For many of us, Ronald McDonald is a core childhood memory - but when's the last time you actually saw him on a visit to the Golden Arches?
Well, it might be quite some time ago, as McDonald's has phased out the use of its clown mascot - and there's a sinister reason why.
Ronald McDonald was first introduced as the fast food chain's mascot back in 1963, and the spirited clown with the red hair, yellow jumpsuit, and striped socks was a regular feature for decades to come.
He was often seen with a cast of other much-loved McDonald's faces, including Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and The Fry Kids.
However, if you go into a McDonald's now, you're unlikely to see any trace of Ronald while you grab your burger and fries.
The clown was quietly phased out of the chain's marketing strategy in 2016 in response to a disturbing social media trend.
If you cast your minds back almost a decade, you might remember the creepy rise of 'killer clowns' terrifying people around the world.
For a short, bizarre, period, people were dressing up as scary clowns in order to terrify passersby in a trend that thankfully seemed to disappear as fast as it came.
The clown sightings began in Greenville, South Carolina, in August 2016, when police began receiving reports of scary clowns standing silently bu the roadside and near launderettes, allegedly trying to lure children into the woods with green laser lights and bags of cash.
It's still unknown why the craze started, with some suggesting it may have been part of publicity for a horror movie or an elaborate hoax.
After the news went viral, copycat stunts started being reported around the world, including in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Following the heightened attention around clowns, McDonald's released a statement at the time, announcing it was being "thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events" as a result of the "current climate around clown sightings in communities".
The hysteria became so intense that even Stephen King, author of the 1986 novel IT, centered around a terrifying clown, took to social media to appeal to people to stop.
He wrote on Twitter at the time: "Hey, guys, time to cool the clown hysteria - most of 'em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh."
Ronald McDonald had made his TV debut in 1963, looking vastly different from the jovial clown we all came to know and love.
Looking incredibly creepy himself, the first iteration of Ronald had a food tray on his head and a drink cup for a nose.
See the commercial below:
Thankfully, his look was refined by the 1970s, and the food tray hat and cup nose were replaced by the iconic red wig.
The clown went on to tweak his look over the decades that followed, including with a more athletic version in 2004 due to renewed focus on healthier eating.
Who knows, one day Ronald McDonald might well make a comeback.