If you've frequented any McDonald's franchise during the past few years, you'll have noticed that the friendly (but extremely freaky) face of Ronald McDonald is noticeably absent. Many of us will remember his fiery red blowout, snow-white face, and red-and-yellow outfit combination that Anna Wintour would most likely agree is a crime worthy of being charged with by the fashion police. Yes, despite his horrific fashion faux pas (and dated hairdo that the 60s probably wants back), old Ronald managed to stay the face of the world's most popular fast-food chain for several decades... until the killer clown craze hit, and he found himself out of a job in 2016, leaving some big shoes to fill. Pun intended. For anyone not familiar with the killer clown craze, it was one of the weirdest and most disturbing times in recent history. <img class="wp-image-1263189822 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/01/D3BW92.jpg" alt="Ronald McDonald" width="2561" height="1861" />[[imagecaption|| Ronald McDonald wasn't all smiles following the 2016 killer clown craze. Credit: dpa picture alliance / Alamy]] It spread across the US and, eventually, many other countries, and saw pranksters dressing up as clowns and terrorizing the general public. Many of the jokesters also started to include various weapons in their pranks, including knives, and one incident even saw a knife-wielding clown chasing children on their way to class, <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/16610579/inside-mysterious-disappearance-of-ronald-mcdonald/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sun</a> detailed. Obviously, a bunch of clowns terrorizing people in different cities isn't a good look for clowns in general, something that McDonald's itself eventually realized. "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 fast food giant said in a statement, via <a href="https://www.ladbible.com/community/mcdonalds-ronald-mcdonald-reason-why-never-seen-444396-20230116" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LADBible</a>. <img class="wp-image-1263189874 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/01/DA349F-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="1707" height="2560" />[[imagecaption|| The admittedly slightly terrifying mascot was quietly phased out. Credit: George Sheldon / Alamy]] Then, the McDonald's UK website added the following message to fans of Ronald: "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." Interestingly enough William Scott, the man who originally portrayed Ronald McDonald in its first-ever commercial, passed away in 2021. He clearly loved his job, telling <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/05/business/star-weatherman-willard-scott-a-huckster-for-all-seasons.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a> in 1987: "I just love people. A lot of speakers on the talk circuit leave right afterward. I do a lot of schmoozing. I'm like a dog. You just open the door and I go, 'rrrr, rrrr,' and then I lick everybody's face." [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIuXv7Y8QA4]] Old Ronald is still witnessed in mascot form in some restaurants, but he's otherwise living the quiet life away from the spotlight. Who knows, maybe he's enjoying his retirement by sipping cocktails on the beach in Aruba? <h6>Featured image credit: dpa picture alliance / Alamy</h6>

The scary reason Ronald McDonald is seen so much less at McDonald's these days

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