Grimace is no mere fast food mascot. Grimace is an icon.
As explained by The Street’s resident fast food expert Dan Kline, McDonald’s (MCD) has largely shied away from using the McDonaldland characters it introduces in the ‘70s and ‘80s, largely because, to put a fine point on it, people find clowns creepy (blame “It” and John Wayne Gacy) so Ronald McDonald and company have largely been pushed to the side.
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It also doesn’t help that McDonald's has been downplaying the Happy Meal of late due to criticism from parents' groups, and also leans heavily on branded merchandise from Disney and other corporate partners.
But even with McDonald’s de-emphasizing its mascots, Grimace never really went away.
Because of his appearance (tall, purple, both jolly and vaguely menacing), original role as a villain (he was always stealing your shake back in the day) and the character’s completely inexplicable vibe, he’s long remained a fixture of pop culture fascination.
As Kline notes: he originally hails from Grimace Island, per the VHS tape ‘The Legend of Grimace Island,’ would know. “Of course, some McDonaldland historians would argue that this particular special isn't canon, so Grimace remains a mystery.”
Grimace is a staple of off-kilter humor, from the throwaway line “nothing can kill the Grimace” in “Clerks: The Animated Series” to last year’s acclaimed song by the heavy metal band Chat Pile, in which the Purple One appears in a man’s mental breakdown. (It’s a metaphor for late stage capitalism, of course.)
Kool Toys
More Grimace Goodies Are The Way
Grimace was created in 1971, to an extent that a power such as Grimace can be measured by mere human time. While 52 isn’t normally a big birthday, any excuse to celebrate Grimace is worth taking.
The new Grimace Shake arrives June 13, which will be available on its own or as part of a new Grimace Birthday Meal, which includes a medium Grimace Shake and medium Fries, served with your choice of a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets or Big Mac. The Grimace Shake is described by McDonald’s as a purple berry-flavored shake with a whipped topping.
But there’s no such thing as making too big of a deal about Grimace, so now McDonald’s has announced it’s going even more retro by commissioning design studio Krool Toys and Gumpy Function to make a brand new Game Boy Color game called “Grimace’s Birthday.”
In the game, our dude will skateboard (of course) through McDonaldland while collecting purple milkshakes and searching for his fellow mascots so he can hold a birthday blowout (as is only right.)
The game can be played on a browser, a computer, or on a mobile device through a very GeoCities style website. So, go party and have a good time, it’s what Grimace wants for you.
