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McDonald’s Keeps Changing Its Mind About What Grimace Really Is
By Mikelle Leow, 03 Sep 2021
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Image via Danielle Scott / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Grimace, the purple blob who’s chums with Ronald McDonald, is described by the unofficial McDonald’s Wiki as an “anthropomorphic being of indeterminate species.” And not even the fast-food giant is convinced what he is.
Fans finally got an equally “indeterminate” answer by way of Canadian McDonald’s manager Brian Bates, who was interviewed by CBC News after receiving the Outstanding Manager of the Year as a leader at a Windsor franchise. Apparently, the purple rando is a tastebud.
“He is an enormous taste bud, but a taste bud nonetheless,” Bates told the Canadian news outlet.
But why? Well, with a giant, walking taste bud in the McDonaldland gang, diners would be reminded that McDonald’s serves delicious food.
So there it is. Grimace is part of a giant tongue, presumably, and isn’t related to Barney the dinosaur. And that’s that—or is it?
McDonald’s has been walking back and forth about Grimace’s true identity, Mashable notes. In 2012, the brand seemed doubtful about Grimace being a taste bud and reaffirmed via its corporate Twitter account: “Grimace is the embodiment of a milkshake, though others still insist he’s a taste bud.”
Then, in 2014, it suggested that Grimace could either be “the embodiment of a milkshake or a taste bud,” or something else.
And, side note: His name is also Grimace, but he’s always grinning.
At the end of the day, only Grimace and his species can ascertain his identity. And it turns out he has a family too, so why not ask them?
[via Mashable, cover image via Danielle Scott / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)]
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