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Set your way back machines to 1963 kiddies. The Beatles have landed, Kennedy’s been shot, and a growing hamburger chain meets up with its legendary-mascot for the first time. Created by Willard Scott for the Washington-Annapolis franchises, Ronald McDonald looked a fair bit different than the clown we know and love today. Long before making a name for himself as the first roundish weatherman on the Today Show (who still comes back to wish birthday greetings from time to time), Willard was rather famous as the DC Area’s own Bozo the Clown. The local franchisee contacted Willard, one thing led to another, and the next thing you know someone is uttering the words “Introducing the worlds newest, silliest, and hamburger eatingest clown — Ronald McDonald!” Hamburger-eatingest. That’s my new favourite adjective.

Normally I try to change it up every week with our McDonald’s Mondays posts, however, this is a two-parter just waiting to happen. Tune in next week when we visit Willard behind the make-up nearly a decade later — not quite the clown we know today, but a lot closer than this drink-tray-hat-wearing lunatic in 1963.

McDonald’s Mondays is a weekly series of posts written by our own Jim Squires that initially appears on his pop culture blog fjetsam.com.