McDonald’s Brings Back Familiar Faces For Nostalgic Meal Celebrating Grimace

For those old enough, the highlight of every child’s adolescence was holding a birthday party at McDonald’s. While that’s no longer the case (thanks, technology), the fast-food chain is reviving feelings of nostalgia in its latest campaign celebrating one of its iconic character’s special days.

Familiar faces, including the likes of Birdie and the Hamburglar, make an appearance for Grimace’s birthday commercial, featuring vintage photographs from the good ol’ days of pre-smartphone fun at the chain’s ubiquitous outlets.

Here’s the key question: what exactly is Grimace? The fuzzy purple fan-favorite is known for having a friendly and playful personality—but no one seems to have figured out what form it takes. As McDonald’s unhelpfully puts it: “Perhaps we’ll never know.”

To inspire viewers to “create new birthday memories” with the brand, McDonald’s has released an exclusive Grimace Birthday Meal as part of the festivities, complete with a never-before-seen purple milkshake.

In addition, fans of McDonald’s characters can take a trip down memory lane from June 12 when a free video game—Grimace’s World—launches. Created in collaboration with Krool Toys, the game lets players explore the purple creature’s world while he races in search of his pals.

“Our fans have amazing childhood memories of their birthdays at McDonald’s… and Grimace’s Birthday is all about paying homage to the amazing, fun moments we all share,” quipped Tariq Hassan, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at McDonald’s USA.

“We’re excited to put a modern spin on these memories to continue to drive McDonald’s relevance with a new generation. Grimace is the perfect lovable icon to have McDonald’s meet our fans at the intersection of nostalgia and culture,” he added.

[via It’s Nice That and Food & Wine, images via McDonald’s]