Who created the McDonald's character Mayor McCheese for the company's advertising?

Needham Harper Steers created Mayor McCheese for McDonald's advertising.

Mayor McCheese was one of the characters in McDonaldland, the fictional setting used in McDonald's campaigns during the 1970s. He had a cheeseburger-shaped head, formal mayoral clothing, and a role that parodied the familiar image of a small-town civic official.

The character was developed by the advertising agency Needham Harper Steers, which helped McDonald's build a cast of memorable branded figures. McDonaldland characters gave the company a way to present menu items and restaurant visits through fantasy storytelling aimed primarily at children and families.

Mayor McCheese is sometimes confused with Ronald McDonald because both were central figures in the same advertising world. Ronald was the brand's main human-like mascot, while Mayor McCheese was a separate fictional character. The character also became part of a copyright dispute involving the creators of the television program H.R. Pufnstuf, making his production history especially notable in McDonald's branding.