Ronald McDonald's 60-Year Evolution From Unsettling To Insta-Friendly

The McDonald's mascot team has had an interesting cast of characters over the years. It starts with Speedee, the mascot whose name was a tribute to McDonald's' inventive-for-the-time super-fast food preparation system. When Ronald McDonald debuted in the 1960s, he was far different than the cartoony clown kids know and love today. In fact, many iterations of the mascot were downright nightmare fuel. McDonald's has thankfully changed what he looks like.

Ronald McDonald also wasn't typically a stand-alone figure. The Hamburglar's rise and fall, Grimace, and the Fry Kids come to mind for most of us; if you're a serious fan of McDonald's lore, you may also remember the uber-creepy Mayor McCheese and Captain Crook. While the Grimace character has experienced a resurgence in popularity due to the debut of the Grimace shake, Ronald McDonald has been doing the hard work of peddling Happy Meals (which have an interesting history of their own) solo in recent years. If you're brave, buckle up and join us for an unsettling trip down memory lane as we explore the many versions of America's favorite fast food clown.

Ronald McDonald didn't start as a cartoon. He debuted as a live-action clown played by actor Willard Scott, who was initially hired to play Bozo the Clown — a then-franchised character — in Washington D.C. Scott was hired by McDonald's to promote the restaurant to kids, and while Scott seemingly tried his best to appear as a kiddo-friendly mascot, the soda cup nose, the Happy Meal toy hat, and the double-eyebrows were enough to seriously give kids and parents alike the creeps. Scott played the mascot from 1963 to 1966.

McDonald's moved in a different direction for the Ronald McDonald mascot in 1966. The company loved Scott's performance, but his large stature made the company concerned that they'd struggle to replicate his image across the country. Latvian circus performer Michael Polakovs — who worked under the name Coco the Clown — took over the role in 1966. It was at this point that the character took on the familiar makeup, costume, and curly red hairstyle we associate with the fast food icon today.

In the '70s, McDonald's decided to take it a step further and introduced the, ahem, creatively imagined residents of McDonaldland, who were a part of Ronald McDonald's social circle. In this era, Ronald McDonald finds himself cleaned up a bit, with slightly less creepy makeup. While many of Ronald's buddies have long been forgotten today, superfans remember Uncle O'Grimacey, who used to usher in the fan-favorite Shamrock Shake.

Ronald McDonald has appeared in person at several Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades, and debuted as a giant balloon in the 1987 parade. A second balloon was showcased in 2000, and other versions were introduced in 2009 and 2015. The current Ronald McDonald balloon holds a heart over his chest, symbolizing McDonald's' charitable-giving initiatives.

If you're a fan of the Golden Arches, you may have noticed that Ronald McDonald has taken a backseat in the fast food giant's marketing efforts. Reports of creepy clowns in the news over the past decade have pushed McDonald's to make the clown a less-central figure in its advertising. You can still find a modern version of the clown, with more natural-looking hair and less lipstick, out-and-about every now and again, especially at sporting events and appearances for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.