Which McDonald's menu item inspired the character Mayor McCheese's oversized head?

A cheeseburger inspired Mayor McCheese's oversized head in McDonald's advertising.

Mayor McCheese was a McDonaldland character whose head was shaped like a large cheeseburger, complete with recognizable bun, cheese, and other sandwich details. The design turned a familiar menu item into an immediately readable character feature.

The character appeared as the mayor of McDonaldland and was part of the wider cast used in McDonald's child-oriented advertising. His formal civic role added to the fantasy setting, while the hamburger-shaped head kept the connection to the restaurant's core product clear.

The answer is sometimes confused with the Big Mac because the Big Mac is one of McDonald's best-known burgers. However, Mayor McCheese's defining visual idea was a generic cheeseburger head, not a character modeled specifically on the Big Mac. That distinction is important when identifying McDonaldland designs.