Nope, Grimace isn’t a nugget, an alien, or a leftover milkshake...
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Fans were left completely shocked after McDonald's finally cleared up a decades-long mystery by revealing the true identity of its iconic purple mascot.
McDonald’s was originally founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California. It started out as a small drive-in restaurant known as a 'carhop.'
Over the following years, with help from businessman Ray Kroc, their humble burger stand turned into a growing franchise. With the introduction of the now-famous Golden Arches, the brand expanded across the U.S. and eventually the entire world. More than 80 years later, those arches are everywhere.
By the 1960s, McDonald’s began rolling out kid-friendly mascots, starting with Ronald McDonald, the 'Hamburger-Happy Clown,' who debuted in television commercials. At one point, Ronald became so popular that McDonald’s actually had around 300 full-time actors dressing up as the character at different locations.
Ronald didn’t stay solo for long. He was joined by a bunch of quirky friends over the years—like the Hamburglar, Birdie the Early Bird, the Fry Kids, the McNugget Buddies, the Happy Meal Gang, and one puzzling purple blob named Grimace.
Grimace was first introduced in 1971 under the name 'Evil Grimace' and was part of the McDonaldland crew. At the time, he had four arms and used them to steal milkshakes from others.
Grimace with his buddies, Hambuglar and Ronald McDonald at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2023 (James Devaney/Getty Images)
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Even though Grimace slowly became more of a lovable sidekick to Ronald McDonald over time, one big question has always lingered—what exactly is he?
McDonald’s has finally solved that long-standing mystery. It turns out Grimace is actually meant to be a giant, walking, talking taste bud. Yes, really.
Interestingly, even the company itself didn’t seem totally sure for a while. Back in 2012, McDonald’s tweeted that Grimace might be “the embodiment of a milkshake,” although others within the company leaned more toward the “taste bud” explanation. Some just called him a “blob of a sweetheart.”
McDonald's admitted the OG Grimace was a bit terrifying for kids
Twitter/McDonalds
The truth finally slipped out when a McDonald’s manager in Windsor, Canada, casually mentioned it during an interview with CBC News. The reveal came while he was being honored as Outstanding Manager of the Year.
Brian Bates said at the time: "He is an enormous taste bud, but a taste bud nonetheless," He explained that Grimace’s character is basically meant to represent how tasty McDonald’s food is supposed to be.
Grimace didn’t always have his current friendly face, though. Originally, his creepy appearance made him scary to kids. That’s when McDonald's decided it was time for a makeover and gave him a much more huggable vibe.
"The original Grimace was scaly, mean‑looking, had four arms, and had no charm whatsoever," McDonald's former vice-president of advertising Roy T. Bergold Jr. wrote in QSR magazine.
"He scared kids. 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."
Even after all this time, the reveal has stunned longtime fans who had been curious about Grimace’s backstory for years.
Grimace celebrating his birthday in June
Jeff Schear/Getty Images for McDonald's
In 2023, when Grimace “took over” McDonald’s social media to promote his birthday bash, which included limited edition purple shakes and themed merch, fans had a lot to say. One asked: "Why is Grimace a taste bud and not a purple chicken nugget?"
Another fan, clearly surprised, responded: "BTW why didn't you tell me in the 80s Grimace is a TASTEBUD?!"
The conversation kept going. When someone asked whether Grimace might still have a bit of an evil side, "And you're suuuure he's not still evil?" McDonald’s responded by reassuring everyone: "He is a super chill guy now."