Mayor McCheese was McDonald’s advertising character known as the cheeseburger-headed mayor.
He was one of the central figures in McDonaldland, the fictional setting created for McDonald’s advertising. Mayor McCheese wore a formal mayoral outfit and had a large cheeseburger for a head, making the character’s identity immediately clear to children.
The character appeared alongside Ronald McDonald and other figures in television commercials, print advertising, restaurant promotions, and merchandise. McDonaldland characters turned menu items and restaurant ideas into a shared fantasy world, giving McDonald’s a recognizable cast rather than relying only on product shots.
Mayor McCheese is sometimes confused with Officer Big Mac, whose head was shaped like a Big Mac, or with Captain Crook, a pirate-themed character linked to Filet-O-Fish promotions. Their names and costumes reflected different menu products and roles in the advertising universe.