Meet Grimace, the weird purple blob taking over your FYP
The McDonalds mascot is a hit with the kids.
THIS WEEK, my life (aka my social media feed) has become overrun by a giant purple blob. As it turns out, the blob has a name: Grimace.
The fuzzy Mcdonalds mascot has been a part of the fast food chain’s family of characters â alongside Ronald McDonald, The Humburglar, Mayor McCheese and more â for decades, having been introduced into branding in 1971. Originally, he (it?) was known as “Evil Grimace,” a four-armed monster with a reputation for pinching milkshakes. Reportedly, too terrifying for children though, so Maccas execs did a Miley Cyrus and gave him a total rebrand, turning him into the purple blob we know (and love) today.
Grimace is, in fact, a Gemini, which both explains the personality switch and why he’s suddenly gone viral.
On June 12, McDonalds released a new combo, aptly named Grimace’s Birthday Meal, supposedly celebrating the purple blob’s birthday. Available for a limited time, the deal includes a Big Mac, medium Fries and a medium Grimaceâs Birthday Shake â a cream-topped frappĂ© that comes in an almost concerningly bright shade of purple.
The shake has found itself at the centre of TikTok’s latest oddball trend. Dubbed the Grimace Shake Challenge, it sees users pose with the milkshake before pretending to faint or die, lying on the ground surrounded by a mass of purple milk. Yum.
To accompany his namesake meal deal, McDonalds also threw Grimace a B-Day party, too. The chain shared a series of grainy film snaps (give whichever Gen Z pitched that idea a raise, please) on Instagram back on June 13, showing Grimace and co. celebrating with a Birthday Meal.
As a side note, according to the McDonalds Wiki (yes, that really is a thing), Grimace is Ronald McDonald’s best friend. Although, we couldn’t help noticing that did not appear to have attended the birthday bash. Beef, perhaps?
