The yellow and red clown - a McDonald's icon since 1963 - has had a sporty make-over. In TV ads to air in the US on Friday, the fitter, slimmer Ronald is seen snowboarding down a yoghurt mountain and riding his bike. The ad also features the clown juggling fruit and veg, with not a burger in sight. The campaign goes global after the summer.

Ronald McDonald dons yellow helmet, rides bike

McDonald’s said its "chief happiness officer" had to start encouraging children to exercise.

The new look Ronald wears tighter fitting clothes in the ad, not the usual baggy yellow clown togs.

It’s a lot like the Honey Monster ads, but with a much more frightening central character…

The ads will be backed up with a print campaign and will go global on the autumn.

According to McDonald’s, the TV ad "shows kids how much fun they can have when they activate their bodies, their minds, and their imaginations."

Ronald McDonald is now said to be a "global ambassador of fun, fitness and children’s well-being".

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