Mayor McCheese is the McDonald's mascot with a cheeseburger-shaped head who serves as mayor of McDonaldland.
The character appeared in McDonald's advertising during the early 1970s as part of the company's expanding cast of food-themed figures. His oversized hamburger head, formal mayoral clothing, and sash made him visually distinct from Ronald McDonald and the other mascots.
Mayor McCheese represented a civic authority within McDonaldland, a fictional setting used in commercials and promotional material. The character helped turn ordinary restaurant ingredients into recognizable personalities, allowing McDonald's to build stories and recurring relationships around its brand.
Mayor McCheese is sometimes confused with Officer Big Mac, another McDonaldland character whose name refers directly to a McDonald's sandwich. Mayor McCheese's identifying feature is the cheeseburger head and mayoral role, not a police uniform or a thieving personality.