Whatever Happened to Mayor McCheese?
I had lunch at McDonalds in Redmond today, and was sitting near the Playland, when it occurred to me that something is amiss in McDonaldLand. I haven’t heard anything — anything — about Mayor McCheese lately.
What’s happened to him? Was he term-limited out of office? Is he now promoting his new book calling for greater bipartisan cooperation in the McDonaldland City Council? Was he caught in a bizarre sex-scandal with Birdie? Are the rumors true about an addiction to Hot Mustard sauce during his final re-election campaign, leading to his withdrawal from the race after a public breakdown (a la Ed Muskie in Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72)?
While there is no official McDonaldland explanation for the Mayor’s disappearance, the real-world story is that McDonalds lost a lawsuit brought by Sid & Marty Kroft, claiming that the Mayor was an infringement on their character H.R. Pufnstuf. (I’ve looked at pictures… the resemblance is pretty superficial at best: they both wear a sash and boots.)
Mayor McCheese is not forgotten. His reputation, however, is taking a beating. On The Simpsons, Kent Brockman reported the death of the Hamburglar, noting that he was survived by his long-time partner, Mayor McCheese. And on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, it has been revealed that the Mayor is only the latest celebrity to join the Scientologists.
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As a side note, our local McDonalds will provide you with a McDonaldland character for your child’s birthday party, but apparently your only options are Birdie (who isn’t even an original McDonaldland character, but was added later to promote breakfast foods), the Hamburglar, and Grimace. Ronald is not available.
