Grimace is the McDonald’s character introduced in 1971 who is known for his purple color and oversized appearance.
Grimace first appeared as part of the McDonaldland family of characters. Early versions were portrayed as having multiple arms and a more mischievous personality, but the character was soon simplified into the large, friendly purple figure familiar from later advertising.
His design was intentionally unusual and easy to recognize beside Ronald McDonald and the other McDonaldland characters. Grimace became associated with an innocent, childlike personality and a love of McDonald’s shakes, although his exact nature was often left deliberately vague.
People sometimes confuse Grimace’s debut with later characters such as Birdie the Early Bird, who was introduced in 1980. Grimace belongs to the first wave of McDonaldland figures and has remained one of McDonald’s most recognizable character designs.