What name did McDonald's use for its 1970s character with a cheeseburger-shaped head?

McDonald's called its 1970s cheeseburger-headed character Mayor McCheese.

Mayor McCheese was a central figure in McDonaldland, McDonald's fictional advertising setting introduced in 1971. He wore formal mayoral clothing while his head resembled a cheeseburger, making the character an exaggerated visual pun on the restaurant's food. His role helped give McDonaldland a civic structure and a larger cast of recurring personalities.

The character is sometimes confused with the Hamburglar or with the Big Mac character. The Hamburglar was the mischievous hamburger thief, while Mayor McCheese was the official figure of the fictional community. The Big Mac character, meanwhile, represented the sandwich rather than the town's mayor.

Mayor McCheese appeared in television commercials and promotional material during the peak of McDonaldland branding. His unusual design shows how strongly the company connected menu items with imaginative characters in children's advertising.