Grimace joined McDonaldland in 1971 as a purple, blob-like character.
The earliest version of Grimace was presented as a mischievous character with several arms who was associated with stealing milkshakes. McDonald’s later simplified the design and changed Grimace into the friendly, slow-speaking companion familiar from subsequent advertising. The revised character became one of the most recognizable members of the McDonaldland cast.
Grimace’s visual identity was deliberately simple: a large purple body, rounded shape, and expressive face made the character easy to recognize in illustrations, television commercials, restaurant displays, and merchandise. That simplicity also allowed the character to work across different promotional formats.
A frequent mix-up is identifying Grimace as a food item or assuming the character was always friendly. The original advertising concept was more mischievous, while the later version emphasized friendship and an enthusiasm for milkshakes. His introduction belongs to McDonaldland’s 1971 expansion.