Mayor McCheese is the McDonald’s character with a cheeseburger-shaped head who serves as a fictional mayor.
The character appeared in McDonald’s advertising as the mayor of McDonaldland, the imaginary setting populated by the company’s restaurant mascots. His head was designed as a large cheeseburger, while his formal clothing emphasized the mayoral role.
Mayor McCheese belonged to the broader character-based branding used by McDonald’s during the 1970s. The campaign gave children a recurring world of characters rather than isolated product advertisements, helping the restaurant create a distinctive family-oriented identity.
He is sometimes confused with Officer Big Mac, another McDonaldland character whose head resembled a Big Mac. Mayor McCheese’s defining combination was specifically the cheeseburger head and the title of mayor.