McDonald’s named its cheeseburger-headed mayor character Mayor McCheese.
Mayor McCheese was one of the principal figures in McDonaldland, the fictional world created for McDonald’s advertising. His oversized hamburger-style head, formal mayoral clothing, and civic title made him an immediately recognizable parody of a town official.
The character appeared with Ronald McDonald and other McDonaldland residents in commercials and promotional material. The fictional government of McDonaldland gave the campaign a playful setting in which the characters could interact and tell simple stories.
Mayor McCheese is often confused with Officer Big Mac because both characters used food-based names and belonged to the same advertising universe. Their roles were different: Mayor McCheese was the town’s mayor, while Officer Big Mac was associated with law enforcement in McDonaldland.