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McDonald's Signs (page 1)

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McDonald's sign
Huntsville, AL (now Cincinnati, OH)		 McDonald's sign
Green Bay, WI
McDonald's developed the Speedee character in 1948 as the mascot for the company's "Speedee Service System". In 1963, Ronald McDonald was introduced as the company's new mascot. It's not clear when the company stopped using the Speedee character. Some sources say he was replaced in signs in 1962 with a golden arch logo. The character was definitely no longer used by 1967. Speedee was brought back in recent years for retro signs and building designs. Once commonplace, the only three vintage neon signs left at operating McDonald's locations are in Green Bay, Muncie, and Downey (see next page). Three other examples of these signs are on display at museums (see below). The Des Plaines sign (see next page) was supposedly original but it looked like a replica to me.

The vintage McDonald's in Huntsville was remarkably well-preserved and lit at night. The sign was built in 1963. The building itself was replaced with a more modern design. A car crashed into the sign in 2007 and damaged it. In 2008, there were plans to renovate the building. Local sign restrictions prohibited the sign from being moved from its original position. A local museum could not raise the funds to acquire the sign. Later that year, the sign was removed and is now on display at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, OH. The museum restored the neon, including the vertical tubing that was originally behind Speedee. Damage to the porcelain panels was also repaired. The cost to move and repair the sign was about $30,000. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

The vintage McDonald's sign in Green Bay was restored in 2005. This location was built in 1958 or 1959. The building was replaced with a modern one. In 2010, that building was replaced with a retro building. [map]

McDonald's sign [gone]
Biloxi, MS
ca. 1998:
2006:
This McDonald's opened in 1962. The sign survived Hurricane Camille in 1969 but the original building did not. In 2005, the sign was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. It was later replaced with a modern sign. [top photo thanks Rich Kummerlowe]

McDonald's sign [gone]
Lebanon, IN
This McDonald's sign in Lebanon was originally at a location in Lafayette, IN. It was saved and moved to this site in the mid-1990s. But by 2000, it was gone again.

McDonald's sign
Muncie, IN
This McDonald's sign in Muncie was installed in 1958 when this location was built. The sign was restored in 2006 and 2013. For more, see this website. [map]

McDonald's sign [gone]
Holts Summit, MO		 McDonald's sign
Stuart, FL		 McDonald's sign
Fort Lauderdale, FL
The McDonald's sign in Holts Summit was originally located in nearby Jefferson City, MO. It was restored and installed on a huge pole at this modern location. The wording on the sign was changed to say "originally was" 15 cents and that the bottom part of the arch was chopped off. In 2011, this sign was removed and replaced with a modern plastic one.

The McDonald's sign in Stuart is modern. Some obvious differences between this sign and the vintage ones are how narrow the sign is with a smaller text panel, the missing neon tubing behind the Speedee panel, and the solid panel above his raised arm. Note also the "110 Billion Served" while the vintage signs stopped counting at 99 Billion. [map]

The McDonald's sign in Fort Lauderdale is also modern. It has been there since at least 2007. [map]

There is second modern McDonald's sign like this one in Fort Lauderdale.

McDonald's sign
Topeka, KS		 McDonald's
Mason City, IA		 former McDonald's
San Bernardino, CA
This McDonald's sign in Topeka was built in 1961 for the first McDonald's in Topeka which was the second location built in Kansas. In 1981, the restaurant building was replaced with a new one and the sign was donated to the Kansas State Historical Society. The colorful top part of the sign is displayed at the Kansas Museum of History. In 2025, during renovations, the museum announced that the sign would be put in storage. For more, see this website. [photo thanks Glenda Campbell]

This McDonald's sign in Mason City is installed at the back of the parking lot of an operating McDonald's. It is a unique mix of styles. The text part of this sign is apparently from an old Speedee style sign. The top part of the sign is the newer "Skinny M" type like those shown at the bottom of this page. The other side of this sign has neon. Does anyone know the story behind this sign? For more, see this website. [map]

This McDonald's sign in San Bernardino stands at the site of the first McDonald's restaurant which opened in 1948. In 1953, the original building was replaced with the classic double arches design. The red panel of this sign is apparently all that's left of the sign that was installed then. In 1962, after the chain was sold to Ray Kroc, this location changed its name to Big M and the sign was altered. In 1972, the double arches building was demolished. A music store was built on the site in 1974. In 1998, that building was converted into a McDonald's Museum, of sorts. Without permission from the McDonald's Corporation, it is known as the Unofficial McDonald's Museum. The museum is actually owned by Juan Pollo Restaurants. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

McDonald's
Lapeer, MI		 McDonald's
Oshkosh, WI
This McDonald's sign in Lapeer is a retro, modern creation. Note the compressed double arch behind Speedee. There was another sign like this in Dearborn Heights, MI. I don't know of any other McDonald's signs like these. [map]

This McDonald's sign in Oshkosh is also a scaled-down, modern plastic version of the old Speedee signs. This location opened in the 1990s or early 2000s. [map]

There are other modern signs out there that feature single arches and Speedee like these in Bethlehem, PA and Mount Ephraim, NJ. Note that the arch is not the same shape and does not have neon at the top. The Speedee figure is placed on a disk and is not freestanding.

McDonald's [gone]
Baton Rouge, LA		 McDonald's
Anniston, AL
These McDonald's signs in Baton Rouge and Anniston were developed in 1968. These "V-shaped" signs (my term) were either produced in a small quantity and/or there are only a few left. Apparently, they were only built until the early 1970s. [Anniston map]

The Baton Rouge building still had the mansard roof which were built at that time. In 2008, the sign still had what appeared to be the original three red plastic panels. By 2011, the current red panel was in place. In 2024, the sign and building were replaced with modern versions.

McDonald's
Kansas City, KS
This McDonald'ssign with the vacuum form plastic letters in the background is probably from the 1970s. These are very rare now. The unusual building design also has a beveled letter sign. [map]

There are a couple of other signs like this in Newton, NJ and Methuen, MA. If you know of any others, I'd love to hear about them.

More Speedee Signs:
Moline, IL [vintage; gone]
Ford Museum (Dearborn, MI)
Southgate, MI [vintage; gone]
Crestwood, MO [vintage; gone]

More "V-Shaped" McDonald's Signs
Branford, CT
Mission, KS [gone]
Needham, MA
Aberdeen, MD [gone]
Laurel, MD [gone]
Taylor, MI
Bellingham, WA
Green Bay, WI

McDonald's Buildings
(page 1)		 McDonald's Buildings
(page 2)		 McDonald's Signs
(page 2)		 Eateries Main Page