Grimace was originally portrayed as an oversized, mischievous McDonald’s character who stole milkshakes.
McDonald’s introduced Grimace in 1971 as part of the McDonaldland advertising universe. The earliest version was substantially different from the friendly purple character familiar from later commercials. He was depicted with multiple arms and a more troublesome personality, helping establish him as a comic foil in the brand’s children’s advertising.
The character was later redesigned with a simpler body and a gentler personality. In that form, Grimace became one of McDonald’s best-known mascots and was commonly associated with milkshakes. The redesign illustrates how the company adjusted its characters to make them more approachable and easier to animate and reproduce.
People sometimes assume Grimace was always a friendly purple mascot. That is true of his later identity, not his original presentation. His early milkshake-stealing role is an important part of McDonald’s branding history.