You recognize his face, but do you know how he became a fast-food icon? Here's who the Ronald McDonald clown really is.
Who Is the Ronald McDonald Clown, Exactly?
Updated on Jul. 25, 2025
You may not have had a Ronald McDonald sighting since childhood, but chances are, you can still describe the mascot to a T: red-and-yellow jumpsuit, striped sleeves, big clown shoes and an unmistakable cherry-red wig. Yet as familiar a sight as the character is, he’s also steeped in mystery. It got us wondering: What do clowns have to do with fast food? When did the mascot make his first appearance? And most important, who is the Ronald McDonald clown?
Believe it or not, the man with the iconic red smile is wrapped up in McDonald’s early marketing hustle, and his rise to fame is just as surprising as the toy in your Happy Meal. For decades, Ronald McDonald wasn’t just a mascot. He was a pop culture phenomenon, once thought of as the second most recognizable figure among American children (right after Santa Claus!).
So how did he come to be? And who inspired the most famous fast-food face in the world? Ahead, we’re digging into the unexpected origin story of Ronald McDonald.
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What’s the origin of the Ronald McDonald clown?
Sure, the Pringles man and the Pillsbury Doughboy are great examples of successful brand mascots. But there’s a reason branding experts still turn to the McDonald’s clown when dreaming up a mascot that stands the test of time. So what inspired the restaurant to make a clown the face of its fast-food empire? Funny enough, it was another clown: Bozo.
According to The Takeout, in 1960, a local McDonald’s franchise in Washington, D.C., began a simple sponsorship with the popular Bozo the Clown TV show, starring future Today weatherman Willard Scott. This early partnership paid off big-time for McDonald’s: Kids were crazy about clowns back then, and business in the area shot up by 30%.
But when the show was canceled in 1963, franchise owner Oscar Goldstein saw an opening—and a golden marketing opportunity. He brought Scott back, not as Bozo but as someone new: Ronald McDonald, the Hamburger-Happy Clown.
In the initial days, he looked a bit different: His nose was a McDonald’s cup and his hat a food tray holding a fake burger, bag of fries and McDonald’s shake. He could even pull hamburgers from his belt.
The clown appeared in just three commercials in the Washington area before McDonald’s executives decided to bring him into the national spotlight. They hired Ringling Bros. clown Michael “Coco” Polakovs to give the character a makeover. The result was the look we all know today: a yellow jumpsuit, representing the golden arches, with red-and-white stripes, just like the restaurant’s colors.
The clown’s popularity only grew from there. According to Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, the only fictional character with a higher degree of recognition than Ronald McDonald is Santa Claus. But in the eyes of McDonald’s, Ronald has the same level of mystique and childhood wonder as the jolly old elf.
How many actors have played Ronald McDonald?
When asked how many actors portray the clown, a McDonald’s executive famously replied, “There’s only one Ronald,” Business Insider reports. That’s because the fast-food giant prefers to keep the magic alive, treating Ronald McDonald less like a character and more like a real person.
If you’re curious, here’s a timeline of actors who have played Ronald McDonald:
- Willard Scott (1963–65)
- Michael Polakovs (1965–68)
- Bev Bergeron (1966–68)
- Ray Rayner (1968–69)
- Viv Weekes (1968–70)
- George Voorhis (1968–70)
- Bob Brandon (1970–75)
- King Moody (1969–85)
- Squire Fridell (1985–91)
- Jack Doepke (1991–99)
- David Hussey (2000–14)
- Brad Lennon (2014–present)
One man or many, real or not, Ronald McDonald did what few mascots ever could: He made a clown the face of a global empire. Decades later, he’s still serving up smiles, fries and serious brand power. And yep, we’re still lovin’ it.
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Sources:
- Business Insider: “Here’s The Bizarre History Of Ronald McDonald, Starting With An Actor Who Was ‘Too Heavy'”
- The Takeout: “Turns Out Weather Superstar Willard Scott Was The Original Ronald McDonald”
- Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
- PBS: “Fast Food Nation”
- McDonald’s Fandom: “Actors who have played Ronald McDonald”
