Fast food chain McDonald’s has said goodbye to Grimace, the viral character who took over the internet in their recent campaign. While the purple, lovable giant has been a staple of McDonald’s branding for decades, it seems the campaign has finally ended. Let’s take a look at all the reasons behind Grimace bidding goodbye in McDonald’s recent post and how the purple character turned into a viral trend.
McDonald’s says goodbye to Grimace
The iconic fast food chain confirmed that Grimace would be leaving all their social media accounts, implying that the event had concluded. The purple character had taken over McDonald’s social media presence since June 12th to celebrate his birthday. No, the character isn’t leaving McDonald’s for good; don’t worry!
What was meant to be a month-long celebration turned into a viral trend as Grimace became the center of attention on platforms like TikTok. As a part of the campaign, McDonald’s launched a Grimace milkshake.
According to Tariq Hassan, a McDonald’s USA executive, the Grimace campaign was a nostalgic ode to the fun moments that people associate with their childhood visits to McDonald’s.
i finallyy got my own grimace meal and purple shake 🙂 pic.twitter.com/D81F2rIUAg
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) June 6, 2023
McDonald’s engaged with a new generation of customers by putting a modern spin on these memories. Grimace became the perfect symbol to bridge the gap between nostalgia and contemporary culture.
The viral Grimace trend explained
The Grimace campaign took an unexpected turn when fans on TikTok transformed the limited-edition purple milkshake into a viral horror meme. As a part of the trend, people would drink the purple shake and pretend to be poisoned.
@haleyybaylee Idk why you wanted me to try this… but here we go. Trying the Grimace Shake from McDonalds… HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRIMACE 💕🫶🏻🎈🎂 @Max Goodrich grimaceshake happybirthdaygrimace grimace
The trend exploded as #grimaceshake amassed a staggering 142 million views and counting. Unfortunately, the trend left some McDonald’s workers exhausted as people kept ordering exorbitant numbers of Grimace shakes to keep up with the trend.
@thattiredchonker Mcdonalds tired of this 😭 #fyp #grimace #grimaceshake #funny #silence #mcdonalds
McDonald’s has used this marketing momentum by promoting Grimace even more on their social media handles. They posted a lighthearted tweet from Grimace himself, acknowledging the viral trend.
The Origins of McDonald’s Grimace
Grimace has been one of McDonald’s most recognizable characters. However, people were never really sure what the purple giant represented. In 2021, Brian Bates, a manager of a McDonald’s in Canada, revealed that Grimace was actually an enormous taste bud.
Grimace has undergone several transformations over the years. In 1972, he was Evil Grimace, a scaly, mean-looking character with four arms that prevented everyone from enjoying milkshakes or Coca-Cola.
Later, Grimace evolved into a soft, plush, two-armed character who only craved McDonald’s milkshakes and cherished time spent with Ronald McDonald.
Social media reactions to Grimace’s goodbye
People across social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter to the beloved purple character. McDonald’s official confirmation of the Grimace campaign’s end sent the internet into a frenzy and sparked a meme fest.
https://twitter.com/lunekity/status/1675987412080553984?s=20
Goodbye Grimace 💔 pic.twitter.com/b6C9W0qUA9
— GrassoGuy (@GrassoFilms) July 6, 2023
*McDonalds takes the Grimace shake off the menu*
underpaid teenager, approaching the Grimace milking room: Goodbye Grimace pic.twitter.com/KEr5pQUak7
— sapo4show (@sapo4show) July 6, 2023
McDonald’s celebrated Grimace’s birthday with a Grimace’s Birthday Meal which included a limited-edition purple milkshake, the choice of a Big Mac, or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets and fries.
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