It's one of McDonald's' most curious and long-lasting marketing characters.
Some believe the character is an enormous taste bud in purple. The fast food chain's Grimace character has been helping sell burgers and fries since about 1971 after first appearing in marketing materials for McDonald's.
Grimace's birthday is in June, and this year that birthday was celebrated, in part, by telling fans on Twitter: "getting readyyy for my party." And then by asking, "what r u guys wearing."
Bad grammar and lack of punctuation appears to lend to the fun, carefree attitude of Grimace — hair wrap and all — as the character lackadaisically got ready for a celebration.
Well, that celebration also comes during June's Pride month celebrations each year, highlighting the LGBTQ+ community: Our family, friends and pop culture marketing icons too.
Fans on social media started a new conversation. Could Grimace somehow be an LGBTQ+ icon now?
getting readyyy for my party what r u guys wearing pic.twitter.com/IwyyG9hGxI
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) June 12, 2023
There hasn't been any public comment from McDonald's on the newfound fame, but one could imagine that the character, being as mysterious as Grimace is, in many ways, is whatever fans want Grimace to be.
Grimace turned another year older on June 12, but what has the character done for LGBTQ+ rights? Not that much, many would argue.
Is Grimace still welcome at any Pride celebration? Of course. Pride month has seen many corporate supporters.
A spokesperson for McDonald's once said, "Whether he's a taste bud, a milkshake or just your favorite purple blob – the best part about Grimace is that he means different things to different people."
"We're just proud our bestie makes people happy," the spokesperson said.
Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride night?
The team has been consistent in its response to why it doesn't participate. The Rangers say despite that, everyone is welcome.
