Which McDonaldland character was introduced in 1971 as a burger-shaped mayor?

Mayor McCheese was introduced in 1971 as a burger-shaped mayor in McDonaldland advertising.

The character had a large cheeseburger for a head and wore formal mayoral clothing, including a sash. He was part of McDonald's fictional McDonaldland, a setting created to give the brand a cast of colorful characters and stories aimed primarily at children.

Other McDonaldland characters included Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, Grimace, and Birdie the Early Bird. Their roles and appearances changed over time as McDonald's revised its advertising strategy and reduced the use of the broader fantasy setting.

Mayor McCheese is sometimes confused with the Big Mac character, who was portrayed as a police officer called Officer Big Mac. The mayor's defining feature was his cheeseburger head and civic title, not the Big Mac sandwich identity.