Grimace, the large purple mascot from McDonaldland, originally debuted in 1971 as 'Evil Grimace,' a four-armed shake-stealer. He was eventually rebranded as a friendly, clumsy sidekick to Ronald McDonald, but his true identity remains a mystery—some claim he is a giant taste bud. In June 2023, the character saw a massive resurgence due to the 'Grimace Shake' TikTok trend, where users would drink the promotional purple shake and then film themselves in staged horror-movie scenes. This modern transformation turned the once-simple mascot into a surreal, often ominous figure in internet culture. Today, the Grimace meme is used to express everything from awkward blank stares to chaotic, cosmic horror.