McDonald’s is on a mission to embrace the LGBTQ community. In an effort to attract more visitors to its restaurants across the United States, the fast-food burger chain has unveiled a special campaign featuring its lovable purple mascot, Grimace, coinciding with Gay Pride celebrations throughout the month of June 2023.
To kick off Pride Month, McDonald’s introduced a limited-time purple milkshake in honor of Grimace’s fiftieth birthday. The response was overwhelming, with customers clamoring for more. So, McDonald’s decided to add the purple milkshake to its menu starting June 12, just in time for the major Pride Parade celebrations in cities nationwide.
In addition to the milkshake, McDonald’s has also taken to social media to promote Grimace as a new LGBTQ icon – and the response has exceeded all expectations. The company’s social channels are buzzing with excitement. They posted, “wanna come 2 my party???? finally got my own grimace meal and purple shake.”
Customers can now enjoy the purple Grimace milkshake as part of a complete meal. They can choose between a ten-piece Chicken McNuggets order or a Big Mac with fries, complemented by the unique purple milkshake to wash it all down.
The impact of using Grimace as a Pride Month celebration symbol hasn’t gone unnoticed by social media users. With Grimace being purple and the themed milkshake released just before June’s major pride celebrations, customers are speculating if McDonald’s is making a deliberate effort to cater to the LGBTQ community.
One Twitter user posted, “Grimace goes to Pride,” while another tweeted, “Hey Grimace, happy birthday and happy Pride.”
Grimace, in addition to having his own milkshake, has been making appearances on McDonald’s social media channels. Selfies and other images of Grimace with captivating messages have been shared to entice LGBTQ customers to visit McDonald’s. One post, intentionally misspelled per McDonald’s creative style, asked, “unrelated, but do I (grimace) look like a purple bloater plss be honest.”
While Pride celebrants hail Grimace as an LGBTQ icon, McDonald’s is staying tight-lipped about whether Grimace’s resurgence is tied to celebrations of Pride Month. A spokesperson for McDonald’s told Business Insider, “The beauty of Grimace is that he means different things to different people. Whatever he is, we’re just proud that our bestie brings joy to people.”
Originally introduced as a villain in 1971, Grimace underwent a transformation due to terrifying children, becoming the beloved character we know today. Now, Grimace is a symbol of Gay Pride for many McDonald’s customers celebrating Pride Month.
The limited-edition Grimace milkshake, made famous by the iconic character, has been a huge success among McDonald’s patrons. This delightful shake combines low-fat vanilla soft-serve ice cream with wild berry syrup, providing a sweet treat with every sip. Available in two sizes, the larger one costs around $3.
In line with their commitment to inclusion and acceptance, McDonald’s has utilized Grimace in their “Better Together” campaign. This campaign aims to showcase the importance of embracing diversity, featuring Grimace alongside other beloved characters such as Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and Birdie the Early Bird.
The “Better Together” campaign serves as a reminder that everyone is equal, regardless of their gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. McDonald’s is proud to celebrate love, diversity, and the LGBTQ community with Grimace leading the way. So, come on over and join the celebration!
