Grimace was McDonald’s purple mascot character introduced as part of the McDonaldland advertising world.
The character first appeared in the early 1970s and was originally presented as a milkshake-stealing figure with multiple arms. McDonald’s later simplified Grimace’s design and personality, turning him into the friendly, oversized purple companion familiar from the brand’s children’s advertising.
Grimace appeared alongside Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, Birdie, and Mayor McCheese. These characters helped McDonald’s create a fictional setting around its restaurants and gave the company recurring visual figures for television commercials, packaging, and promotional material.
A common mix-up is identifying Grimace by his original role or by his color alone. His name remained Grimace even after his appearance and characterization changed substantially.