Grimace became McDonald’s purple, smiling mascot after appearing in McDonaldland advertising.
The character first appeared in the early 1970s and was originally portrayed differently from the friendly figure most people recognize today. Early advertising presented Grimace with multiple arms and a role connected to stealing or consuming shakes. McDonald’s later redesigned him as a large, simple, purple character with a gentler personality.
That redesign made Grimace easier for children to identify and helped him function as a companion to Ronald McDonald and other McDonaldland figures. His exact species was never firmly defined in the company’s classic advertising, which is why descriptions usually call him a character rather than an animal.
Grimace is sometimes mistaken for the Hamburglar because both belong to McDonaldland. Their roles were different: the Hamburglar was a mischievous burger thief, while Grimace became a friendly, recognizable mascot.