The Golden Arches and Ronald McDonald

October 4th, 2010

When you’re driving down the highway and see Golden Arches ahead, you know you’re approaching a McDonald’s. The same can be said of a commercial with Ronald McDonald. The moment that red headed, big shoed clown appears on the screen, you know it’s a McDonald’s commercial. However, when the company was established in 1940 there was no Ronald McDonald and no Golden Arches.The first establishment was actually a bar-b-que joint in California. It would take another eight years for the concept of McDonald’s as a burger place to emerge. But the time passed quickly, and in 1948 foodies could buy cheeseburgers and hamburgers, milk, potato chips, soft drinks, pie, and coffee. A year later, the company would begin selling French Fries and Milkshakes; the development of McDonald’s had begun.The golden arches would appear in 1955. The company had successfully launched a McDonald’s in Des Plaines and the building’s creator, Stanley Meston, incorporated the Golden Arches into the design. After fourteen years, these arches would become the major logo for McDonald’s burgers. In 1969 the company would make the Golden Arches the focal point of all their restaurants.The infamous clown would follow eleven years after the arches were first introduced. In 1966, Ronald McDonald first emerged on television. The company’s commercials featured the clown on a flying hamburger, and he appeared on NBC as well as CBS. 1971 was another pivotal year for the McDonald’s icon; the company released Grimace, Mayor McCheese, Hamburglar, Captain Crook, and the Big Mac. While Ronald McDonald remains the focal character of the industry, his friends became additional icons.It’s hard to imagine a McDonald’s without a Ronald or the Golden Arches. However, the years it took producing the company’s icons paid off. McDonald’s is known worldwide, and part of that recognition is due to Ronald McDonald and the infamous arches.