McDonald's smiling, hamburger-headed mayor of McDonaldland was Mayor McCheese.
Mayor McCheese was a large anthropomorphic cheeseburger character with a mayoral sash and formal clothing. He appeared in McDonald's advertising during the 1970s as one of the figures inhabiting the chain's fictional McDonaldland setting.
The character helped McDonald's turn its restaurant imagery into a recognizable fantasy world. Other residents represented menu items, restaurant themes, or comic roles, allowing commercials to tell simple stories rather than merely display food.
Mayor McCheese is easy to confuse with Officer Big Mac because both were burger-headed McDonaldland characters. Their identities were separate: Mayor McCheese was the mayor, while Officer Big Mac was associated with law enforcement in the fictional community.