McDonald’s Grimace Shake Spawns Unhinged Mini Horror Films On TikTok
Video screenshot on left via McDonald’s, image on right generated on Midjourney
They don’t make mascots like they used to. Take, for example, Barney the dinosaur, who now has large eyes and a recognizable T-rex head to presumably appear less daunting. Also, did you see what Mickey Mouse used to look like at Disneyland?
Evidently, people have come to expect characters to look less intimidating, so you can’t blame McDonald’s for retiring its famous residents of McDonaldland (sorry, Ronald) years ago. Recently, though, the Golden Arches has brought a few of them back to celebrate the 52nd birthday of Grimace, and joining the festivities is a special purple, berry-flavored drink called the Grimace Shake.
The rough-around-the-edges aesthetic of mascots of yore would be a refreshingly eerie sight for Gen Z. Then you’ve got a mysterious liquid with the same color of the figure it’s named after, which just screams Hannibal Lecter. Not even McDonald’s knows what Grimace is, so who’s to say if that purple goo comes from his fur, skin, blood, or something else?
All these considerations form the perfect recipe for a new horror-inspired trend. Everyone, meet the antithesis of the Wes Anderson challenge on TikTok: Grimace Shake videos.
This is probably on my top 3 Grimace Shake tiktoks pic.twitter.com/YgTqXmcqHh
— Edward ඞ (@SneakySquid99) June 26, 2023
Many of these clips start off rather innocently, and depict people trying the milkshake for the first time. A number of these customers are courteous enough to wish Grimace a happy birthday too.
However, the taste tests quickly turn sour as participants either get possessed by something sinister or are found in purple bloodbaths.
Some of these grim videos are even labeled as sensitive content.
@.theanimemen Just got the #grimaceshake 🤗
♬ Libets Delay by The Caretaker - Alt Tik Tok Sounds
Kids, think twice before you try this at home.
@kameryn.paige She grimaced out🙀#grimaceshake #grimacesbirthday
♬ The Attic - Colin Stetson
McDonald’s has one response to the Grimace conjurings:
meee pretending i don't see the grimace shake trendd pic.twitter.com/ZTcnLTESC8
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) June 27, 2023
It’s raining purple. Purple rain, purple rain.
@minionlover123456 Very berry #grimace #grimaceshake
♬ original sound - Emotional Patrick
McDonald getting all the free promo because of videos like this is really funny… but now I want a grimace shake too. pic.twitter.com/v5OaRqTiSZ
— Zeronini (@Zeronini) June 25, 2023
This grimace shake trend is funny wtf pic.twitter.com/gUJoQ33Xte
— Jarhead (Jared) (@newjep1710) June 26, 2023
