krofft. They created a bizzare island named Living Island, where literally everything was living. The trees, the flowers & everything could talk to you. Jimmy, the only human, & his magic flute would have adventures on the Living Island. The main character in the show (besides Jimmy) was H R Pufnstuf, who was a strange looking dragon. HR was the mayor of the Living Island. HR Pufnstuff was probably the trippiest looking acid trip show you’ve ever seen.

I’m too young to remember it, but my older brother, Jeff, said he used to watch it all the time. I’ve seen it on TV Land a few times, and it’s very 70s looking: a laugh track, the loud colors everywhere, and everything imaginable could talk. I think you could get high, just by watching it. It was the number one Saturday Morning TV show at the time. So, back to McDonalds. They were aware of the Krofft’s work and wanted them to license their characters in an ad campaign for McDonalds to use. McDonalds ended up doing there campaign based on HR PufnStuf without credit to the Kroffts. Sid & Marty Krofft sued McDonalds in 1973 and successfully won their case. McDonalds were initially ordered to pay them $50,000. Yeah, it seems pretty pathetic. But, later they were finally ordered to pay them over 1 million in damages when the case was finally closed in 1977. That’s about the time when the phased out “McDonaldland”. You can read more about the lawsuit here .

So, lets take a look at some of the Characters (besides Ronald) in McDonaldland: Grimace This is not the Grimace that you may know today. In fact he started out being the “Evil Grimace”. His fetish was stealing shakes. One of the commercials he actually steals empty cups. Why would anyone do that? He also had 4 arms. It’s strange to say, but seeing a purple blob with 4 arms instead of the 2 that I’m familiar with is very disturbing. He was clumsy & stupid, which Ronald would use to his advantage. Mayor McCheese He was the Mayor of McDonaldland. And he’s basically the character totally ripped off from HR Pufnstuf. McCheese was a big headed major who had press conferences in front of McDonalds to declare that cheeseburgers were delicious or some other nonsense. He hung out with his cop buddy, Big Mac. Big Mac Before Mark Mcgwire aquired the nickname, there was Officer Big Mac. He was the law in McDonaldland. Surprisingly, there was a lot of crime in McDonaldland, especially thieves. So, there needed to be a cop. He was dressed like a keystone cop.

Usually Ronald would have to help him catch the bad-guy since he couldn’t accomplish it on his own. Hamburglar The older version of the hamburglar didn’t have the whole ‘robble robble’ phrase. He also had a disturbingly long pointy nose. He almost looked like a spy vs spy character. He would basically steal hamburgers any chance he got. Ninety Nine percent of the time, he’d be caught in the act, but they’d still give him a burger at the end and laugh about it. In one commercial, they sacrifice a shake to get the stolen hamburgers back. Goblins More bad-guys in McDonaldland? The goblins would make weird noises and they loved to steal the french fries. They were later renamed to “Fry Guys” then even later to the “Fry Kids”. The were like Mops or pompoms with legs. Captain Crook The last bad-guy in McDonaldland was Captain Crook. He loved Fillet-O-Fish Sandwiches. He was dressed like a pirate, and would fail just like all the bad guys. He hung out by Fillet-O-Fish Lake to steal sandwiches from people would caught them from the lake.

Why didn’t he just get a fishing pole and get them himself? Anyway, McDonaldland was a strange place, but they really sell the food. Just watching those old commercials makes me crave a triple thick shake. Below are a bunch of the McDonaldland commercials I found on YouTube, enjoy! -Greg The politics of Mayor McCheese from McDonaldland The politics of Mayor McCheese from McDonaldland In Features by Mike McPadden / January 8, 2016 Share < br />this article: Follow @mcbeardo Any number of politicians regularly invite the term “meathead.” Alas, in the case of the honorable Mayor McCheese of McDonaldland, that typically derisive label is just a simple statement of fact: Above the neck, Hizzoner is actually nothing but giant Big Mac. McCheese, whose signature nicknames include “The Big Cheese” and “The Cheesiest Burger in Town,” first took office in 1971. That’s when McDonald’s introduced the public to McDonaldland, a psychedelic fantasy hamlet populated by puppets and dominated by a local celebrity clown, Ronald McDonald.

For all the outward harmony of McDonaldland’s grinning McNuggets and free-flowing bodies of Coca-Cola products, however, someone has had to be in charge. And Mayor McCheese has proven to be just the right anthropomorphic pile of fried flesh, processed dairy, and sugar-coated gluten to get the job done. But how much do we really know about McDonaldland? All the information we have comes directly from the state. Are we to swallow the agitprop without questioning what’s in it, much like we do with so many McNuggets? (BTW: This is not a sponsored post. To avoid any suspicion, McDonald’s is trash and the meat is probably made out of shredded up used diapers.) Public Relations Some leaders rise to greatness. Some have greatness thrust upon them. Mayor McCheese apparently just came off the griddle that way. From an image management standpoint, McCheese entered existence bedecked in a top hat, old-timey spectacles, a dandy purple suit, and, most tellingly, a sash emblazoned with the word “mayor” (the “m,” naturally is the shape of McDonald’s’ golden arches). A cheap ploy to gain political favor?

Perhaps, but you can’t argue with the results. Environmental Policy The public’s very first taste of McCheese occurred in the 1971 commercial that introduced the entire landscape and burgeoning population of McDonaldland. It all proved irresistible. Flanked by police chief and fellow sandwich-noggin Officer Big Mac, Mayor McCheese glows over his burg’s upkeep, efficiency, and infinitely renewable natural resources. Such hometown wonders include, as the deliciously groovy bubblegum music track informs us, “Apple Pie trees, French Fry bushes, and a Hamburger patch.” Under the McCheese Administration, McDonaldland has continuously expanded its agricultural innovations, producing scores of new, mostly meat-based flora and fauna eager to be talked to and joked with just before being plucked from their habitats and devoured alive. In 1972, the mayor even installed singing and dancing garbage cans to dispose of any leftover remains and what would then have been 14-pounds-per-customer of Styrofoam packaging.

There is, however, great international concern over Mayor McCheese’s decision to ignore environmental scientists who have been warning the chief administrator of McDonaldland for some time about the dangers of being located so close to active Thick Shake Volcanoes. Having taken no steps to prepare for the worst, many fear it’s only a matter of time before a large eruption lays chocolate waste to the entire region. Criminal Justice Reform Criminals run rampant in McDonaldland. There are no two ways about it. The Hamburglar has not only plagued the region for more than four decades, but he’s actually mutated into ever more threatening variations, evolving from a rubber-faced weirdo to a deceptively goofy kid to some manner of potential sex criminal. Captain Crook is a pirate who shares the Hamburglar’s passion for theft, but who filches Filet-O-Fish products. As co-conspirators, the Captain often interpreted the Hamburglar’s trademark gibberish. “Robble Robble,” it turns out, can mean many different things, albeit none of them a rejection of the outlaw’s life. Nonetheless, both the Hamburglar and Captain Crook are considered petty offenders, at worst.

After their plots are inevitably thwarted, rather than calling for punishment, the Mayor typically invites the rascals to dine alongside himself, Ronald, Officer Big Mac, and other McDonaldland VIPs — a strategy that some have called at best ineffective, and at worst, a stunningly public display of corruption in McCheese’s administration. McCheese’s progressive “stuff the face of crime” policy appears to have proven remarkably rehabilitative. The lovable blob Grimace began his McDonaldland tenure as “Evil Grimmis,” a shake-swiping atrocity who also, somehow, once had four arms. The mop-like, snazzy-sneakered “Fry Guys” made their debut as The Gobblins , fiends for oil-soaked potatoes who’d do anything for a fix. Since the mayor shared kindness and multi-thousand calorie snacks with these “at risk” subjects, each has become model citizens of McDonaldland. But more than a few people have wondered if a more sinister brainwashing program is being used behind closed doors.

Social Welfare Directly addressing a growing need for expanded consumption of biochemically addictive combinations of salt, fat, and carbohydrates, McCheese in 1976 teamed with Ronald McDonald and The Professor, McDonaldland’s premiere scientist, to literally bang a gong on behalf of citizens considering McDonald’s as a dinner option. Even bolder, the following year, McCheese instituted a full breakfast program, officially declaring that Egg McMuffins and Hot Cakes would be available at participating McDonald’s every weekend. The mayor did not, however, explain why he chose to call them “hot cakes” over the more common and far less awkward to order “pancakes.” Was the lobbying community at play here? Labor Issues Hizzoner has remained on the sidelines in the ongoing fight over a living wage. His silence with respect to several strikes launched by fast food workers and minimum wage increases speaks volumes. McCheese, first and foremost, is concerned with profit, and if the worker gets in the way, they will be eliminated — quite the contradictory actions of a friend of the people. Health and Education Although much has been made of late regarding McDonald’s “healthier” menu options, McCheese proved ahead of this curve more than 30 years ago.

In September 1985, hizzoner appointed fidgety Olympic gymnast Marylou Retton as McDonaldland’s chairperson of activity intended to counteract the reality of eating at McDonald’s. Much time has passed since then, and McCheese’s current silence regarding a petition for the fast food chain he presides over to serve healthy meatless options is deafening. A Benevolent Dictatorship Although McCheese largely retired from public view in 1985, he makes occasional appearances and, akin to Fidel Castro in Cuba or Idi Amin Dada in Uganda, oversees McDonaldland from a figurehead position of “Mayor for Life.” In fact, the only other McDonaldland politician of any note was Iam Hungry, a computer-animated, flying green menace who declared himself “Vice President of Snacking.” Ronald McDonald quickly dispatched the pretender by tossing him a cheeseburger — aka, a mouthful of Mayor McCheese’s cranium. No rival flavor could possibly compete, most likely by Officer Big Mac-enforced law. But, while McCheese’s reign may seem benevolent from the outside, cracks have begun to show in that media-friendly facade.

A message was recently found in a Happy Meal, presumably smuggled out by one of McCheeses overworked French fry slaves that simply read “help me.” List of McDonald's characters | McDonald's Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia List of McDonald's characters Share The cast of McDonaldland characters in 1986. This is the list of McDonald's characters that appeared in McDonaldland commercials, merchandise, or other media related to its franchise. Characters Ronald McDonald – The primary icon of McDonald's. He is a clown with red hair and a big red smile who wears on a yellow suit and red shoes. He also wears a red and white striped shirt underneath with yellow gloves in 1963. Originally, he looked nothing compared to who he is today, wearing a yellow and red striped suit with a tray of a McDonald's Hamburger, french fries, and milkshakes. He also used it as a hat too. From 1971 to 1998 (2000 in the last McDonaldland commercials), Ronald's suit had french fry bags for pockets with two large ones around the lower body and an average sized french fry bag on the heart.

The sleeve and leg stripes were thin, and the neck collar was long. Starting with Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald, in 1998, Ronald wore a different looking suit replacing the french fry bag pockets, with standard red ones and the one on the heart being a red circle with the "M" in the center. The neck collar also slightly shrunk in a smaller appearance and the stripes are thicker. This would become their permanent look starting in 2000. Ronald, Grimace, Birdie and Fry Kids now interact with a birthday child in claymation, as he used to in the McDonaldland era. He was first portrayed by Willard Scott (who also played Bozo the Clown) and various other actors over the years. Sundae – Ronald's dog. He only appears in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald", where he's animated with puppetry in 1998-2003. Sundae often speaks negatively in a monotone (e.g. "There's nothing like a good song, except that wasn't much of a song!" or "Do you think we could just have a normal adventure?"). He hates ticks.

He has a conflict with Hamburglar, mostly in "Visitors from Outer Space," when he called Hamburglar both "Bun-Head" and "Hammy" and was excited when he was going to space for 3,000 years. Sundae has shown up as a normal dog in some 2000s commercials for McDonald's. Sundae was portrayed by Verne Troyer and voiced by Dee Bradley Baker . Grimace – Grimace is a large, purple character in 1971-2011 as the "Evil Grimace". In Grimace's first two appearances, he was depicted with two pairs of arms with which to steal milkshakes and pops. "Evil" was soon dropped from Grimace's moniker, and Grimace was reintroduced in 1972 as one of the good guys. In 1974, Grimace was redesigned, going from two pairs of arms to the single pair he has today. Grimace's role continued to grow, and by the mid-1970s, he was a major character in McDonaldland.

Commercials and merchandise generally portray Grimace as a well-meaning simpleton whose clumsy antics provide a comic foil to Ronald McDonald. His appearance also changed to accommodate this factor in 1985, from a giant purple slob with a pink mouth and small pupils, to a gentle giant with movable eyebrows and eyelids, and a more kid-friendlier smile with a black mouth and a pink tongue. The character was retained after the streamlining of the characters in the 1980s, and soon details of Grimace's background and family life began to emerge. The character's Uncle O'Grimacey first appeared in 1986 (see below) and would visit only one month per year, around St. Patrick's Day, bringing Shamrock Shakes. Additional family were revealed in a McDonaldland VHS tape "The Legend of Grimace Island": Grimace has an unnamed mom, an unnamed dad, a grandma named "Winky", a great-great grandma named Jenny Grimace, and might have a brother named "King Gonga", who is the king of all Grimaces.

In "Grimace's Oddysey", Grimace is portrayed as a ham radio enthusiast who uses a homemade transmitter made from a colander. Grimace was played by Patti Saunders (1971–1984) and voiced by Frank Welker in the commercials, Larry Moran in some commercials, and by Kevin Michael Richardson in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald." Hamburglar – The Hamburglar was a pint-sized burglar in 1971-2011 and was one of the first villains on the commercials. He is dressed in a black-and-white hooped shirt and pants, a red cape, a wide-brimmed hat, and red gloves. His primary object of theft was hamburgers , hence his name. The character, like Grimace, started out as a villain, only he was old, had a long nose, gray hair, and was called the Lone Jogger in some 1970s commercials, sporting a shirt that said "Lone Jogger". Hamburglar spoke in gibberish which was often translated by Captain Crook.

He was revised in 1985 where his look changed from a trollish old man to a red-headed Dennis the Menace-type child who spoke, wore a shorter brimmed hat, and a black cape with yellow in the inside. Previously his unintelligible muttering became the familiar "robble robble." In the 2000s, McDonald's experimented with the possibility of animating the characters to improve ratings. In "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald," he takes on a new sporty appearance wearing green goggles, a leather jacket, striped shirt, shorts and sneakers. He loves playing tricks on his friends and still loves burgers. The very last appearances of Hamburglar on television were prime time commercials promoting the dollar menu. One spot featured the Hamburglar and Grimace with Cedric The Entertainer , and the very last spot featured the Hamburglar with tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams . Various other spots featuring the Hamburglar and characters alongside famous celebrities were planned but were canceled. A conflict emerged between agencies as to whether to continue using the characters or follow through with ad agency Leo Burnett's desire to elevate the "I'm lovin' it" campaign and phase out the characters completely.

The latter was chosen, and the Hamburglar and the McDonaldland characters were not retired. Hamburglar was voiced by Howard Morris in most commercials, Charlie Adler in some 1980s commercials and 'The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald, and Carl W. Wolfe in some 1990s commercials. [1] Birdie the Early Bird – She was the first identifiably female character in 1980-2011 to promote the company's new breakfast items. She is a yellow bird wearing a pink jumpsuit and flight cap and scarf; in later years her legs were orange. In the ads she is frequently portrayed as a poor flyer and somewhat clumsy in general. Birdie's origin is explained in one old commercial: a giant egg falls from the night sky into McDonaldland, and Ronald McDonald decides to show the egg love. Birdie was a regular in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald", but shown in a different outfit. In "Scared Silly", she believed that aliens took her birdbath. In "Visitors from Outer Space", Birdie took karate lessons and is as good as her karate teacher which he refers to her as "Little Bird".

Birdie was played by actress Patty Maloney and voiced by Russi Taylor in the commercials and by Christine Cavanaugh in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald." Fry Kids – They are characters used to promote McDonald's french fries . When they first appeared in 1972-2008, they were called Gobblins and liked to steal and gobble up the other characters' French fries. Accompanying them was the "Keep Your Eyes on Your Fries" jingle. Their name was later changed to the Fry Guys in 1983, then the Fry Kids in 1987, as female characters (the "Fry Girls") were introduced. They are differently-colored, shaggy, ball-like creatures with long legs and no arms, almost resembling a pom-pon with legs and eyes. The characters were retained after the streamlining of the characters in the 1980s and appeared until 1996. In "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald," the Fry Kids were featured with black noses and visible mouths.

The Fry Kids spoke in a sped-up voice in the 1980s commercials, were variously voiced in the 1990s commercials, and were voiced by Kath Soucie , Paul Greenberg , and Nika Futterman in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald". Mayor McCheese – Mayor McCheese was an enormous cheeseburger who appeared from 1971–2008; he has a burger for a head, and sports a top hat, a diplomat's sash, and a pair of pince-nez spectacles. He is portrayed as a giggly, bumbling, and somewhat incompetent mayor who was based on H.R. Pufnstuf . Though the character was dropped during the streamlining of the characters in the mid-1980s, he did appear in a 1999 "The Wacky World of Ronald McDonald" VHS entitled "Have Time, Will Travel" and a non-speaking cameo in "The Monster O' McDonaldland Loch".

Mayor McCheese was voiced by Howard Morris impersonating Ed Wynn in the commercials and by Bob Joles (also impersonating Ed Wynn) in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald." Officer Big Mac – He was featured in 1970-2008. In addition to McDonald's signature sandwich , Big Mac was the name of a character in McDonaldland. He was similar to Mayor McCheese in that he had a large Big Mac for a head, except he 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 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 . Captain Crook – Captain Crook was a pirate in 1970-1999 and is similar in appearance to the famed Captain Hook from Disney's 1953 movie Peter Pan.

Unlike the Hamburglar, this villain spent his time trying to steal Filet-O-Fish sandwiches from citizens of McDonaldland while avoiding being caught by Officer Big Mac. He would often translate for Hamburglar. As part of the nautical theme of the character, Captain Crook used ships and waterways as means to escape being captured. In the 1970s, he was a major character with an unseen mouth and a rubber mask. In the 1980s, he was a supporting background character renamed "The Captain" where he had an almost Muppet-like look and was often seen with a parrot. The character was dropped during the streamlining of the characters in the mid-1980s. Captain Crook was voiced by Lennie Weinrib . The Professor – A bearded scientist-type character in a lab coat in 1971-2001 and served as McDonaldland's local inventor and researcher. In the 1970s, he was a minor character who rarely spoke. Around the 1980s, the Professor was a major character, and was redesigned to include a lightbulb-topped helmet and a mustache.

Though the character was dropped during the streamlining of the characters in the mid-1980s, he did appear in McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure where he invents a rocketship to take Ronald and his friends to Magical Moon and appeared in M.C. Kids . The Professor was voiced by Howard Morris in the 1970s and by Andre Stojka in the 1980s. The Hamburger Patch – The Hamburger Patch in 1973, and is part of the fictional city of McDonaldland where McDonald's hamburgers "grew" like fruit on plants from the Hamburger Patch. Even though hamburgers in McDonaldland were anthropomorphized and spoke, they were picked by characters such as Ronald McDonald and the Hamburglar for consumption. Advertisements featuring the Hamburger Patch were shown as evidence during the McLibel court case in the United Kingdom. During questioning by defendants, McDonald's Senior Vice President of Marketing David Green admitted that showing the reality of meat production "would not be very appetizing". Template:Citation needed The Hamburger Patch also featured in books and toys used to promote McDonald's. The characters were dropped during the streamlining of the characters in the mid-1980s.

Uncle O'Grimacey – He was created in 1977-1985 and even appeared in 1986 for an advertising narrative of McDonald's both in celebration of Saint Patrick's Day and to mark the annual appearance of the Shamrock Shake . O'Grimacey is the Irish uncle of the character Grimace and is a variant of the Grimace-design in that he is green instead of purple, sports a frock coat covered with several four-leaf clovers, and carries a shillelagh . His design motif is not unlike that of a stereotypical depiction of the Irish folkloric leprechaun. O'Grimacey resides in his home country for eleven months of the year and visits his nephew Grimace in March, bringing with him his "incredibly delicious" shake. Uncle O'Grimacey is no longer used by the chain for its promotions of the shake. The Happy Meal Gang – A hamburger, fries, and soft drink in regular size in 1984. They were later joined by the McNugget Buddies in 1989.

The Happy Meal Hamburger was voiced by Bob Arbogast , the Happy Meal Fries was voiced by Jeff Winkless and later voiced by Bob Bergen , and the Happy Meal Drink was voiced by Hal Smith . The McNugget Buddies – A bunch of Chicken McNuggets in regular size in 1989-2001. In "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald", the McNuggets are shown as large McNuggets with chicken beaks, chicken wings, and cowboy boots. The McNugget Buddies were voiced by Hal Rayle in the commercials and by Pamela Adlon , Lisa Raggio , and Charlie Adler in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald." CosMc – A temporary character from McDonaldland. CosMc was an alien who wore a large space suit, and he talked like a surfer dude. He was featured in a series of McDonald's commercials in 1980-1985 where he traded some items to Ronald McDonald, Grimace, and the Professor during their picnic. Though he traded the flowers in exchange for the food Ronald brought, he was brought back by Ronald's McMagnet and asked Ronald if they could share.

Following the picnic, CosMc left to inform his people about McDonald's' food. CosMc even appeared in 1999 when the McDonaldland gang went to the Moon. CosMc was featured as a character in the video game M.C. Kids where his getaway was located on the moon and helped to locate Hamburglar when he stole Ronald's bag. CosMc is portrayed by Tommy Vicini and voiced by Frank Welker . Trash Cans – Talking twin trash cans in 1970-1985 which involved having to deposit garbage into them to feed them. They were highlighted singing a song entitled "Don't Forget to Feed the Waste Baskets". Bernice – A strange creature that was introduced in 1992-2001. She ate inedible things like the script in the three-part "Ronald McDonald Makin' Movies" commercial. Vulture – An unnamed vulture that spoke in a monotone voice. He was mostly featured in some multi-part McDonald's commercials. In "The Search for Grimace's Voice" commercials, he once loaned a feather to Ronald in order to get Grimace's voice out of a sleeping dragon.

Iam Hungry – A short-lived McDonaldland character who was the self-proclaimed "Vice President of Snacking" in 1998-2001. The character was a floating, fast-moving green fuzzball with orange arms and a monstrous face. He would often appear when Ronald, Grimace and Birdie were dining with a birthday kid and would constantly crave food. He would never stop pestering them until he got fed. Iam Hungry was featured in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald" VHS, titled "Visitors from Outer Space", where he eats the gunk off of Ronald's rocket. Iam Hungry was voiced by Jeff Lupetin . Griddler – A short-lived McDonaldland character in 2003-2006 to promote the McGriddles by stealing them from Ronald and his friends. Mike the Microphone – He was a one-time character created for the Kid Rhino albums Ronald Makes It Magic and Ronald McDonald presents Silly Sing Along. He guards the door and runs things inside the McDonaldland Magical Radio Station, which Ronald and some kids use for their "Silly Day Broadcast". Mike was voiced by Larry Moran . ) The Origins of McDonaldland.

| Retro Junk Article The Origins of McDonaldland. By: The Midnight Rider Ronald McDonald first entered our homes in 1963 as McDonald's mascot. I guess the 60s weren't filled with people with a fear of clowns like there are today. And like with most mascots, the original Ronald McDonald was a lot different than the one we are familiar with today. HOLY MOTHER OF...KILL IT WITH FIRE!!! Well, that solves everything, Coulrophobia (fear of clowns) exists thanks to the original Ronald McDonald. I mean, all that he's missing is the machete in his right hand and various body parts on the tray on his head and on his stomach and you've got a deranged killer clown. Thankfully, that look didn't last long and by the end of the 1960s, we were introduced to the revamped Ronald McDonald that we all know and love. Ronald gets all the chicks. Along came the glorious 70s and with that came McDonaldland. In 1971, McDonald's introduced McDonaldland as this fun, imaginary place where all the objects were McDonald's food items.

Think "The Land of Chocolate" from The Simpsons, but with McDonald's food. Mmmmm chocolate dog. *drools* At this time, they started introducing characters that we all grew up with such as Grimace, the Hamburglar, and The Fry Guys. Then, there were the characters who didn't last as long, but still have a special place in a lot of our hearts such as Captain Crook, Officer Big Mac, The Professor, Mayor McCheese, and others. The McDonaldland Family Picture However, this article isn't really about the history of McDonaldland and its characters, no, I'm going to be examining McDonaldland and get to the root of where it all came from. Let us go back to when Ronald McDonald first debut. It was the 60s and drug use was pretty widespread. You have a guy, dressing up as a clown to promote hamburgers for a rapidly growing fast food chain. I mean, put those 2 circumstances together and you have a recipe for drug abuse. During this time, Ronald McDonald met a McDonald's employee and after tripping on LSD, they made sweet McLovin. 9 months later, out popped little Ronald Jr.

*shudders* A nice little family was created, right? WRONG. See, Ronald got so wrapped up in his work as the McDonald's spokesclown that he neglected poor Ronald Jr. However, Ronald was no deadbeat dad, oh no. You see, Ronald supported little Ronald Jr. by sending him and his baby mama with McDonald's gift certificates. Plus, he would still see little Ronald early on in his life. That, though, would soon change once the 60s became the 70s. By this time, Ronald was so into taking LSD and promoting McDonald's, that he stopped seeing little Ronald Jr. completely. Ronald Jr. was getting older and he desperately wanted his dad to be in his life. Little Ronald knew there was one way to get his dad to come back into his life, he had to find a way to ruin McDonald's so that they would go out of business. How would Ronald Jr. go about this scheme of driving McDonald's out of business? By stealing all the hamburgers! He started following his dad everywhere that would allow him to steal McDonald's hamburgers.

However, because Ronald Senior had not seen his son in years, he didn't recognize him, so he thought he was just a common juvenile delinquent. So, Ronald called the police to keep an eye on everything. Despite the police always around, Ronald Jr. always found a way to cause trouble. Something was missing, though, Ronald Jr. noticed that his dad never recognized him. That's when he realized that his dad hasn't seen him since he was a toddler. So, as was starting to be popular at the time, Ronald Jr. had plastic surgery in the mid 80s to look more like he did as a toddler. Unfortunately, though, Ronald Senior still didn't recognize his son, but he did think it wasn't just a little kid, so he stopped having the police come around and he amusingly put up with his unrecognizable son's antics. Much to Ronald Jr.'s surprise, a little girl starting showing up with his father at the beginning of the 80s. Over time he learned that it was actually his father's new daughter. He was distraught at first, because his dad was treating her better than he treated him, but he also knew of his dad's continuing drug problem.

With the help of his mom, they spent 20 years trying to get Ronald off of the LSD. There were breakthroughs and relapses, but slowly, Ronald Senior started to kick the habit. In the early part of the new millennium, Ronald finally kicked his addiction and went to rehab. So what happened? Ronald Senior reconnected with Ronald Jr. and became the father/son combination that Ronald Junior wanted all of his life. Ronald Senior paid for more plastic surgery to make his son look more adult like. Needless to say, he only gets laid by saying he's Ronald McDonald's son. Ronald and his Ronald Junior's mom, Gwenda, remained really good friends. Although, they did have a rough patch in the early 70s. Ronald saw Gwenda as a money grubbing wench since she kept wanting money to "support" little Ronald. Ronald's daughter, Emily, was a big help in his slow recovery. She had a habit of waking up early and thus waking up Ronald, who always slept in due to his drug binging, really early. Conclusion: McDonaldland was an extension of Ronald McDonald's personal life mixed in with his LSD trips.

He thought his son was just some mischievous hamburger stealer. Officer Big Mac was the police officer hired to keep the would be hamburger thief in line. Once, his son had the plastic surgery and looked like a younger kid, Ronald didn't want the cop trying to catch a little toddler, so Ronald dismissed him. Ronald Senior saw Ronald Junior's mom as a big, ugly thing and Grimace depicted that. When they had the rough patch in the early 70s, that's why Grimace looked really evil as Ronald saw her as an evil, greedy monster. When they patched things up, he saw her in a slightly better light. Of course, Birdie The Early Bird was his daughter, Emily. Due to her knack of waking up early, he saw her as a bird that will sit outside your window early in the morning chirping really loud. Mayor McCheese was actually what Ronald imagined as Ray Kroc (he was the head cheese of McDonald's after all). Captain Crook was the IRS as Ronald was getting hounded by them constantly trying to steal his money. The Professor was actually Ronald's vision of HIS father, who died early in Ronald's life.

Supposedly, Ronald's dad was really a professor of sorts and died while making some kind of pink substance that was suppose to change how food is made. The other random characters over the years were just random characters that appeared during his LSD trips. Happens to the best of us. Drugs are bad, mmmkay? The McDonaldland Characters Translation: Character Page. Ronald McDonald Spokesclown for McDonalds fast food restaurants since 1963. Ronald is second only to Santa Claus as most recognizable icon in the world. Was originally portrayed by Willard Scott. PROS: Ronald McDonald's House is set up to help children with Cancer. From 1960-63 Bozo the Clown was used to promote McDonalds until he was dethroned by 'Ronald McDonald the Hamburger-Happy Clown.' Makes eating hamburgers fun. Sort of. CONS: He sells fatty high cholesterol foods. He pays his workers minimum wage. He is a representative for corporate greed. His sole purpose is to hook children into eating at McDonalds. The Hamburglar Introduced in the 1970s, the Hamburglar is the resident crook and thug of McDonaldland.

He is known mostly for stealing fat-saturated food, and over the years has evolved from an evil old man to a carrot-top kid. Proof of what 30 years of eating McDonald's will do to you. PROS: He can't afford to buy hamburgers on McDonalds' minimum wage rates, so he must steal them to survive. Although he is a crook, he always comes to work in a tie. CONS: He steals hamburgers from his friends. He is not allowed to work the cash register. His hamburger addiction has given him clogged arteries. Even though he might be 'full' he still swipes hamburgers just to be an ass. The Grimace Grimace is a huge fuzzy purple fellow and Ronald's 'special' pal. Also has some loose connection with eating at McDonalds. PROS: Although he is clumsy, his friends don't ostracize him because he is also retarded. Lost 2 of his arms in an accident involving a cucumber. He works for McDonalds, which means he probably gets paid $4.50 an hour. He dislikes vegetarians. He is a nudist, but has no genitalia. CONS: He is shaped like he never digests his food.

Actually he demonstrates what your body will look like if you eat at McDonalds. He looks like a fat kid in one-piece pajamas. He was originally called the Evil Grimace and 'had a penchant for stealing milkshakes from small children, was fuzzier and had four arms.' He looks like he is hungry for your kids. Mayor McCheese Introduced in the early '70s, Mayor McCheese is the mayor of McDonaldland. His proclamations usually have something to do with eating at McDonalds. PROS: He is well dressed and always smiles. He has been Mayor for over 20 years, so he must be doing something right. Despite being a high profiled politician, so far he has never been charged with corruption. CONS: He is a tool of big business, McDonald's has him in their hip pocket. He is both a high cholesterol food and an authoritarian figure. He rules over some unsavory characters, like Evil Grimace, Captain Crook and the Hamburglar. He talks with food in his mouth. Big Mac Local law enforcement for McDonaldland. He is based on the popular Big Mac sandwich at McDonalds. PROS: Lost a few sesame seeds in the line of duty.

Constantly trying to keep the Hamburglar and Captain Crook in check. Has kept McDonaldland 'homicide-free' for 30 years. Stolen food is on the rise however. CONS: Will ticket you for not knowing the 'Big Mac' rhyme. With a face full of food, he makes a compelling argument for calling a cop a 'pig'. In true Keystone Cops fashion, he is an idiot and explains why the Hamburglar is constantly running amuck. He also talks with food in his mouth. Birdie the Early Bird Introduced in the early 1980s to promote McDonald's breakfast (as the Early Bird). Lives in a treehouse. PROS: She is the only person in McDonaldland who has pig-tails and feathers. She seems like the only female in McDonaldland. She is optimistic and happy. CONS: She is an early riser. Her favorite saying is 'The Early Bird gets the Egg McMuffin'. She eats eggs, which sounds a bit cannibalistic. Don't bother trying to find her after 10:30 AM. Breakfast is over by then. Even though she can fly, she sometimes rides around in her helicopter.

Captain Crook Another incarnation of the 1970s, Captain Crook was introduced to promote McDonald's Fillet-O-Fish sandwich. PROS: He was a pirate but never stole Microsoft software. Thankfully he is not a 'butt-pirate' either. Is also not fools gold or 'iron-pirate'. Wait... that's Iron Pyrite. Nevermind. CONS: Good wholesome image for children. A crooked pirate. He was a rip off of Peter Pan's pirate, Captain Hook. Once stabbed the Hamburglar in the back (with his wooden sword of course). The Professor During the 1970s he was the official spokes-scientist for McDonalds. PROS: He never taught a course on nutrition. Considering the criminals, morons and clowns in McDonalds, he appeared kindly. CONS: He was a mad scientist whose creations were never noteworthy. He always carried a wrench, it seemed to be his favorite tool. The documentary 'Supersize Me' has since put many of the professors theories to shame. Mac Tonight Introduced in the late 1980s to promote McDonald's late night hours and menu. Was fairly popular before fading into oblivion.

PROS: Had an animatronic character designed in his honor. Was a far cooler adult promotion than the dreaded 'Arch Deluxe'. CONS: Is a childrens advertising character aimed at adults. Tries to lure parents out to McDonalds after putting their kids to sleep at night. Was arrested by Officer Big Mac for mooning children. CosMc And advertising blunder of 1988, CosMc was incredibly short lived and pretty well forgotten by those who are fortunate. PROS: He was short lived and retired rather quickly by McDonald's. He was part alien and part robot. CONS: He has 6 arms and a pinhead. McDonald's tried to cash in on the space craze, perhaps twenty years too late. Sucks so bad I can't even think of something funny to write about him. Uncle 'O Grimacy Another 70s rarity that appears in late February through March. Was a spokesblob for Shamrock Shakes. PROS: He is proud of his Irish heritage, and disproves the Irish stereotype, by drinking non-alcoholic shakes. He is peace loving and never took arms against or for the Irish Republican Army.

CONS: He is shaped like his nephew Grimace indicating a high fat diet and little or no exercise. He only works a few days a year, and those being near St. Patricks' day. McDonaldland | Uncyclopedia | Fandom powered by Wikia edit History The McRepublic of McDonaldland was Mcfounded in 1971 by Ronald McDonald and William J. McCheese on a small island off the coast of the first McDonald's restaurant, a small island filled with junk food growing in the wild. Ronald decided that the restaurant would generate more income if it had a little place like this, accessed by the then-unknown teleportation machines that started to be hidden in restaurants. Josh stevenson was a revelutionary during the period which historians call the junk age. The new McRepublic bred a vast plethora of humunculi from the bizarre regenerative plant DNA on the island. Only a small fraction survived to serve in the army, including a purple beaver named Grimace . Grimace starred in the good version of Narnia as the giant soiled diapers , and helped shape and enforce the law, but was sent to the slaughterhouse when he stole cups from the king's servants.

Interestingly enough, he survived- only receiving brain damage- because NOTHING can kill the Grimace . At first, McDonaldland was a peaceful place, filled with fertile plains of giant junk foods, with restaurant workers paid to clip french fries off of trees and pick hamburgers from bushes, even though this would be unnecessary if a diner had scissors of his own and he somehow found his way to McDonaldland; but apparently, on this island scissors are reserved only for McDonald's workers. After not-so-peaceful characters, such as Evil Grimace and the Hamburglar began to appear in McDonaldland, Ronald and McCheese realized that the island needed to be protected from immigrants, and decided to make the place reachable only by teleport . This helped to encourage people into believing that like Delaware, McDonaldland does not really exist. About twenty-five years later, commercials about McDonaldland were taken off of television so that meanies like the Taliban wouldn't try to invade it and make the french fry guys wear burkhas. In the late 1970s , McDonaldland allied itself with joe in its ongoing war against Living Island . While initially making headway with its strategy of making H.R.

Pufnstuf , mayor of Living Island, obese and ill by means of feeding him super-sized McDonalds fast food meals, H.R. Pufnstuf and friends prevailed with their team of evil lawyers . McDonaldland was legally required to no longer exist, except in the memories of Generation X. In 2005, McDonald's developed Type-5 RSA Peacekeeper ICBMs, creating an international diplomatic row. President Ronald McDonald stated "Our missiles are for peaceful means. All they do is make you eat shitty food." In 2009, Ronald McDonald founded the Items for Children Obesity. The ICO is widely known as the McDonald's burger and sundae range. edit Geography McDonaldland is well known for its extraordinary agriculture of junk food, growing with reckless abandon in the wild. Somehow, although these junk food crops never grow anywhere else in the world, the McDonalds restaurants they support have spread like a plague all over the Earth.

Certain similarities are manifest in the Bologna Cacti of southern Ergoth , and the French toast fields of eastsouthward France [owned by parent company of IHOP { Halliburton & Co.}] However, Scott Finney, a noteworthy scientist, suspects that "While likelihood of a naturally occurring bologna cactus is plausible, the aforementioned burger trees and French toast plants are completely man-made.... and much worse, they are a manifestation of science gone terribly wrong." Although several attempts have been made to learn the genetic makeup of the hamburger trees, there is a recurring pattern of contaminated samples. A majority of the samples mailed to the lab were contaminated with feces and formaldehyde, and were traced directly to Mayor McCheese's office. McDonaldland Cookies | Retroland Home » Food » McDonaldland Cookies McDonaldland Cookies There once was a faraway place called McDonaldland, inhabited by a clown named Ronald and all of his pals. And one of their collective talents just happened to be making some darned tasty cookies, McDonaldland Cookies. Sure, they may have tasted much like an ordinary animal cracker, but the residents of McDonaldland provided their likenesses.

And for a kid making a coveted trip to McDonalds in the 70s and 80s, these were a must have finale to every meal. McDonaldland Cookies were originally sold in white boxes, featuring a handle on top in the shape of the iconic golden arches and pictures of Ronald, Mayor McCheese, the Hamburgler, Officer Big Mac and Captain Crook. These characters, along with the lovable Grimace and others, were portrayed on each treat. Sadly, McDonaldland Cookies are getting harder and harder to find. They are still listed on the company website and still sold in select stores around the country, although the familiar box has been long-since replaced by a boring bag. In many locations, they have been replaced by a fancier line of Freshly Baked Cookies. But kids have never wanted fancy, they simply want fun. And for decades, fun was epitomized by those beloved and oft-reminisced-about McDonald Cookies – a treat that managed to make an impression on just about every youngster of the era.

And while we sadly couldn’t find a McDonaldland Cookie commercial to share, we can still let you see what the old neighborhood looked like: If you have fond memories of McDonaldland Cookies, maybe even begged your parents for them on a regular basis, we welcome your memories in our comments section, as we pay tribute to these beloved baked goods from yesteryear. 23 Responses to “McDonaldland Cookies” Mayor McCheese | Family Guy Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Share Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. Mayor McCheese is the Mayor of McDonaldland. He has an enormous cheeseburger for a head, and sports a top hat, a diplomat's sash, and a pair of pince-nez spectacles. He is portrayed as a giggly, bumbling, somewhat incompetent mayor with a wavering, high-pitched voice that is reminiscent to that of comic actor Ed Wynn (provided by Howard Morris).

The character was dropped during the streamlining of the characters in the 1980s. He did, however, appear in a 1999 McDonaldland VHS entitled, "Have Time, Will Travel". He seeks plastic surgery in " Believe It or Not, Joe's Walking on Air ". Dr. Hartman rejects his request since McCheese has a cheeseburger for a head. Mayor McCheese thanks Dr. Hartman for telling him the straight facts. In " Road to the Multiverse ", he appears as President of the United States in a reality where Frank Sinatra had never been born to influence John F. Kennedy's election. Richard Nixon then botches the Cuban Missile Crisis plunging the Earth into World War III. Mayor McCheese is the one who was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald with his wife Jackie McCheese , eating the meat that was shot off. He appears in " Valentine's Day in Quahog " when Carol West promises Mayor Adam West she would never cheat on him with another Mayor. McCheese appears with an innuendo; implying she was seeing him too.

Question: Who is the mayor of McDonaldland?
Answer: Mayor McCheese