We all know that purple round blob-looking McDonald’s character known as Grimace McDonalds, but you do know what Grimace is?
A lot of people have also wondered what exactly Grimace is and what is this purple thing supposed to represent? Keep reading because we’ll tell you all about Grimace below!
Key Takeaways
Who Was Grimace From McDonalds?
Grimace from Mcdonald’s is a purple taste bud meant to represent the good food that McDonald’s serves customers every day. Originally, Grimace did have 4 arms and was considered an evil character that would steal milkshakes and soda. However, he was then changed to a more loveable character with only 2 arms and the catchphrase “duh.” The character Grimace was retired in 2003.
Have more questions about Grimace, such as what is the gender? Keep reading more interesting facts below!
Is Grimace a Taste Bud or Milkshake?
Brain Bates said that Grimace was a taste bud, which is why he represents the good food at McDonald’s.
During that same interview with Bates, McDonald’s commented saying that what’s great about Grimace is that he means something different to everyone, and there’s no real answer.
However, McDonald’s tweeted from the official McDonald’s Twitter in 2012, saying Grimace was a milkshake, so the truth depends upon who you ask and when you ask.
Some people think he’s a milkshake, while others think a taste bud or an animal, but according to Bates, Grimace is supposed to be a taste bud.
What is the Gender of Grimace?
Grimace has always been a male, which has been confirmed by McDonald’s spokesperson referring to Grimace as a “he” and not a “she.”
When Did McDonald’s Stop Using Grimace?
McDonald’s stopped using Grimace back in 2003, which was several years after the advertising campaign McDonaldland was shut down.
Furthermore, the history of Grimace is that he was one of many characters that McDonald’s put together for McDonaldland, which started back in 1970.
This was around the time of The Flintstones, so it made sense for McDonald’s to use a fantasy fictional land as an advertising campaign featuring Ronald McDonald and friends.
What is the Catchphrase of Grimace from McDonald’s?
Grimace is known as being a little slower, and he had a catchphrase during every commercial he was a part of, which was starting every sentence with “Duh.”
Who Portrayed Grimace McDonalds?
Even though Grimace is supposed to be a male, it was female actresses that were portraying this character the entire time inside of the costume!
Grimace was portrayed by Patti Saunders at first, and then Terry Castillo took over the role.
Further, the voice of Grimace was first performed by Lennie Weinrib, then Frank Welker took over, and Larry Moran also would fill in for the voice acting during the time Welker had the job.
Did Grimace Have Four Arms?
Grimace did have four arms initially because he started as an evil character that would steal milkshakes and soda.
However, after the first McDonaldland campaign, Grimace switched to a good character, and he was revised to only have two arms.
McDonald’s Grimace Toy
Remco produced the McDonald’s Grimace toy back in 1976, which was an action figure that stood 6-inches tall.
Additionally, the toy was part of a whole collection of McDonaldland toys that Remco created and the Grimace doll along with the other dolls were poseable and had dye and stencil fabric.
Remco went above and beyond for the McDonaldland toys, and they were much better quality than the other toys Remco was making at that time.
There are also plush versions of Grimace available that were made several years after the action figure dolls.
Does Grimace McDonalds Have Family?
Grimace McDonalds does have family, although we don’t know the names of all of his family members.
Furthermore, we don’t know the name of his mom or dad, but we know his grandma was named Winky.
We also know that he has a great, great grandma that was named Jenny Grimace, and King Gonga was his brother.
Additionally, there are two aunts named Tillie and Millie, but Uncle O’Grimacey is the most well-known family member and most talked about.
Uncle O’Grimacey was seen every year during St. Patrick’s Day, which is in March, and would help bring the Shamrock Shakes out to everyone.
Why Did McDonald’s Stop McDonaldland?
McDonaldland was very popular but it was pulled back in 1973 after a lawsuit was brought by Sid and Marty Krofft.
Furthermore, the lawsuit claimed McDonaldland was a plagiarization of “H.R. Pufnstuf” which was produced by Sid and Marty.
A judge agreed and ordered McDonald’s to pay $50,000, but then both parties went to the United States Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit and in 1977, a new decision was handed down.
Additionally, Sid and Marty won the appeal, and then McDonald’s was ordered to pay $1,000,000 for damages.
It was also ordered that McDonald’s stop airing the commercials with the characters and stop producing the characters, which is really when Grimace and the gang disappeared.
To know more about McDonald’s, you can also read our posts on McDonald’s slogan, if you can buy McDonald’s toys, and how to get free stuff at McDonald’s.
Conclusion
Grimace Mcdonald’s represents the good-tasting food that McDonald’s serves up to customers, but there is still a lot of debate on whether he is a taste bud or a milkshake.
Representatives from McDonald’s have left it as more of a mystery and have previously said he was a taste bud but also have said he was a milkshake.
Further, McDonald’s likes the fact that there’s some question as to what Grimace is and enjoys that he means something different to each person.
Grimace was part of the McDonaldland fantasy world of characters in an advertising campaign that began in 1971, but a successful lawsuit had McDonaldland canceled in 1973.
Grimace famously has an uncle named Uncle O’Grimacey and he was very popular, appearing every year around St. Patrick’s Day to hand out the delicious Shamrock Shakes to everyone!
However, Grimace remained popular until he retired back in 2003, and now he appears every once in a while for special events.