McDonald's manager explains that Grimace is "a taste bud"

[Clive_T]

Originally published at: McDonald's manager explains that Grimace is "a taste bud" | Boing Boing

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[generic_name]

This has been bothering me forever.

The rise and fall McDonaldland

Ronald McDonald = standard clown. No problem Hamburglar = a thief who steals food. OK Mayor McCheese-- a talking humanoid hamburger. OK. I guess. Grimace = ??? corporeal manifestation of an ice cream headache, maybe?

[MildBill]

TONGUETONGUE

Perhaps Grimace is the long-lost child of Tongue Tongue?

[Kilpack]

I’ve always thought he fit in as a character from Kure Kure Takora.

[Towlemonkey]

1. I call bullshit. I worked at McDonald’s for half a decade, and inquired about Grimace’s nature. No one knows.

2. Explanation doesn’t even hold up. If you’re going to create an anthropomorphic taste bud to convey that the food tastes good, why would you name it Grimace?

[anon48584343]

@Towlemonkey

why would you name it Grimace?

For the the never released McD’s Sour Grape Burger?

[da_Bird]

I’ve always thought he was a large butt plug. Which does actually explain the name.

[theophrastus]

Proof by blatant assertion: The Evil Grimace is the personification of grape flavored drinks. Thus he wants to acquire (illegally, one presumes) more drinks, including “milk” shakes.

Next up: explain various sports mascots including (but not exclusively): The Phillie Phanatic (why is it a fat green lump with a conical ‘mouth’?) Steelers Steely McBeem, Miami Burnie, Saint Louis Billiken, Wake Forest Demon Deacon, Williams College Ephs, Western Kentucky Big Red, …and so forth.

[13enster]

…not to mention the purgative properties of their foodstuffs.

[Surprise_Puma]

Steely McBeam is a caricature of beloved Steelers coach Bill Cowher, with the jawline toned down to slightly less cartoonish proportions.

[Brian_Shock]

If they want him to be a “taste bud,” that’s okay. But I’m still curious about the original development of that character. What were they thinking when they came up with him? Was he initially some clever concept that was diluted to the point of unrecognizability by stupid compromise and criticism from clueless executives?

[greg_codori]

So, he can dip his whole, um…body…into soy sauce? Not just his gonads? And still taste it??

[DonatellaNobody]

@The rise and fall McDonaldland

Hamburglar = a thief who steals food

This is really sad. Let him go already.

[generic_name]

@DonatellaNobody

Let him go already.

He could’ve been stealing food to feed his starving family like Jean Valjean.

[mjlonsda]

And let’s not forget this horrifying (and weirdly on-point fact) that we learned from the Clerks cartoon:

Nothing Can Kill The Grimace

[gracchus]

I always figured he was the enforcer for the corrupt regime of Mayor McCheese and Chief Big Mac in the company town that is McDonaldland.

[douglas_stuart]

Nonsense. Grimace was there to shill the shake.

[Squashua]

A local college radio station was having the discussion on air once, “what is grimmace?” so I called my local mc donalds. The manager said each character represented a different menu item, birdie: breakfast, hamburgular, fry guys, etc and Grimace represents the cold drinks and milkshakes. He has a teardrop shaped body (like iced milk coming from the machine), his name is grimace (like brain freeze) and he’s the only “cool” color in the bunch.

[bobrichmondhill]

Ok, I don’t recall the two sets of arms, but do remember when was the Evil Grimace.

[chenille]