---
title: "Adweek: McDonald’s Is Scaling Back Ronald McDonald Appearances Due to Creepy Clown Sightings"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/99fdfd81-cd86-4fd2-b4c7-614ea1799cdf
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/adweek-mcdonalds-is-scaling-back-ronald-mcdonald-appearances-due-to-creepy-clown-sightings-6511
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2016-10-13T22:17:32.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:14:45.328Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/5b2f9849bb620fb3a141a1766e0938d79656.jpg
---

# Adweek: McDonald’s Is Scaling Back Ronald McDonald Appearances Due to Creepy Clown Sightings

**TL;DR:** McDonald's is scaling back Ronald McDonald appearances due to creepy clown sightings. The company is being thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events as a result of the current climate around clown sightings.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-10-13. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/adweek-mcdonalds-is-scaling-back-ronald-mcdonald-appearances-due-to-creepy-clown-sightings-6511).*

## Story

Creepy clowns are taking the nation by storm, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. According to a recent Adweek article, this phenomenon is forcing the famous clown mascot, Ronald McDonald, to go into hiding and cut back appearances at events in local communities.

For months there have been sightings of people dressed as clowns, carrying knives, and walking around towns across the country and even around the world including in Canada and Australia. Many of sightings have occurred in retail locations or near schools, instilling fear in the minds of American parents and children and all those deathly afraid of clowns.

The McDonald’s brand mascot has been around since 1963, but for now has to keep a low profile. In a statement, the company told the Associated Press it was "thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events" as a result of the "current climate around clown sightings in communities."

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- McDonald's (company)
- community events (topic)
- The Associated Press (company)
- brand mascot (topic)
- clown sightings (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/adweek-mcdonalds-is-scaling-back-ronald-mcdonald-appearances-due-to-creepy-clown-sightings-6511). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/99fdfd81-cd86-4fd2-b4c7-614ea1799cdf).