McDonald’s originally introduced Grimace as The Evil Grimace in 1971.
The first version was a villainous, four-armed character who was depicted stealing milkshakes. McDonald’s later changed the character into the friendly, purple, two-armed figure commonly called Grimace. That redesign made the character less threatening and better suited to the family-oriented tone of McDonaldland advertising.
Many people know only the later name and personality, which makes the original branding history easy to miss. Grimace’s early role also explains why some descriptions connect him with milkshake theft. The character’s design and backstory changed substantially, unlike a simple name update. Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, and the Hamburglar were separate McDonaldland characters with their own roles.