Chilling reason Ronald McDonald was phased out and is no longer seen

There's a reason why McDonald's decided to phase their iconic mascot, Ronald McDonald, out of their marketing campaigns.

If we roll the clocks back around two decades or so, it was almost as if you couldn't escape the funky-looking clown.

Visits to the fast-food chain or a viewing of Maccies TV adverts would often feature Ronald, who had been around since his first appearance in the 1960s.

Often seen sporting white face makeup and bright red hair, he was a figure of modern pop culture that went hand in hand with post-war America.

As McDonald's became one of the largest and most recognisable businesses in the world, he became the poster boy for the chain, but there's a disturbing reason for the character's scarce sightings nowadays.

McDonald's removed the clown from their marketing for one good reason (Getty Stock Image)

Kids used to love the clown, his memorable yellow boiler suit, and his larger-than-life smile, but they'd likely run from him today.

Mates with the likes of Grimace and the Hamburglar, they were part of McDonaldland, a virtual world often associated with the Happy Meal. Toys have more recently been replaced with books or other learning tools, though they were staples in the world of marketing back in the day.

But Ronald is almost nowhere to be seen, and he has been almost absent for around 10 years. Yes, 2016.

You may remember a certain terrifying trend which went around at the time, and we're not talking about dabbing or the mannequin challenge.

McDonald's hadn't done anything wrong; instead, they fell victim to the chilling trend of 'killer clowns', which sent the world into a frenzy for a short period of time. They were all over social media, as many dressed up as sinister-looking clowns and terrorised strangers across the Western world.

In fact, incidents were reported in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, with some of these creeps even lurking around schools at the time.

Shockingly, this trend started as a marketing stunt for a horror film, which went a few steps too far, though not through the fault of the marketing team.

You won't be spotting the big clown anytime soon (Mike Fuentes/Getty Images)

Things started to get serious when a family in Florida was attacked by a group of 20 people wearing clown masks.

On this side of the pond, it was reported by The Sun that one individual in a clown mask allegedly brandished a knife and chased a boy, who was on his way to school.

At the time of the controversial trend, Maccies had no choice but to release a statement on the matter, reading: "McDonald's and franchisees in the local markets are mindful of the current climate around clown sightings in communities and as such are being thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald's participation in community events for the time being."

The UK McDonald's website also said: "We're afraid that Ronald McDonald no longer appears in McDonald's UK advertising, but he is still very busy working for us. He often travels up and down the country to help promote some of our exciting new activities and visits our restaurants to make sure everyone is enjoying their meals."

RIP Ronald.