McDonald’s created McDonaldland for characters such as Mayor McCheese and Grimace.
McDonaldland was a fictional setting used in McDonald’s advertising beginning in the early 1970s. It presented the brand’s food and restaurant experience through a cast of colorful characters, including Mayor McCheese, Grimace, Birdie, and the Hamburglar.
The setting helped McDonald’s create advertising aimed strongly at children and gave its characters a shared narrative world. Restaurants, television commercials, playgrounds, and promotional materials could all draw on the same recognizable theme.
McDonaldland is sometimes confused with a single mascot or a particular restaurant feature. It was instead the fictional universe that connected multiple characters and stories in the brand’s advertising.