Mayor McCheese was introduced in 1971 as the head of McDonaldland's fictional community.
The character had a large cheeseburger for a head and wore mayoral clothing, including a sash. He appeared in McDonald's advertising alongside Ronald McDonald and other McDonaldland figures, giving the campaign a colorful setting built around the restaurant's menu.
Mayor McCheese was not simply another name for Ronald McDonald. Ronald was the central human-like mascot and host figure, while Mayor McCheese represented the imagined civic world created for the advertising campaign.
The character later became associated with legal disputes involving the children's character H.R. Pufnstuf. McDonald's continued to use McDonaldland imagery for years, although the prominence of these characters declined as the company changed its advertising strategy.