The Japanese version of Ronald McDonald is now a sexy female, Media Guardian reports:

...In the Japanese TV commercial the foxy female version, with shoulder-length straight auburn hair in place of Ronald's frizzy mop, smoulders at the camera in a flowing yellow dress, and later a red and white striped bikini with thigh-length leggings and red high heels...

"We devised the costume and took the red and white stripes and the yellow, which were recognised and converted them into a stylish dress," [perpetrator Hidekazu Sato, known by his nickname Kazoo (?)] said via a translator.

"We were assuming that even if we didn't include the McDonald's logo and even if the model was a beautiful caucasian just those colours of the mnemonic design would wake up people's association with McDonald's."