Which McDonald’s advertising character was a giant hamburger introduced in 1971?

Officer Big Mac was the giant-hamburger character introduced in McDonald’s advertising in 1971.

The character belonged to McDonaldland, a fictional setting populated by food-themed figures. Officer Big Mac was designed as a police officer whose head resembled a Big Mac, combining a recognizable product shape with a role children could quickly understand.

McDonaldland expanded McDonald’s family branding beyond Ronald McDonald. Characters such as Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, and the Fry Kids gave the company a repeatable story world for commercials, packaging, restaurant play areas, and promotional materials.

Officer Big Mac is sometimes confused with Mayor McCheese because both characters had food-shaped heads and civic titles. Their designs were different: Officer Big Mac had a hamburger head and police identity, while Mayor McCheese had a cheeseburger head and mayoral role. The character’s 1971 introduction places him in the first major period of McDonaldland advertising.