Prior to doing the
weather, Willard Scott seems to have been quite the clown on television. He portrayed
Bozo the Clown in the 60s and he created the
Ronald McDonald character to help promote some McDonald's in the Washington DC area. He went on to portray Ronald McDonald in the first
televised commercials featuring the character in 1963.
Supposedly his line in the commercial was: "I know you're not supposed to talk to strangers, kids, but it's okay to talk to me, because I'm Ronald the hamburger-loving clown!"
Personally, I do not remember being told as a child that "hamburger-loving" clowns were an exception to the don't talk to strangers rule, but maybe I missed it in the fine print.
The original costume was essentially the Bozo the clown outfit plus shoes made of buns, a cup for his nose and a hamburger hat.