When you think about McDonald's, it's likely that the smiling clown mascot Ronald McDonald will come to mind.
The cheeky clown was created all the way back in 1963 to serve as a friendly face for the fast food chain, and he became a prominent part of the brand along with the much-loved hamburgers and nuggets.
However, he seemed to disappear off the face of the earth back in 2016, no longer appearing on packaging or instore decor. The news came as a shock to McDonald's fans, but many are just finding out the real reason why the franchise mascot was scrapped - and it's more disturbing than you might think.
The Mirror reports that far from a typical marketing move, McDonald's phased out Ronald McDonald's appearances when a creepy clown craze swept across the UK and the US.
The bizarre trend saw a number of different incidents where people dressed up as clowns in order to scare the public, and there were even reported sightings of costume-wearers wielding dangerous weapons.
One particular case from Wales involved a 10-year-old girl reportedly being cornered by four people wearing clown masks, including one with a 'sledgehammer', as she spent time in a park with her friend.
Because of these incidents, McDonald's took action and released a statement explaining that because of the 'current climate around clown sightings in communities', Ronald McDonald would be less prominent.
The spokesperson explained: "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."
The clown's arms still feature in the Ronald McDonald House Charities logo, but elsewhere, fans have had to accept that he's disappeared from the fast food franchise.
First introduced to the world back in the 60s, Ronald McDonald enjoyed decades as the food industry's "silliest, hamburger-eating-est clown." He was often accompanied by his friends, who included Mayor McCheese, Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and The Fry Kids.
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