You’re hungry and in the mood for some burger and fries. You grab your wallet and head to the nearest McDonald’s restaurant. After collecting your order from the counter, you indulge yourself in the goodness of the cheese and the fries. Once you’re done relishing the food, you finally get up to leave. And while all of this happens, there’s someone in there who’s been watching you the whole time. Someone who has always been there but we choose to be oblivious to. A clown. And mind you, this clown won’t be found in any circus because he doesn’t belong there. Not just any ordinary clown, he is the most recognizable clown of all time – Ronald McDonald.
You will always find him seated smiling on his bench or standing at the entrance of McDonald’s, greeting people who pass by, in his signature clown attire. But our very own Ronald looked quite different when he first became McDonald’s mascot. Over the years, his appearance was altered time and again before finally settling on the look, we are all now familiar with.
Willard Scott was the very first person to depict Ronald in the 1960’s. He sported the entire meal box on his head as a part of his clown costume. People found him quite intimidating and this called for a much-needed makeover. In the 1980s, Ronald got rid of the meal box on his head which was replaced by a red wig. In some places, he was also seen wearing a red jacket over his onesie. As years passed, his yellow jumpsuit became shorter, revealing his red striped socks. And after many more minute changes here and there, we finally have the Ronald masterpiece that we see in every McDonald’s chain today.
Apart from providing us with mouth watering food, Ronald McDonald also has his own charity with the same name. The Ronald McDonald House Charities are known to help children who are suffering from any kind of illness. They provide housing facilities to the families of those children who are being treated at nearby hospitals. They also make it a point to provide them with educational facilities after their treatment is completed. Ronald McDonald, the other name for Santa Claus, is it? So the next time anyone judges you for eating junk food, you can let them know where all that money you spend on your burgers is going.