McDonald’s finally reveals what Grimace actually is, and it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard

Kill it with fire

2 hours ago

You know those golden yellow arches, and Ronald McDonald gave most of us nightmares as kids, but Grimace has long been one of the biggest McDonald’s mysteries.

Grimace was introduced way back in 1971 as Evil Grimace, the four‑armed villain who stole cups in McDonaldland to prevent anyone from having milkshakes – if the machine was even working, that is.

“The original Grimace was scaly, mean‑looking, had four arms, and had no charm whatsoever,” former McDonald’s vice‑president of advertising Roy T. Bergold Jr said.

Just a year later, in 1972, and after rampant complaints from parents who said Evil Grimace was too scary, McDonald’s changed the design to the fuzzy, fun-loving creature we know and love today. Though considerably more popular in the US, Grimace and his accompanying milkshake have also graced the golden arches here in the UK.

Credit: Andrew Roth/Shutterstock

Despite being over 50 years old, and the TikTok Grimace trend that took off last year, McDonald’s has only now revealed what he actually is.

So, what actually is Grimace at McDonald’s?

There have been countless theories and rumours over the years, with most people believing that Grimace was either a generic monster, an alien, an anthropomorphic milkshake, a purple chicken nugget, or even a butt plug. They were all wrong and much too sensible.

Speaking to the MailOnline, a McDonald’s representative confirmed that Grimace is actually – drum roll, please – a taste bud. A f*cking taste bud? Really?

People were just as confused as I, as one person wrote on Twitter: “Wait, so you’re telling me this whole damn time Grimace was a purple taste bud!?? Hell nah they just made that shxt up cuz huhhhhhh??!!!”

grimace used to be called evil grimace and had 4 arms to hold more shakes https://t.co/MtAvKbmNlj pic.twitter.com/Hqj4yKHrcs

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) July 11, 2025

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“Welp. I was today years old when I found out Grimace was not a monster… But a damn taste bud,” another wrote, as someone else quipped, “Not once have I ever wondered WHAT McDonald’s Grimace was. Now hearing he’s a TASTE BUD makes me speechless. THAT’S so weird.”

Another person rightly questioned: “If Grimace is a Taste Bud . . . what flavour is the shake????”

Honestly, McDonald’s should have just left it a mystery.

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Featured image credit: McDonald’s/Andrew Roth/Shutterstock