Burger King

Predecessor Insta-Burger King

Founded Insta-Burger King:

1953; 65 years ago

Jacksonville, Florida

Burger King:

1954; 64 years ago

Miami, Florida

Founder Insta-Burger King:

Keith J. Kramer and Matthew Burns

Burger King:

David Edgerton and James McLamore

Number of locations

15,000+ (2015)

Revenue Increase US$4.05 billion (FY 2015)[1]:30

Operating income

Decrease US$363.0 million (FY 2015 RBI)[1]:30

Net income

Decrease US$1.912 billion (FY 2015 RBI)[1]:30

Total assets Decrease US$18.41 billion (FY 2015 RBI)[1]:31

Total equity Decrease US$2.912 billion (FY 2015 RBI)[1]:31

Burger King (BK) is an American global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants.
Headquartered in the unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was
founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain. After
Insta-Burger King ran into financial difficulties in 1954, its two Miami-based franchisees David
Edgerton and James McLamore purchased the company and renamed it "Burger King". Over
the next half-century, the company would change hands four times, with its third set of
owners, a partnership of TPG Capital, Bain Capital, and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, taking
it public in 2002. In late 2010, 3G Capital of Brazil acquired a majority stake in the company, in
a deal valued at US$3.26 billion. The new owners promptly initiated a restructuring of the
company to reverse its fortunes. 3G, along with partner Berkshire Hathaway, eventually
merged the company with the Canadian-based doughnut chain Tim Hortons, under the
auspices of a new Canadian-based parent company named Restaurant Brands International.
The 1970s were the "Golden Age" of the company's advertising, but beginning in the early-
1980s, Burger King advertising began losing focus. A series of less successful advertising
campaigns created by a procession of advertising agencies continued for the next two decades.
In 2003, Burger King hired the Miami-based advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky
(CP+B), who completely reorganized its advertising with a series of new campaigns centered
on a redesigned Burger King character nicknamed "The King", accompanied by a new online
presence. While highly successful, some of CP+B's commercials were derided for perceived
sexism or cultural insensitivity. Burger King's new owner, 3G Capital, later terminated the
relationship with CP+B in 2011 and moved its advertising to McGarryBowen, to begin a new
product-oriented campaign with expanded demographic targeting.

Burger King's menu has expanded from a basic offering of burgers, French fries, sodas, and
milkshakes to a larger and more diverse set of products. In 1957, the "Whopper" became the
first major addition to the menu, and it has become Burger King's signature product since.
Conversely, BK has introduced many products, which failed to catch hold in the marketplace.
Some of these failures in the United States have seen success in foreign markets, where BK has
also tailored its menu for regional tastes. From 2002 to 2010, Burger King aggressively targeted
the 18–34 male demographic with larger products that often carried correspondingly large
amounts of unhealthy fats and trans-fats. This tactic would eventually damage the company's
financial underpinnings, and cast a negative pall on its earnings. Beginning in 2011, the
company began to move away from its previous male-oriented menu and introduce new menu
items, product reformulations and packaging, as part of its current owner 3G Capital's
restructuring plans of the company.

History

Main article:  History of Burger King

Wordmark used from 1954 until 1957

Logo from 1957 until 1969

The predecessor to Burger King was founded in 1953 in Jacksonville, Florida, as Insta-Burger
King.[3] After visiting the McDonald brothers'original store location in San Bernardino,
California, the founders and owners (Keith J. Kramer and his wife's uncle Matthew Burns), who
had purchased the rights to two pieces of equipment called "Insta-machines", opened their
first restaurants. Their production model was based on one of the machines they had acquired,
an oven called the "Insta-Broiler". This strategy proved to be so successful that they later
required all of their franchises to use the device. [4][5] After the company faltered in 1959, it was
purchased by its Miami, Florida, franchisees, James McLamore and David R. Edgerton. They
initiated a corporate restructuring of the chain, first renaming the company Burger King. They
ran the company as an independent entity for eight years (eventually expanding to over 250
locations in the United States), before selling it to the Pillsbury Companyin 1967.[4]:28

Logo from May 1, 1969 until April 30, 1994

Logo from May 1, 1994 until June 30, 1999

Pillsbury's management tried several times to restructure Burger King during the late 1970s
and the early 1980s. The most prominent change came in 1978 when Burger King
hired McDonald's executive Donald N. Smith to help revamp the company. In a plan called
"Operation Phoenix",[5]:118 Smith restructured corporate business practices at all levels of the
company. Changes included updated franchise agreements, [6] a broader menu[5]:119[6]:66 and new
standardized restaurant designs. Smith left Burger King for PepsiCo in 1980[7] shortly before a
system-wide decline in sales.

Pillsbury's Executive Vice President of Restaurant Operations Norman E. Brinker was tasked

with turning the brand around, and strengthening its position against its main rival
McDonald's. One of his initiatives was a new advertising campaign featuring a series of attack
ads against its major competitors. This campaign started a competitive period between Burger
King, McDonald's, and top burger chains known as the Burger wars.[8] Brinker left Burger King
in 1984, to take over Dallas-based gourmet burger chain Chili's.[9]

Smith and Brinker's efforts were initially effective,[10] but after their respective departures,
Pillsbury relaxed or discarded many of their changes, and scaled back on construction of new
locations. These actions stalled corporate growth and sales declined again, eventually resulting
in a damaging fiscal slump for Burger King and Pillsbury. [11][12] Poor operation and ineffectual
leadership continued to bog down the company for many years. [12][13]

Pillsbury was eventually acquired by the British entertainment conglomerate Grand

Metropolitan in 1989.[14][15] Initially, Grand Met attempted to bring the chain top profitability
under newly minted CEO Barry Gibbons; the changes he initiated during his two-year tenure
had mixed results, as successful new product introductions and tie-ins with The Walt Disney
Company were offset by continuing image problems and ineffectual advertising programs.
[16]
 Additionally, Gibbons sold off several of the company's assets in attempt to profit from their
sale and laid off many of its staff members. [17][18][19]

After Gibbon's departure, a series of CEOs each tried to repair the company's brand by
changing the menu, bringing in new ad agencies and many other changes. [20][21][22] The parental
disregard of the Burger King brand continued with Grand Metropolitan's merger
with Guinness in 1997 when the two organizations formed the holding company Diageo.
[23]
 Eventually, the ongoing systematic institutional neglect of the brand through a string of
owners damaged the company to the point where major franchises were driven out of
business, and its total value was significantly decreased. [24] Diageo eventually decided to divest
itself of the money-losing chain and put the company up for sale in 2000.

Controversies and legal cases

The Burger King restaurant in Mattoon, Illinois, originally owned by the Hoots family. This
location was one subject of major litigation by Burger King.

Burger King has been involved in several legal disputes and cases, as both plaintiff and
defendant, in the years since its founding in 1954. Depending on the ownership and executive
staff at the time of these incidents, the company's responses to these challenges have ranged
from a conciliatory dialog with its critics and litigants, to a more aggressive opposition with
questionable tactics and negative consequences. [102][103][104][105] The company's response to these
various issues has drawn praise[106][107] as well as accusations of political appeasement from
different parties over the years.[108]

A trademark dispute involving the owners of the identically named Burger King in Mattoon,
Illinois, led to a federal lawsuit. The case's outcome helped define the scope of the Lanham
act and trademark law in the United States.[109] An existing trademark held by a shop of the
same name in South Australia forced the company to change its name in Australia, [110] while
another state trademark in Texas forced the company to abandon its signature product, the
Whopper, in several counties around San Antonio. [111] The company was only able to enter
northern Alberta, in Canada, in 1995, after it paid the founders of another chain named Burger
King.[112]

Legal decisions from other suits have set contractual law precedents in regards to long-arm
statutes, the limitations of franchise agreements, and ethical business practices.[113][114] Many of
these decisions have helped define general business dealings that continue to shape the entire
marketplace.[115][116][117]
Controversies and disputes have arisen with groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA), governmental and social agencies, and unions and trade groups over various
topics. These situations have touched on legal and moral concepts such as animal
rights, corporate responsibility,[118] ethics,[119] and social justice.[119] While the majority of the
disputes did not result in lawsuits, in many of the cases, the situations raised legal questions,
dealt with legal compliance, or resulted in legal remedies such as changes in contractual
procedure or binding agreements between parties. The resolutions to these legal matters have
often altered the way the company interacts and negotiates contracts with its suppliers and
franchisees, or how it does business with the public.

Products

When the predecessor of Burger King first opened in Jacksonville in 1953, its menu consisted
predominantly of basic hamburgers, French fries, soft drinks, milkshakes, and desserts. After
being acquired by its Miami, Florida, franchisees and renamed to its current moniker in 1954,
BK began expanding the breadth of its menu by adding the Whopper sandwich in 1957. This
quarter-pound (4 oz (110 g)) hamburger was created by Burger King's new owners James
McLamore and David Edgerton as a way to differentiate BK from other burger outlets at the
time.[134] Since its inception, the Whopper has become synonymous with Burger King and has
become the focus of much of its advertising. [135] The company even named its new kiosk-style
restaurants Whopper Bars.[136]

The menu component of Donald Smith's Operation Phoenix was initiated in 1978 and led to
the addition of the Burger King Specialty Sandwich line in 1979. The new product line
significantly expanded the breadth of the BK menu with many non-hamburger sandwiches,
including new chicken and fish offerings. The new Specialty Sandwich line was one of the first
attempts to target a specific demographic, in this case, adults 18–34, who would be willing to
spend more on a higher quality product. [5]:119 One of Smith's other significant contributions to
the menu was the addition of a breakfast product line, which until this time was not a market
Burger King had entered.[16] Besides the addition of the Croissan'Wich in 1983, the breakfast
menu remained almost identical to the McDonald's offerings until a menu revamp in 1985.
[16]
 This expansion introduced BK's "Am Express" product line, which added new products such
as French toast sticks and mini-muffins.[137]

As the company expanded both inside and outside the US, it introduced localized versions of
its products that conform to regional tastes and cultural or religious beliefs. International
variations add ingredients such as teriyaki or beetroot and fried egg to the Whopper;[138] beer
in Germany, Italy, and Spain; and halal or kosher products in the Middle East and Israel. [139][140]
[141]
 To generate additional sales, BK will occasionally introduce limited time offers (LTOs) that
are versions of its core products, or new products intended for either long or short term sales.
Items such as the Texas Double Whopper and various sandwiches made
with mushrooms and Swiss cheese have been rotated in and out of its menu for several years,
[142][143]
 while products such as its 1993 Meatloaf Specialty Sandwich offering and accompanying
limited table service, along with special dinner platters, failed to generate interest and were

discontinued.[144][145]

Whopper
 Whopper

A Burger King Whopper sandwich

Nutritional value per 1 sandwich (270 g)

Energy 660 kcal (2,800 kJ)

Carbohydrates 49 g

Sugars 11 g

Dietary fiber 2g

Fat 40 g

Saturated 12 g

Trans 1.5 g

Protein 28 g

Minerals Quantity%DV†

Sodium 65%

980 mg

The Whopper is the signature sandwich and an associated product line sold by

international fast food restaurant chain Burger King and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's.
Introduced in 1957, the sandwich has undergone several reformulations such as portion
resizing and bread changes. The hamburger version is well known in the fast food industry,
with Burger King billing itself as "the Home of the Whopper" in its advertising, signage, and in
its concept store, the BK Whopper Bar. Due to its position in the marketplace, the Whopper
has prompted Burger King's competitors to try to develop similar products designed to
compete against it.

Burger King sells several variants that are either seasonal or tailored to local tastes or customs.
To promote the product, the restaurant occasionally releases limited-time variants. It is often
at the center of advertising promotions, product tie-ins, and corporate practical jokes and
hoaxes. Burger King has registered many global trademarks to protect its investment in the
product.

The Burger King

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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For the restaurant chain, see  Burger King.

The Burger King

The original Burger King as used in print campaigns from

the 1950s to the late 1960s.

First appearance 1955

The Burger King is a king character used as the primary mascot for the fast-food restaurant

chain of the same name. Thorughout the company's history, the king has undergone several
iterations. The first iteration of the Burger King was part of a sign at the first Burger King
restaurant in Miami, Florida in 1955. Later signs showed the King sitting on a "burger throne"
as well as atop the BK sign while holding a beverage. In the early 1970s Burger King started
using a small and animated version of the King called "Kurger Bing" [1] in its children's
advertising, voiced by Allen Swift. In 1976, the original animated King was replaced by the
"Marvelous Magical Burger King" which was a red-bearded and Tudor-era king who ruled
the Burger King Kingdom and performed magic tricks that were mostly sleight-of-hand but
sometimes relied on camera tricks or involved his "Magic Ring" which could summon copious
amounts of food. The Burger King Kingdom advertisements were discontinued in the late
1980s in favor of the BK Kids Club Gang and other subsequent advertising programs.

History[edit]

1960s–1980s[edit]

During the late 1960s to early 1970s, the Burger King was introduced using a small and
animated version of the King in its children's advertising voiced by Allen Swift and known as
Kurger Bing. The Kurger Bing was featured in a series of advertisements in which he would visit
a Burger King outlet for an interview with a television reporter or see a former court wizard
who now worked for the chain. In all ads the King would present children with small gifts or
buy them some Burger King food. Many of these commercials featured Kurger Bing character
reciting the restaurant's slogan, "Burger King, where kids are king!"
In 1976, Kurger Bing was replaced by the "Marvelous Magical Burger King" which was a red-
bearded and Tudor-era king played by Dick Gjonola, [2][3] who ruled the Burger King
Kingdom and performed magic tricks that were mostly sleight-of-hand but sometimes relied
on camera tricks or involved his "Magic Ring." The King was accompanied by usually two or
more children and notable characters such as "Sir Shake-a-Lot" (a knight that has a craving for
milkshakes), the "Burger Thing" (a W.C. Fields-esque hamburger portrait), "The Duke of Doubt"
who often doubted the King's abilities and the robotic "Wizard of Fries". This campaign
paralleled McDonald's McDonaldland children's commercials, which featured "Ronald
McDonald", "The Hamburglar" and "Mayor McCheese" among other characters and mascots.
The Burger King Kingdom advertising campaign was discontinued by the late 1980s in favor of
the BK Kids Club Gang ads.

The animated version of the Burger King known as Kurger Bing used in late 1960s and early
1970s TV advertisements.

Tthe Marvelous Magical Burger King used in the Burger King Kingdom commercials from 1976
to the late 1980s.

2003–2011[edit]

After Miami-based advertising firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B) took over advertising of

Burger King on January 27, 2003,[4] they began using a new caricatured iteration of the Burger
King character who was simply called "the King". During production, an employee at CP+B
found a 1970s'-era oversized Burger King head for sale on eBay which was originally used as
inspiration for brainstorming; it was eventually decided to restore the head and use it in a
campaign.[5] This version of the King began appearing in commercials starting in 2004. [6] In this
incarnation, the King is an unnamed actor who wears an oversized grinning mask that
resembles the 1970s version of the Burger King and who often appears in various unexpected
places such as in bed with people or behind doors and walls, only to offer them Burger King
food. Employing the advertising technique called viral marketing, CP+B's ads generated
significant word of mouth for its new use of what various trade publications and Internet
articles labeled "the Creepy King" persona, an appellation that BK has come to favor and CP+B
uses in its ads.[7]
Due to sluggish sales and customer aversion, Burger King retired the 2000s version of the
character in 2011 following a "food-centric" marketing approach. [6] Burger King chief financial
officer Josh Kobza explained that the reason behind the removal of the "creepy" character was
because he "scare[d] away women and children" from the chain. [8]

An updated version of the Kurger Bingcharacter used in Burger King Kids Club advertising
during the mid-2000s.

The Creepy King version of the Burger King used from 2003 to 2011 and since 2015.

2015–present[edit]

The character returned when Burger King paid $1 million to have him included in Floyd
Mayweather, Jr.'s entourage for his May 2015 fight with Manny Pacquiao.[9] The King then
appeared in a Burger King commercial for the return of US$1.49 chicken nuggets in June 2015.

Horse trainer Bob Baffert was paid $200,000 to allow The Burger King to stand behind him in
the grandstands during the televised broadcast of the 2015 Belmont Stakes, where American
Pharoah won the Triple Crown. Baffert had turned down $150,000 to allow the mascot to
appear with him at the 2015 Preakness Stakes. The Burger King was also on hand with Baffert
when at the 2018 Belmont Stakes, he became the 2nd trainer to win two Triple Crowns
with Justify.

McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation

Founded McDonald's: May 15, 1940; 78 years

ago
San Bernardino, California
McDonald's Corporation: April 15,
1955; 63 years ago
Des Plaines, Illinois

Founders McDonald's: Richard and Maurice

McDonald
McDonald's Corporation: Ray Kroc

Headquarters Chicago, Illinois, USA[1]

Number of  37,241 restaurants (2017)

locations

Products  Hamburgers

 chicken

 french fries

 soft drinks

 milkshakes

 salads

 desserts

 coffee

 breakfast

 wraps

Revenue  US$22.820 billion (2017)
 Operating  US$9.553 billion (2017)
income

Net income  US$5.192 billion (2017)

Total assets  US$33.804 billion (2017)

Total equity  US$-3.268 billion (2017)

McDonald's is an American fast food company, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated

by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They
rechristened their business as a hamburger stand, and later turned the company into a
franchise, with the Golden Arches logo being introduced in 1953 at a location in Phoenix,
Arizona. In 1955, Ray Kroc, a businessman, joined the company as a franchise agent and
proceeded to purchase the chain from the McDonald brothers. McDonald's had its original
headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, but moved its global headquarters to Chicago in early
2018.[4][5][6]

McDonald's is the world's largest restaurant chain by revenue[7], serving over 69 million

customers daily in over 100 countries[8] across approximately 36,900 outlets as of 2016.
[9]
 Although McDonald's is known for its hamburgers, they also sell cheeseburgers, chicken
products, french fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, wraps, and desserts. In
response to changing consumer tastes and a negative backlash because of the unhealthiness of
their food,[10] the company has added to its menu salads, fish, smoothies, and fruit. The
McDonald's Corporation revenues come from the rent, royalties, and fees paid by the
franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. According to a BBC report
published in 2012, McDonald's is the world's second-largest private employer
(behind Walmart) with 1.9 million employees, 1.5 million of whom work for franchises.

History

McDonald's logo from 1940 until 1948.

McDonald's logo from 1948 until 1953.

McDonald's logo from 1953 until 1960.

The siblings Richard and Maurice McDonald opened in 1940 the first McDonald's at 1398
North E Street at West 14th Street in San Bernardino, California (at 34.1255°N 117.2946°W)
but it was not the McDonald's recognizable today; Ray Kroc made changes to the brothers'
business to modernize it. The brothers introduced the "Speedee Service System" in 1948,
putting into expanded use the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant that their
predecessor White Castle had put into practice more than two decades earlier. [citation needed] The
original mascot of McDonald's was a chef hat on top of a hamburger who was referred to as
"Speedee". In 1962 the Golden Arches replaced Speedee as the universal mascot. The
symbol, Ronald McDonald, was introduced in 1965. The clown, Ronald McDonald, appeared in
advertising to target their audience of children. [11]

Ray Kroc joined the chain in 1954 and built it into a global franchise, making it the most
successful fast food corporation in the world

On May 4, 1961, McDonald's first filed for a U.S. trademark on the name "McDonald's" with
the description "Drive-In Restaurant Services", which continues to be renewed. By September
13, McDonald's, under the guidance of Ray Kroc, filed for a trademark on a new logo—an
overlapping, double-arched "M" symbol. But before the double arches, McDonald's used the a
single arch for the architecture of their buildings. Although the "Golden Arches" logo appeared
in various forms, the present version was not used until November 18, 1968, when the
company was favored a U.S. trademark.

The present corporation credits its founding to franchised businessman Ray Kroc in on April 15,
1955. This was in fact the ninth opened McDonald's restaurant overall, although this location
was destroyed and rebuilt in 1984. Kroc later purchased the McDonald brothers' equity in the
company and begun the company's worldwide reach. Kroc was recorded as being an
aggressive business partner, driving the McDonald brothers out of the industry.

Legal cases

Main article:  McDonald's legal cases

McDonald's has been involved in a number of lawsuits and other legal cases, most of which
involved trademark disputes. The company has threatened many food businesses with legal
action unless it drops the Mc or Mac from trading names.

Malaysia
On September 8, 2009, McDonald's Malaysian operations lost a lawsuit to prevent another
restaurant calling itself McCurry. McDonald's lost in an appeal to Malaysia's highest court, the
Federal Court.[133]

Australia

In April 2007, in Perth, Western Australia, McDonald's pleaded guilty to five charges relating to
the employment of children under 15 in one of its outlets and was fined A$8,000. [134]

In 2016, the Australian Taxation Office revealed that McDonald's Asia-Pacific Consortium had

generated $478 million in revenue in 2013–14, but had paid no tax on those earnings
whatsoever.[135]

United Kingdom

The longest running legal action of all time in the UK was the McLibel case against 2
defendants who criticized a number of aspects of the company. The trial lasted 10 years and
called 130 witnesses. The European Court of Human Rights deemed that the unequal
resources of the litigants breached the defendants rights to freedom of speech and biased the
trial. The result was widely seen as a "PR disaster." [136]

United States

A famous legal case in the US involving McDonald's was the 1994 decision in Liebeck v.
McDonald's Restaurants where Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident Stella Liebeck was initially
awarded $2.7 million after she suffered third-degree burns after spilling a scalding cup of
McDonald's coffee on herself. The award was later reduced to $640,000. [137][138]

Use of genetically modified food

In April 2014, it was reported that McDonald's in Europe will use chicken meat that was
produced by using genetically modified animal feed. Greenpeace argues that McDonald's saves
less than one Eurocent for each chicken burger and goes down a path not desired by its
customers.

Big Mac

Big Mac
 Nutritional value per 1 sandwich 7.6 oz (215 g)

Energy 550 kcal (2,300 kJ)

Carbohydrates 46 g (15%)

Sugars 9g

Dietary fiber 3 g (13%)

Fat 29 g (47%)

Saturated 10 g (52%)

Trans 1g

Protein 25 g

Vitamins Quantity%DV†

Vitamin A 230 IU

Vitamin C 1%

1 mg

Minerals Quantity%DV†

Calcium 27%

270 mg

Iron 35%

4.5 mg

Sodium 65%

970 mg

History

The Big Mac was created by Jim Delligatti, an early Ray Kroc franchisee,[1] who was operating
several restaurants in the Pittsburgharea. It was invented in the kitchen of Delligatti's first
McDonald's franchise, located on McKnight Road in suburban Ross Township.[2]The Big Mac
had two previous names, both of which failed in the marketplace: the Aristocrat, which
consumers found difficult to pronounce and understand, and Blue Ribbon Burger. The third
name, Big Mac, was created by Esther Glickstein Rose, a 21-year-old advertising secretary who
worked at McDonald’s corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois.[3] The Big Mac debuted at
Delligatti's Uniontown, Pennsylvania restaurant in 1967, selling for 45 cents. [4] It was designed
to compete with Big Boy Restaurants' Big Boy hamburger; Eat'n Park was the Pittsburgh area's
Big Boy franchisee at the time.[5] The Big Mac proved popular and it was added to the menu of
all U.S. restaurants in 1968

Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald

A Ronald McDonald statue in Thailand greeting guests with the

traditional Thai "wai" gesture

First appearance 1963

Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of

the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. In television commercials, the clown inhabited a
fantasy world called McDonaldland and has adventures with his friends Mayor McCheese,
the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and The Fry Kids. Since 2003,
[1]
 McDonaldland has been largely phased out, and Ronald is instead shown interacting with
normal children in their everyday lives.
Many people work full-time making appearances in the Ronald McDonald costume, visiting
children in hospitals and attending regular events. At its height there may have been as
many as 300 full-time clowns at McDonald's.[2] There are also Ronald McDonald
Houseswhere parents can stay overnight when visiting sick children in nearby chronic
care facilities.

History[edit]
Willard Scott[edit]
The origin of Ronald McDonald involves Willard Scott (at the time, a local radio personality
who also played Bozo the Clown on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. from 1959 until 1962),
who performed using the moniker "Ronald McDonald, the Hamburger-Happy Clown" in
1963 on three separate television spots. These were the first three television ads featuring
the character.[3]
Scott, who went on to become NBC-TV's Today Show weatherman, claims to have
"created Ronald McDonald" according to the following excerpt from his book Joy of Living:
At the time, Bozo was the hottest children's show on the air. You could probably
have sent Pluto the Dog or Dumbo the Elephantover and it would have been
equally as successful. But I was there, and I was Bozo ... There was something
about the combination of hamburgers and Bozo that was irresistible to kids ...
That's why when Bozo went off the air a few years later, the local McDonald's
people asked me to come up with a new character to take Bozo's place. So, I sat
down and created Ronald McDonald.[3]
At the time, Scott was working for Oscar Goldstein, the Washington DC area
McDonald's franchisee, and numerous sources describe Scott's role as only playing the
part of Ronald McDonald, while giving credit for the creation of the mascot to Goldstein
and his ad agency