What Is Grimace? All About McDonald's Beloved Purple Character Who’s Actually a Taste Bud

Ronald McDonald is a clown. Mayor McCheese is a cheeseburger. Birdie the Early Bird is a bird. The Hamburglar is a thief. Mac Tonight is a Moon. And the Fry Kids are, well, fries.

But what the heck is Grimace supposed to be? Here's everything to know about the famous McDonald's character — and the internet's obsession with it. 

What is Grimace?

The lovable, spherical-shaped, purple giant has always been one of McDonald's most recognizable characters, with his bright smile and his arms always open for a hug. However, fans have never really known what he's supposed to be.

That changed back in 2021, when Brian Bates — a manager of a McDonald's in Canada — revealed the answer to the Golden Arches' biggest mystery, telling CBC News that Grimace "is an enormous taste bud, but a taste bud nonetheless."

At the time, Bates was named outstanding manager of the year, CBC News reported. In the 1,400+ restaurants across Canada, that put him in the top 10 percent of working managers.

The purpose of Grimace, Bates told the outlet, is to demonstrate the food tastes good.

At the time, McDonald's offered some clarification in a statement to PEOPLE.

"Whether he's a taste bud, a milkshake or just your favorite purple blob —the best part about Grimace is that he means different things to different people," the spokesperson said. "Whatever he is, we're just proud our bestie makes people happy."

McDonald's has also addressed the question of Grimace's identity in the past.

In 2012, McDonald's Corp posted from their official Twitter (now X) account that Grimace was "the embodiment of a milkshake, though others still insist he's a taste bud."

The account shared something similar in 2014, writing, "Grimace lore says he is the embodiment of a milkshake or a taste bud."

Where did Grimace come from?

Grimace was first introduced in 1971 as "Evil Grimace." He had the same purple shape but four arms and, in a commercial at the time, swiped all of the cups from McDonaldland to stop anyone from having milkshakes or Coca-Cola.

"The original Grimace was scaly, mean-looking, had four arms, and had no charm whatsoever," Roy T. Bergold Jr., McDonald's previous vice-president of advertising, wrote in QSR Magazine in 2012, adding that "Evil Grimace" was inadvertently scaring their young customers. "We changed him to a soft, plush, two-armed blob of a sweetheart who only wanted McDonald's milkshakes and to hang out with Ronald."

Grimace, with a new name and reduced appendages, was reintroduced in 1972 as the lovable, friendly — albeit a bit clumsy — character fans know him as today. 

There has also been a slew of other Grimace incarnations, like those seen on "Grimace Island" on a 1999 episode of the animated series The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald. Can't forget Uncle O'Grimacey, who comes by every March to introduce the Shamrock Shakes.

Why did Grimace go viral?

On June 12, 2023, McDonald's celebrated Grimace's 52nd birthday with fun new menu items. Grimace's Birthday Meal included a limited-edition purple milkshake and the choice of a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets and fries.

The birthday treat inspired the viral "Grimace shake" TikTok trend, where users created mini horror movies mocking the effects of drinking the purple milkshake.

McDonald's responded to the unexpected trend by posting a close-up of the furry mascot on Twitter (now X) with the caption: "Mee pretending i don't see the grimace shake trendd."