McDonald’s had an original mascot before Ronald McDonald that had to be replaced

Maccies fans you might be in for a shock after finding out that Ronald McDonald was not the original McDonald's mascot.

And the real reason why the OG mascot was ditched has now been revealed.

From what I can remember growing up, getting a Maccies happy meal was the highlight of the day, playing with the cheap toy once and never using it again.

And the image of the iconic McDonald's clown was always attached to the experience.

Ronald was the primary mascot of the American fast-food chain for over 50 years, first portrayed on TV by Willard Scott in 1963.

McDonald's

Although Ronald McDonald still remains in some restaurants around the world, McDonald's distanced themselves from the mascot after the killer clown craze began to appear on social media back in August 2016.

Around the world, people in clown masks would display acts of violence ahead of an upcoming horror movie, and in Florida, an incident took place which saw a family being attacked by a group of 20 people in clown masks.

McDonald's released a statement at the time, which read: "McDonald's and franchisees in the local markets are mindful of the current climate around clown sightings in communities and as such are being thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events for the time being."

Despite 2016 largely being the end of McDonald's clown, it turns out here was actually a mascot before him called Speedee - a chef whose face was a hamburger.

McDonald's fandom

Speedee was the first ever McDonald's mascot and was also the first company logo before the use of the Golden Arches design from 1962.

Sadly for Speedee, the mascot was short-lived after people started confusing him with Alka-Seltzer's mascot Speedy, according to Delish.

However, another reason why Speedee was ditched, according to Alan Hess's research for the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, was because it lacked a connection with consumers.

"Market research showed that people identified McDonald's primarily with the golden arches [instead of Speedee]," the journal reads.

The good thing is, Maccies fans can still take a look at good ol' Speedee, who's hamburger-shaped head remains on show at the oldest McDonald's outlet in Downey, California.

Just last year, a man was shocked to discover a 60-year-old McDonald's meal in the walls of his bathroom.

Rob discussed the bizarre find further with Newsweek, explaining he is currently renovating both his kitchen and bathroom and that he found the McDonald's while removing a fixture.

u/slamminsammy2109/Reddit

"I noticed a piece of cloth stuck behind plaster and pulled it out to show my wife," he said. "It was balled up and we could tell there was something else inside.

"When we unwrapped it and found the old McDonald's bag and fries we were very surprised and grateful that is all we found hidden."

And guess what, Speedee's hamburger head was on the packaging.