Willard Scott performed regularly as Ronald McDonald from 1963–1966 and occasionally as late as 1971, for a McDonald’s franchise in Washington, D.C.

Scott wrote in his book, The Joy of Living, that he originally created the Ronald McDonald character at the fast-food restaurant chain’s request.

In Morgan Spurlock’s documentary film Super Size Me, Eric Schlosser claims that McDonald’s replaced Scott on account of his weight, supposedly concerned about McDonald’s image.

Whomever came up with the idea of clowns as anything but objects of terror was a diabolical genius of the first order. Just saying.

Via Wikipedia.