McDonald’s named its purple advertising character Grimace when the character appeared in 1971.
Grimace was introduced as part of the McDonaldland group of characters, which gave McDonald’s a colorful fictional setting for television commercials, promotions, and children’s marketing. His large purple form and simple, friendly personality made him visually distinctive.
Early portrayals of Grimace differed from the familiar later version. The original character was associated with multiple milkshake cups, while later advertising presented him as a gentler, more child-friendly companion to Ronald McDonald.
Grimace is sometimes confused with other McDonaldland characters, especially the Hamburglar and Mayor McCheese. Unlike them, Grimace’s signature identifying traits are his purple color, large rounded body, and name.