Ronald McDonald Trims Down, Gets a New ‘Do

Ronald McDonald, the 35-year-old icon for the McDonald’s hamburger chain, has a new, hipper look intended to appeal to today’s media-savvy kids.

The new Ronald, with a thinner face and spikier hair than the familiar Ronald, debuted this week in an animated video that McDonald’s plans to sell at its U.S. restaurants.

Ronald is getting a make-over at a time when the hamburger chain is trying to reinvent itself. Faced with stagnant domestic sales, McDonald’s is revamping its kitchens to serve fresher food and experimenting with new sandwiches and desserts to win over consumers who may have defected to rivals Burger King, Wendy’s and others.

R.J. Milano, McDonald’s vice president for marketing, said the company did not approach the task of tinkering with Ronald lightly. Indeed, it’s not changing the look of the costumed clown in television commercials. The live-action Ronald makes a brief appearance at the beginning of the animated video.

But, Milano said, “we felt it was time for Ronald to evolve. . . . We want to stay relevant and trendy for kids today.”

The video--made by Klasky Csupo, creators of Nickelodeon’s popular “Rugrats” cartoons--seems aimed at giving the somewhat bland Ronald a livelier personality. In the video, called “Scared Silly,” Ronald goes beyond his usual one-note geniality to show such emotions as fear and surprise. He even has a new sidekick, a dog named Sundae.

It isn’t unusual for corporations to give familiar icons a make-over as times change. Over the years, General Mills’ Betty Crocker and Quaker Oats’ Aunt Jemima have changed their looks.

But experts say it is atypical for companies to preserve the old look after introducing an updated icon--as McDonald’s is doing.

“I think consistency is important. Questions are certainly raised if the two [Ronalds] are going to coexist,” said Anita Hersh, chief executive of New York-based brand identity firm Lister Butler. The firm has helped overhaul Planter’s Mr. Peanut for Nabisco.

Milano, however, insists there are not “old” and “new” Ronalds. The updated Ronald “should be called Animated Ronald,” a corporate spokeswoman explained.

Milano said the updated Ronald is aimed at building the character’s image. Consumer surveys show that Ronald has lost ground with consumers to such sassier pitch characters as the M&M; candies and the Budweiser lizards.