Weird3 min(s) read
Published 09:13 05 Mar 2026 GMT
It has been a decade since iconic redhead Ronald McDonald has been spotted in an advert and the reason behind the clown's disappearance is rather sinister.
McDonald’s once trademark clown had been around since the 1960s featuring in adverts and making appearances at children’s birthday parties but mysteriously disappeared around 2016.
The axing of fast food’s most memorable mascot was nothing to do with Ronald or the golden arches he advertised but the impact of a chilling viral trend.
Across the Western world at the time people dressed up as creepy “killer clowns” and terrorised neighbourhoods by wielding weapons and chasing residents.
In an incident imitating the Purge movies, a family in Florida were attacked by 20 people wearing clown masks.
A member of the family was stabbed in the head with a “machete-like” weapon and another was beaten with a hockey stick.
At the time there was speculation that it was all a PR stunt for the release of the movie It, an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 horror movie which features a creepy clown called Pennywise, but this theory was never proved.
However the 2016 trend is not where the fear of killer clowns originated from.
Serial killer John Wayne Gacy, convicted of the murders of 33 boys and young men in Illinois between 1972 and 1978, was well known in his community as Pogo the clown for performing at children’s parties.
Perhaps because videos of Gacy’s victims being chased didn’t go viral, or thousands of troublesome teenagers across the globe didn’t follow suit for fun, the serial killer did not have the detrimental effect on McDonald's marketing that 2016 did.
The many incidents across America, Canada, Australia and the UK in 2016 were all a part of the terrifying trend that ended in the death of Ronald.
The yellow-boiler-suit-clad, red haired, wide smiling clown who was once loved by children, giving out burgers and balloons at parties, would now send them running from the restaurant.
At the time of the disturbing trend McDonald’s released a statement saying: "McDonald's and franchisees in the local markets are mindful of the current climate around clown sightings in communities and as such are being thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events for the time being."
The UK McDonald's website also said: "We're afraid that Ronald McDonald no longer appears in McDonald's UK advertising, but he is still very busy working for us.
“He often travels up and down the country to help promote some of our exciting new activities and visits our restaurants to make sure everyone is enjoying their meals."
