Grimace is the McDonald’s mascot introduced in 1971 as a purple character associated with milkshakes.
McDonald’s originally presented Grimace as a large, somewhat mysterious character who loved shakes. The company later simplified his personality and made him a friendly companion to Ronald McDonald and the other McDonaldland characters.
Grimace is often confused with the Hamburglar or Mayor McCheese, but those characters have different designs and roles. The Hamburglar is associated with hamburgers, while Mayor McCheese is a food-themed civic character.
The character became especially recognizable through television commercials, restaurant displays, and children’s merchandise. His simple purple shape made him easy to identify across different forms of McDonald’s branding.