The story behind the McDonald's logo (2024)

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The story behind the McDonald's logo? ›

The iconic golden arches

The first McDonald's drive-in was opened in 1940 by brothers Maurice (“Mac”) and Richard McDonald in San Bernardino, California. In 1948 the brothers revamped the business, and a newly envisioned McDonald's restaurant was created to produce huge quantities of food at low prices.

It's a nod to Japanese graphic novels (manga) and anime. WcDonald's will be around for about a month. Consumers will see the new versions of the McDonald's logo on some of the restaurant's packaging and on a new sauce.

The logo goes beyond being a mere brand identifier; it symbolizes familiarity and comfort. The arches, resembling a “M” for McDonald's, are also seen as a symbol of the welcoming nature of the brand. Color psychology. The use of red and yellow in the logo is strategic.

The Iconic 'Golden Arches'

Jim Schindler, the constructions and engineering head of McDonald's, added a slanting line running through the arches in the logo in a bid to symbolize the roof of the store. This is how McDonald's got its iconic 'Golden Arch' logo.

The iconic golden arches in the shape of an “m” were inspired by the architectural arches that structured the first McDonald's restaurants. In the logo, the arches were ignored until Ray Kroc bought the business in its entirety in 1961. From this point on, the arches stood strong and resolute like the chain itself.

Critics claimed that a clown mascot targeting children for fast food is unethical. A group of 550 physicians and other health professionals took out newspaper ads in 2011, saying that Ronald McDonald should be retired. Ronald McDonald made fewer appearances since 2016 due to the 2016 clown sightings.

The campaign pays homage to a decades-long tradition of including a restaurant called “WcDonald's” in manga and anime. McDonald's is dead—long live WcDonald's.

Who wants a WcDonald's? The restaurant chain will temporarily change its name to resemble how it appears in anime series, which flip the 'M' for copyright reasons, but the logo remains unmistakable.

Instead, McDonald's is flipping its iconic logo—switching it from "McDonald's" to "WcDonald's"—as an homage to anime. The golden upside down arches of WcDonald's, McDonald's anime alter ego, have made frequent appearances in some of anime's most popular TV shows and movies.

What does McDonald's stand for? ›

McDonalds is called that because it was founded Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California in 1940. The “golden arches” was introduced in 1954.

We serve delicious food people feel good about eating, with convenient locations and hours and affordable prices, and by working hard to offer the speed, choice and personalization our customers expect.

When in the 1960s McDonald's gave up on Meston's architectural arches, the company nevertheless listened to the American psychologist Louis Cheskin, who had worked successfully for Ford. In Freudian terms, suggested Cheskin, the McDonald's arches symbolised a mother's nourishing breasts.

"You may notice something a little different about our hallmark Golden Arches today," said Wendy Lewis, Global Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Global Community Engagement for McDonald's Corporation when, for the first time in history, the iconic golder arches were flipped from an "M" to a "W" to honor ...

Goldene Schwalbe (golden swallow - the bird) is similar to the Golden Arches in the US or Restaurant Den Gyldne Måge in Denmark, referring to the logo. Mäckes, Mecces, Mcces and Mäckies are regional variations of the same name (see source).

McDonald's is owned by different shareholders, as it's a publicly traded company. According to CNN Business reports, most of this company's owners are institutional investors, who make up 70.14% of the outstanding shares. Individual owners only make up about 0.31%.

Maurice McDonald died from heart failure at his home in Palm Springs, California, on December 11, 1971, at the age of 69. Richard McDonald also died from heart failure in a nursing home in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 14, 1998, at the age of 89. He was buried at the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Manchester.

Super Size Me filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who ate only McDonald's for 30 days, dies of cancer aged 53.

But rather than setting the record straight, “The Founder” plays fast and loose with the facts, leaving an erroneous impression about the mechanics of the deal, as well as about Ray's formidable and largely unsung third wife, Joan.

The brothers astonishingly agreed to a “handshake” deal whereby they would receive royalties of 1% of the revenues Kroc would make, in perpetuity. Unsurprisingly, this handshake deal was never honoured and the brothers were not able to prove it.