Which McDonaldland character debuted in 1971 as the community's hamburger-shaped mayor?

Mayor McCheese debuted in 1971 as McDonaldland's hamburger-shaped mayor.

The character had a large cheeseburger for a head, a mayoral sash, and other civic-style clothing. He appeared in commercials alongside McDonaldland figures such as Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, and Grimace.

Mayor McCheese helped make McDonald's advertising world feel like a recurring community rather than a collection of unrelated product commercials. His role gave the fictional setting a recognizable civic leader and supported stories about events, rules, and community life.

He is not the same character as Officer Big Mac. Officer Big Mac was a separate McDonaldland police character whose head was styled like a Big Mac. Both names reflect menu items, but only Mayor McCheese held the mayoral title.