When McDonald's introduced a limited-edition purple shake in honor of Grimace's birthday, it probably didn't expect the item to go viral on TikTok quite like it did: With TikTokers showing themselves sipping the dessert drink and then, soon after, writhing in mock pain or playing dead.
But the mini horror films inspired people to buy shakes (if only to make more videos). And thanks to Grimace's grim influence, sales in the second quarter spiked.
In the United States, sales at McDonald's locations open for at least 13 months jumped 10.3% in the quarter ending on June 30. Grimace's birthday, and the kickoff date for the special meal and shake McDonald's offered to celebrate, was on June 12.
In a statement discussing its second-quarter results, McDonald's said that growth in the US could be attributed to "culturally relevant brand and marketing campaigns," along with menu price increases as well as growth in delivery, among other things.
Globally, sales at restaurants open at least a year jumped 11.7%, thanks largely to growth in China, the company noted. Total sales rose 14% in the quarter.
"I remain inspired by the ability of the McDonald's System to create cultural conversations and develop industry-leading innovations," said CEO Chris Kempczinski in a statement.
When McDonald's introduced the special products for Grimace in early June, it wasn't all about the shake. The Grimace Birthday Meal also came with McNuggets or a Big Mac and fries. And as part of the celebration McDonald's also launched a video game and Grimace merchandise.
"Grimace's Birthday is all about paying homage to the amazing, fun moments we all share," Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's USA, said in a statement about the occasion. "Grimace is the perfect lovable icon to have McDonald's meet our fans at the intersection of nostalgia and culture."
But in TikTok videos where people wish Grimace a happy birthday before sampling the shake, Grimace is not presented as a lovable icon. He seems more like a vengeful monster, a murderous ... whatever Grimace is.
McDonald's acknowledged the situation, in late June tweeting an image of Grimace and writing "meee pretending i don't see the grimace shake trendd," and later, when it was time for Grimace to return to Grimace Island, tweeted "u made me feel so specialll ty."
The fast food chain is particularly adept at launching promotions that resonate with customers. McDonald's Cactus Plant Flea Market Box, aka the adult Happy Meal, performed so well in October that it lifted restaurant traffic in fast food overall, taking it from negative to positive, according to data from Placer.ai, which uses location data from mobile devices to estimate visits.