Ronald McDonald

Ronald McDonald is a clown spokesman for McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. According to the book Fast Food Nation (2001), 96% of school children in the United States can identify Ronald McDonald, making him the United States' most recognized fast food advertising icon. Only Santa Claus was more commonly recognized. Many of the restaurants are decorated with a life-size statue of the clown holding out his hand to greet customers at the entrance for children to shake hands with him. Sometimes the figure is sitting on a bench, allowing children to sit next to him or on his lap. In television commercials, the clown inhabits a fantasy world called McDonaldland, and has adventures with his friends Grimace, Hamburglar, Birdie the Early Bird, and The Fry Kids. In recent years, the somewhat "childish" McDonaldland has been largely phased out, and Ronald is instead shown interacting with normal kids in their everyday lives.

Many people work full-time making appearances in the Ronald McDonald costume, visiting children in hospitals. There are also Ronald McDonald Houses, where parents can stay overnight when visiting sick children in nearby chronic care facilities. Due to the controversy over fast food, critics have likened McDonald to Joe Camel, the former mascot of Camel cigarettes. Since August 2003, McDonald has been officially recognized as the "Chief Happiness Officer" of the McDonald's Corporation.