Author Topic: Mayor McCheese  (Read 27785 times)

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Offline Crust

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Mayor McCheese
« on: December 04, 2011, 02:27:51 PM »
So I went to a pop-culture show yesterday ( a show with various collectibles for sale by different dealers such as trading cards, comics action figures etc.) and not only did I score some original wackys, old mad magazines, old comics, but i also got for cheap an old Mayor McCheese doll. Do any of you remember this guy? I remember hamburgrler and Grimice but not really him. In fact I only heard of him from Family Guy. So what was his role in the McDonalds world?... and now the question arises...What the hell am I going to do with a major McCheese doll??

Offline sco(o)t

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2011, 04:59:41 PM »
So I went to a pop-culture show yesterday ( a show with various collectibles for sale by different dealers such as trading cards, comics action figures etc.) and not only did I score some original wackys, old mad magazines, old comics, but i also got for cheap an old Mayor McCheese doll. Do any of you remember this guy? I remember hamburgrler and Grimice but not really him. In fact I only heard of him from Family Guy. So what was his role in the McDonalds world?... and now the question arises...What the hell am I going to do with a major McCheese doll??

Well, not sure what else to say. He was mayor and usually only had a prominent roll in a commercial if they had a cheeseburger related special going on. A supporting character at best.
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Offline Jean Nutty

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2011, 05:02:57 PM »
a prominent roll

With sesame seeds? 

Offline sco(o)t

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2011, 05:30:30 PM »
With sesame seeds? 

Okay, okay.... Supporting bun.
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Offline freetoes

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2011, 04:35:20 PM »
I think he was phased out because of his similarity to H.R. Pufnstuf (the title, the emblematic sash, etc.).

He was also referenced in at least one episode of "Married With Children."  (An irate Al on the phone to City Hall:  "Listen, lady, I voted for Mayor...McCheese, or whatever his name is!")

Offline JasonLiebig

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2011, 08:18:48 PM »
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Offline sco(o)t

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2011, 04:43:16 AM »
Ah, the Mayor:


McDonaldland Specification Manual - 1970's - Pages 5-8 - Mayor McCheese by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

He was one of the major cast members of the classic McDonaldland.

McDonald's - McDonaldland three-dimensional vacuformed wall-art -1970's by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

Referring to the Special Note on the Specification... it wreaks of a political coverup.
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Offline lucidjc

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2011, 05:15:10 AM »
Referring to the Special Note on the Specification... it wreaks of a political coverup.

What exactly was Mayor McCheese's political affiliation?

Offline NEZHEAD42

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #8 on: December 08, 2011, 07:48:16 AM »
Nothing can kill the Grimace!
"What's the point of being grown up, if you can't act childish?" - Doctor Who

Offline Fanatical_and_Sickly

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #9 on: December 08, 2011, 04:10:52 PM »
Nothing can kill the Grimace!
exactly! even after someone amputated two of his arms, he's still going strong!

Offline NEZHEAD42

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #10 on: December 08, 2011, 05:53:27 PM »

He was one of the major cast members of the classic McDonaldland.

McDonald's - McDonaldland three-dimensional vacuformed wall-art -1970's by JasonLiebig, on Flickr
So Jason, do you own this McDonalds art? If so, that is one awesome piece brother! I have the vaguest memory of these from when I was tiny.
Does anyone else know about the HR Puffnstuf connection to McDonalds and the lawsuit Krofft vs. McDonalds?
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jboOxvOmgAc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jboOxvOmgAc</a>
"What's the point of being grown up, if you can't act childish?" - Doctor Who

Offline Crust

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #11 on: December 08, 2011, 06:45:33 PM »
So Jason, do you own this McDonalds art? If so, that is one awesome piece brother! I have the vaguest memory of these from when I was tiny.
Does anyone else know about the HR Puffnstuf connection to McDonalds and the lawsuit Krofft vs. McDonalds?
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jboOxvOmgAc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jboOxvOmgAc</a>

I dont remember those commercials, thats why i asked about Mayor McCheese. I heard about that lawsuit. McDonalds supposedly based their characters off of Puff n Stuff characters so there was a lawsuit. Wow Grimice had 4 arms!! :o

Offline sco(o)t

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #12 on: December 08, 2011, 07:17:53 PM »
.... Wow Grimice had 4 arms!! :o

That's what happens when you you eat too much McDonalds... Mutations are inevitable.
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Offline JasonLiebig

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #13 on: December 08, 2011, 08:59:05 PM »
So Jason, do you own this McDonalds art? If so, that is one awesome piece brother! I have the vaguest memory of these from when I was tiny.
Does anyone else know about the HR Puffnstuf connection to McDonalds and the lawsuit Krofft vs. McDonalds?

The Kroft/McDonaldland lawsuit is well-documented, and was a landmark case at the time, with what I believe they referred to as "look and feel".  Kroft won, if I recall, and McDonald's settled.  They also didn't change a thing about McDonaldland because of that, so they must have forked over some big money.

 I do own the vacuuform McDonaldland piece.  It hangs on my wall here near my desk, and it's probably the single most striking McDonaldland piece I'd ever come across.  It's about three feet wide and comes from the early days of McDonaldland, back when Grimace had four arms.   Its based on the same original painting that was used for the 1972 McDonaldland cookie box, which was probably a regional test-market:


McDonald's - McDonaldland Cookies box - 1972 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

Jason Liebig - A swell TV host (currently on History Channel) who used to oversee Marvel Comics' X-Men - now creator and curator of WishbookWeb.com and CollectingCandy.com, a celebration of candy packaging, marketing and the people behind it all

Offline sco(o)t

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #14 on: December 09, 2011, 06:36:30 AM »
The Kroft/McDonaldland lawsuit is well-documented, and was a landmark case at the time, with what I believe they referred to as "look and feel".  Kroft won, if I recall, and McDonald's settled.  They also didn't change a thing about McDonaldland because of that, so they must have forked over some big money.

 I do own the vacuuform McDonaldland piece.  It hangs on my wall here near my desk, and it's probably the single most striking McDonaldland piece I'd ever come across.  It's about three feet wide and comes from the early days of McDonaldland, back when Grimace had four arms.   Its based on the same original painting that was used for the 1972 McDonaldland cookie box, which was probably a regional test-market:

I
McDonald's - McDonaldland Cookies box - 1972 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr



So, the character I don't remember seeing on commercials is the pirate looking dude next to Ronald. I am guessing he was the fish sandwich pitch man.
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Offline JasonLiebig

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #15 on: December 09, 2011, 08:49:32 AM »
So, the character I don't remember seeing on commercials is the pirate looking dude next to Ronald. I am guessing he was the fish sandwich pitch man.

That's Captain Crook.... You're not a child of the 70's, I take it?  These guys were all over the place back then.


McDonaldland Specification Manual - 1970's - Pages 17-20 - Captain Crook by JasonLiebig, on Flickr
Jason Liebig - A swell TV host (currently on History Channel) who used to oversee Marvel Comics' X-Men - now creator and curator of WishbookWeb.com and CollectingCandy.com, a celebration of candy packaging, marketing and the people behind it all

Offline sco(o)t

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #16 on: December 09, 2011, 09:15:11 AM »
That's Captain Crook.... You're not a child of the 70's, I take it?  These guys were all over the place back then.


McDonaldland Specification Manual - 1970's - Pages 17-20 - Captain Crook by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

Well, graduated high school in '78.... Just didn't recall seeing this guy. I remember " You deserve a break today" and "two all beef patties...." just not the pirate. Perhaps he was too intimidating and I subconsciously blocked him out.
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Offline JasonLiebig

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #17 on: December 09, 2011, 10:12:27 AM »
Well, graduated high school in '78.... Just didn't recall seeing this guy. I remember " You deserve a break today" and "two all beef patties...." just not the pirate. Perhaps he was too intimidating and I subconsciously blocked him out.

Hrmm..well, I am nine years your junior, so maybe that's it.  The target age for these characters was maybe a bit younger, and explains why you missed them.  To my prepubescent brain, these characters were engrained.
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Offline Crust

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #18 on: December 23, 2011, 12:40:27 PM »
So why did Grimice have four arms, and stole milkshakes, and then comeback as a good guy with only two arms and have nothing to do with milkshakes?

Offline JasonLiebig

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #19 on: December 23, 2011, 01:35:59 PM »
So why did Grimice have four arms, and stole milkshakes, and then comeback as a good guy with only two arms and have nothing to do with milkshakes?

I can't say for certain, but it seems likely that it was a matter of the marketing evolution of the characters.  Grimace started put as a villain, but they probably just decided they wanted all of the characters to be friendly.

Though, I do think, even after the amputation, Grimace remained a fan of shakes.  His Uncle O'Grimacey was, after all, the mascot for Shamrock Shakes.


Happy St. Patrick's Day by Waffle Whiffer, on Flickr
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Offline RawGoo

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #20 on: December 24, 2011, 04:38:23 AM »
I can't say for certain, but it seems likely that it was a matter of the marketing evolution of the characters.  Grimace started put as a villain, but they probably just decided they wanted all of the characters to be friendly.

Though, I do think, even after the amputation, Grimace remained a fan of shakes.  His Uncle O'Grimacey was, after all, the mascot for Shamrock Shakes.


Happy St. Patrick's Day by Waffle Whiffer, on Flickr

Maybe they thought they already had enough 'villiains' what with Captain Crook and the Hamburglar?

I had forgotten about Shamrock shakes and Uncle O'Grimacey - were those just green colored vanilla shakes?  I remember liking them, but it could have just been the cool color.
« Last Edit: December 24, 2011, 04:43:05 AM by RawGoo »

Offline Crust

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #21 on: December 24, 2011, 09:16:30 AM »
I don't remember uncle O'Grimacy, but i do remember the shamrock shakes. They are still around but only for about 2 months of the year.

Offline JasonLiebig

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #22 on: December 24, 2011, 10:48:55 AM »
Shamrock shakes are actually a mint-flavored shake.  Still a available in many locations during the St Patrick's Day holiday, but not at all of them anymore:


McDonald's - Shamrock Shake - cardboard in-store signage - 1979 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr
Jason Liebig - A swell TV host (currently on History Channel) who used to oversee Marvel Comics' X-Men - now creator and curator of WishbookWeb.com and CollectingCandy.com, a celebration of candy packaging, marketing and the people behind it all

Offline RawGoo

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #23 on: December 25, 2011, 04:26:02 AM »
Shamrock shakes are actually a mint-flavored shake.  Still a available in many locations during the St Patrick's Day holiday, but not at all of them anymore:


McDonald's - Shamrock Shake - cardboard in-store signage - 1979 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

Thanks Jason!  I'll have to look around for those in March.  I don't go to McDonalds often anymore, but I'd make a special trip for the shake.  I did that (several times) a few weeks ago for McRib sandwiches.

Offline RawGoo

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #24 on: December 20, 2012, 09:03:31 PM »
I just found out that the McRib sandwich is back for Christmas!  Hooray!!!

Offline JasonLiebig

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #25 on: December 20, 2012, 10:28:54 PM »
I just found out that the McRib sandwich is back for Christmas!  Hooray!!!

Nice...McRib has been around a LONG time...


McDonald's - McRib - table tent sign - 1981 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr
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Offline Alexeirex

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #26 on: December 21, 2012, 12:01:59 AM »
The apple pie tree - I haven't seen that character in ages!
Ok since you are an expert was there ever a cherry pie bush? Or a fish sandwich character?
Alex

Offline Fanatical_and_Sickly

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #27 on: December 21, 2012, 06:03:45 AM »
Ok since you are an expert was there ever a cherry pie bush?
I seem to recall that in the 70's the character had an unkempt, somewhat wild, look. Then during the 80's or 90's they started to make some changes to the look, trimmed down the outfit, tried some different designs, etc. By 2000 or so, the character mostly disappeared.

Offline JasonLiebig

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #28 on: December 21, 2012, 07:55:26 AM »
The apple pie tree - I haven't seen that character in ages!
Ok since you are an expert was there ever a cherry pie bush? Or a fish sandwich character?
Alex

I don't think there was ever a Cherry Pie character -- though I'd suspect that they could have easily just made the tree a general pie tree.  

The fish sandwich character is represented by Capt Crook, but a few years ago I did discover a short-lived mascot for the Fillet of Fish sandwich.  His name was Phil A. O'Fish, from 1976.   Here he is on the piece I discovered him on:


McDonald's - Phil A O'Fish - Filet-O-Fish sign - 1976 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

Oh, and on this piece, you can see a late run version of the Captain.   He'd changed much from the 70's incarnation:


McDonald's - The Smile Makers 88 - Employee Fashion Catalog Page 024 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr
« Last Edit: December 21, 2012, 07:57:49 AM by JasonLiebig »
Jason Liebig - A swell TV host (currently on History Channel) who used to oversee Marvel Comics' X-Men - now creator and curator of WishbookWeb.com and CollectingCandy.com, a celebration of candy packaging, marketing and the people behind it all

Offline RawGoo

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #29 on: December 21, 2012, 08:33:41 AM »
I don't think there was ever a Cherry Pie character -- though I'd suspect that they could have easily just made the tree a general pie tree.  

The fish sandwich character is represented by Capt Crook, but a few years ago I did discover a short-lived mascot for the Fillet of Fish sandwich.  His name was Phil A. O'Fish, from 1976.   Here he is on the piece I discovered him on:


McDonald's - Phil A O'Fish - Filet-O-Fish sign - 1976 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

Oh, and on this piece, you can see a late run version of the Captain.   He'd changed much from the 70's incarnation:


McDonald's - The Smile Makers 88 - Employee Fashion Catalog Page 024 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

Cool!  I knew you'd come up with something.

I haven't been in a McDonald's since the Shamrock Shakes ended back at the end of March, but I'll be there this weekend.  What the heck, I was due for some fast food fries :)

Offline Alexeirex

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #30 on: December 21, 2012, 01:30:43 PM »
I don't think there was ever a Cherry Pie character -- though I'd suspect that they could have easily just made the tree a general pie tree.  

The fish sandwich character is represented by Capt Crook, but a few years ago I did discover a short-lived mascot for the Fillet of Fish sandwich.  His name was Phil A. O'Fish, from 1976.   Here he is on the piece I discovered him on:


McDonald's - Phil A O'Fish - Filet-O-Fish sign - 1976 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

Oh, and on this piece, you can see a late run version of the Captain.   He'd changed much from the 70's incarnation:


McDonald's - The Smile Makers 88 - Employee Fashion Catalog Page 024 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr


I just have to bow to the McDonald's emphemera maven!  :bravo_2:
The hamburgular now looks like a teenager and I wondered at the time if he was related to Ronald because of the red hair!
What role did the professor play? Did he create new products?

Offline dth1971

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #31 on: December 21, 2012, 01:53:06 PM »
The Kroft/McDonaldland lawsuit is well-documented, and was a landmark case at the time, with what I believe they referred to as "look and feel".  Kroft won, if I recall, and McDonald's settled.  They also didn't change a thing about McDonaldland because of that, so they must have forked over some big money.

 I do own the vacuuform McDonaldland piece.  It hangs on my wall here near my desk, and it's probably the single most striking McDonaldland piece I'd ever come across.  It's about three feet wide and comes from the early days of McDonaldland, back when Grimace had four arms.   Its based on the same original painting that was used for the 1972 McDonaldland cookie box, which was probably a regional test-market:


McDonald's - McDonaldland Cookies box - 1972 by JasonLiebig, on Flickr



From the time when the (Evil) Grimace had 4 arms!

Offline NEZHEAD42

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #32 on: May 12, 2014, 05:52:57 AM »
My wife ran across this photo on facebook. What stikes me most is the simplicity of the menu. I remember that orangeade being the bomb, although in retrospect it probably caused cancer.



"What's the point of being grown up, if you can't act childish?" - Doctor Who

Offline JasonLiebig

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #33 on: May 12, 2014, 07:19:46 AM »
My wife ran across this photo on facebook. What stikes me most is the simplicity of the menu. I remember that orangeade being the bomb, although in retrospect it probably caused cancer.





That's pretty awesome.  It reminds me that I picked up a few sets of flashcards last year showing typical consumer interactions (I think).  One of them was ordering food at McDonalds.  These are mid-to-late 1970's, so a few years after the price sign in the image your wife found.  There are six flashcards in the McDonalds set, but I'll show you three here as I think they contain all the unique visual elements.  

Note the old-school register and hand order pad.  Also, two McDonald's Cookie dispensers and the pie wheel in the background.  There's lots to see in these:


DLM Flash Cards - McDonalds - 1 of 6 - (c) 1978
by JasonLiebig, on Flickr


DLM Flash Cards - McDonalds - 2 of 6 - (c) 1978
by JasonLiebig, on Flickr


DLM Flash Cards - McDonalds - 4 of 6 - (c) 1978
by JasonLiebig, on Flickr

There are two Hash Browns translites seen on the menu board and one stand-up sign on a register - I have the stand-up sign and another that replicates the alternate translite design - both dated 1977, which provides a pretty clear date for the scene:


McDonald&#x27;s - Plastic Signage - Hash Browns A Great Taste in a funny shape - 1977
by JasonLiebig, on Flickr


McDonald&#x27;s - Plastic Signage - Hash Browns &quot;A great taste in a funny shape.&quot; - 1977
by JasonLiebig, on Flickr


And for anyone curious, here's two of the six flashcards I posted for Baskin Robbins:


DLM Flash Cards #469 - Baskin Robbins Ice Cream 1 of 6 - (c) 1978
by JasonLiebig, on Flickr


DLM Flash Cards #469 - Baskin Robbins Ice Cream 5 of 6 - (c) 1978
by JasonLiebig, on Flickr
« Last Edit: May 12, 2014, 07:56:14 AM by JasonLiebig »
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Offline Duznt

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Re: Mayor McCheese
« Reply #34 on: May 12, 2014, 11:28:51 AM »
My wife ran across this photo on facebook. What stikes me most is the simplicity of the menu. I remember that orangeade being the bomb, although in retrospect it probably caused cancer.




Tripple Ripple ice cream!!!  :great: