McDonald’s Grimace is taking the internet by storm

• If you’ve seen a strange purple blob named Grimace on social media this week, don’t be alarmed.
• McDonald’s celebrates Grimace’s birthday with new meal and social media campaign.
• The marketing campaign made the purple creature a queer meme and icon. How it should be!

It’s Grimace’s world now, we’re all just living in it.

If you’re chronically online or even just scrolling through TikTok or Twitter for a couple hours before bed, you’ve probably noticed a recent spate of memes featuring McDonald’s weird purple monster.

He (I guess Grimace has a gender) has taken the internet by storm following the release of a special birthday shake, meal, and GameBoy Color video game at McDonald’s this week.

The birthday celebration capped off a pretty crazy marketing campaign, with Grimace taking over McDonald’s social media accounts to share selfies and tweet like a Gen Zer.

And people love Grimace. Some TikTokers wore crazy cosplay to get the meal; one got a tattoo honoring the furry purple creature of undetermined origin.

Grimace has even been named a queer icon by avid fans who shared the fanart and stated that Grimace attends Pride events with the Hamburgular and wears heels and a fluffy boa scarf.

A “fierce little maniac”, If you want.

So what is Grimace anyway?

Grimace wasn’t always the quirky ball of fur we know and love.

In 1971, he was introduced as “Evil Grimace,” a four-armed monster who stole milkshakes, according to The Washingtonian.

He joined a roster of other McDonald’s characters, such as the Hamburgular, Officer Big Mac and Mayor McCheese.

Grimace’s original design was too scary for kids, so Grimace was rebooted, The Washingtonian reported. He’s grown into a goofy, fuzzy purple blob with a long line of family who all live on Grimace Island.

He even has an Irish relative – Uncle O’Grimacey.

But even with all this lore, it’s unclear what exactly Grimace is. Is it an alien cluster of fluff? Is it a humanoid creature or a previously unknown species?

Some, like a McDonald’s manager from Canada, say it’s a taste bud, Insider previously reported.

In 2012, McDonald’s tweeted that Grimace was “a milkshake incarnate, though others still insist it’s a taste bud.”

But maybe it’s both or neither of the above.

A McDonald’s spokesperson had previously said that Insider Grimace’s identity was much smoother than a taste bud or a milkshake, saying: ‘The best part about Grimace is that it means different things to different people. Whatever it is, we are simply proud that our bestie makes people happy.”

The purple blob makes a comeback

Grimace’s Birthday Meal was released on June 12, presumably Grimace’s birthday. Yes, he is a Gemini.

The meal went viral for its inclusion of a purple-hued milkshake, leading to a slew of questions: What is it about the smoothie that makes it purple? Probably food coloring, but you can’t help but wonder if it’s really made by Grimace himself.

The internet has completely lost control over the promotional meal. An artist made a parody commercial featuring a (disgusting) McGrimace sandwich made with real Grimace meat.

Grimace fanart has invaded the internet.

Some have said that Grimace smoothie has some kind of mystical power.

Others have noted that McDonald’s most famous figure, Ronald McDonald himself, did not attend Grimace’s birthday celebrations. Do they have beef?

To celebrate Grimace’s birthday, McDonald’s gave the viola keys to their social media accounts, allowing him to tweet and post as he pleases.

It led to some hilarious Grimace selfies.

Grimace’s birthday celebrations also came with a Game Boy Color video game.

The vintage game follows Grimace as he skateboards through McDonaldland in search of his friends and collects purple milkshakes before his big birthday party.

It can also be played deskalso because Grimace’s birthday party is open to everyone.

McDonald’s has also released a variety of Grimace-inspired merchandise, including T-shirts, socks and a bucket hat, according to a press release.