# Grimace: really...who is he? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 16, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886 "2003-01-16T01:58:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OrthodoxAgnostic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3e96dc/32.png) [@OrthodoxAgnostic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OrthodoxAgnostic)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/1 "2003-01-16T01:58:04Z")
Browsing the archives…did a search as to who grimace is supposed to be…all but Ronald McD have a significance in relation to a food served by McDonalds. The explanation was that there IS no significance basically…hes just a chum of Ronalds. I dont buy it. I think he’s a milkshake…a big blob of Milk and Ice Cream. He was always seen with one…and even on the designs inside McD’s he was with the icecream/milkshakes in the kiddy pictures on the walls. I cant believe theres a place I can post this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/2 "2003-01-16T03:42:52Z")
A link to the archive would be nice so we can all follow which column you refer to: From my position, this is how I see Grimace. What IS Grimace? Is it a he? A she? Is it a beanbag? The knob of your privates? What? Grimace is the most esoteric character in history. His name means contortion of the face expressive of pain, contempt, or disgust, yet he’s always cheerful. You don’t wanna be sitting next to this guy at a funeral. He’s always smiling and giggling. Talk about embarrassing. And what sort of food is he supposed to represent? The milkshake I suppose. Notice how Grimace represents one of the most cholesterol soaked things on the menu, and he also happens to be the fattest character in the cast. Yet, he’s always smiling and no one seems to care that poor Grimace is grossly obese. Not just normally overweight. A big fat dude! That’s unhealthy. So while Ronald dresses your kids like weirdos, Grimace will make sure they’re nice and fat. ---
**Author:** ![OrthodoxAgnostic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3e96dc/32.png) [@OrthodoxAgnostic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OrthodoxAgnostic)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/3 "2003-01-16T04:04:41Z")
Ohhh Pardon my newbie-ness. Here is the column link on the explanation of Grimace. And indeed I enjoyed your breaking down the specifics critically…haha…agreed 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OrthodoxAgnostic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3e96dc/32.png) [@OrthodoxAgnostic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OrthodoxAgnostic)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/4 "2003-01-16T04:06:43Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a940429.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a940429.html) ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/5 "2003-01-16T14:31:44Z")
Hasn’t anyone tracked down the Grimace’s origin spot? I rather fancy the answer, or an answer, is to be found there. Alas, I cannot call it to mind, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/6 "2003-01-16T15:50:43Z")
Well, speaking as someone who has made more than a few Halloween costumes in her time, my “take” on “what is Grimace” is that he’s a Lowest-Common-Denominator Make-It-In-A-Weekend costume. If you look at his [outline,](http://www.cooltoons.com/shows/mcdonalds/coloring/grimace.gif) he’s just basically a big Stuffed-Bag Costume, with a hood. You use the same basic idea to make Ladybugs, Bumblebees, etc. Two legholes, two armholes, neckhole, zipper up the back, matching hood with eyeholes, matching pullover and tights or sweat pants under it to make the arms and legs the correct color, stuff it with quilt batting or old pantyhose or a few throw pillows, and you’re done. So I don’t see a whole lot of thought on the part of McD’s Development and Research Department. I see people in a hurry to come up with another Bad Guy character, so just off the top of their heads they come up with a big purple Stuffed-Bag costume and stick a not-too-scary name on it that is easy for kids to pronounce, “Grimmiss”. And he’s purple because when you’re making costumes, that’s generally considered a non-gender-specific color out here in the Heartland. Of the other non-gender-specific colors, green is not suitable for a big green shapeless body puppet, because you get an unfortunate resemblance to a six-foot-tall pile of grass clippings, or snot, depending on the shade. Brown is also out, for somewhat the same reason (she said drily). Yellow and orange would be too bright for graphics arts design, like for TV commercials, it would overwhelm the other puppets’ color combinations. Black is too depressing and scary unless you’re specifically making a Halloween costume, which McDs wasn’t. Purple is a safe, and fun, color. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/7 "2003-01-17T05:14:05Z")
> [@](#): > > . Purple is a safe, and fun, color. Tell that to **Tinky Winky!** :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/8 "2003-01-17T08:49:06Z")
The milkshake idea has some merit. Going through the history of McDonalds characters, there originally were Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese (cheeseburger), Officer Big Mac (the Big Mac cop), and then the Hamburgler (who was, curiously, _not_ a hamburger) and Grimace (the big purple what?). Later came the French Fry Guys, unidentifiable colored blobs with legs that steal french fries. And later still came Birdie the Early Bird, who was _not_ representing McNuggets (as some have theorized), but rather was just a fun-loving character who showed up in the mornings and wanted breakfast. She was created to emphasize the breakfast lineup - thus being “the early bird”. And then came the directly anthropomorphized food - the talking nuggets, and the Happy Meal guys. So besides Ronald himself, only one of the original characters was “human”. Since the first two were anthropomorphized food characters representing the two burgers (Big Mac, hamburger), that gives pretty good indication the third might be anthropomorphized food. But what food is a big pile of purple? Well, ignoring the legs and arms, if you dump a shake out while it is still somewhat frozen, it could perhaps take on the shape of a lump. But why _purple_? It stands out better than white, and is prettier? Reasons mentioned by **DDG**? Also note that his favorite food is listed as milkshakes. This from the McDonald’s site. > **[Happy Meal](https://www.happymeal.com/)** > > Get ready for adventure with Disney 50th Happy Meal® toys at McDonald’s®. Now available through October 19th. At participating McDonald’s. While supplies last. Ask about our special toys for children under 3. I did find this site: [http://www.cooltoons.com/shows/mcdonalds/episodes/episodes01.html](http://www.cooltoons.com/shows/mcdonalds/episodes/episodes01.html) with > [@](#): > > THE LEGEND OF GRIMACE ISLAND > Ever wonder where The Grimace came from? Join Ronald and the gang as they take a journey on to the high seas to the legendary Grimace Island to shed some light on the origin of our favorite purple friend! Apparently someone has created McDonaldland character stories in a TV show. Included on that page is a picture of two Grimace-like characters. Grimace and a buddy? His parents? Sadly no more information is given. And then there’s this site. Not worth much. [http://www.angelfire.com/mo/jogrimace/](http://www.angelfire.com/mo/jogrimace/) ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/9 "2003-01-17T19:50:30Z")
Another funky thing about Grimace is that originally he was called “The Grimace”. This usage still prevails in the cooltoons cite above. Then at some point they changed it to just “Grimace”. The first usage implied that he was the “type specimen” of some larger group of creatures called Grimaces; the latter indicates that his _name_ is Grimace but doesn’t tell us anything about _what he is_. (Not that saying he’s “a grimace” would really explain much.) Since Grimace is now hanging out with Donald Trump and Cedric the Entertainer, these questions aren’t going to go away. At one time there were at least two more McDonaldland characters, Captain Crook and the Professor. I’m not sure if they’re still around. (Did they die?) Captain Crook was _another_ outlaw, a pirate who I believe promoted Filet’o’Fish sandwiches. The Professor was another ridiculous authority figure (like the cop and the mayor) who mocked academia but I don’t know if he was associated with any food item. Then there’s the whole HR Pufnstuf angle, which Cecil wrote about once but I’m too lazy to look up the cite. Does anyone know if Grimace had an antecedent within Pufnstuf? What the hell, if the LOTR buffs can analyze elves and dwarfs all day, we can go a few more rounds about McDonaldland. ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/10 "2003-01-17T21:10:40Z")
Maybe (s)he’s named for the face some people make when eating a specific pience of crap off McD’s menu? but which pice of crap could it be? There so many… ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/11 "2003-01-17T21:18:15Z")
As Unca Cecil once pointed out, [McDonaldland was stolen from Living Island](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990827.html). I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that Grimace was based on Witchy-poo’s spider underling (Orson?) (Grimace used to have more limbs, btw). So I say he’s a spider. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/12 "2003-01-18T23:34:47Z")
And for a little levity, there’s [this](http://www.theonion.com/onion3808/hammurderer.html). ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/13 "2003-01-20T02:41:48Z")
Unless my memory is faulty (which is possible), he was originally called the Evil Grimace. McDonaldland used to have good guys and bad guys, and the Evil Grimace was one of the bad guys, along with the Hamburglar and some pirate-type character whose name I don’t recall. Now there are no bad guys in McDonaldland, so the Grimace dropped the Evil. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/14 "2003-01-20T02:53:31Z")
Grimace used to have 4 arms, not 2. I remember the early ads clearly. Amputations…so _that’s_ it! Not worms or Kangaroo meat at all! Dang! Ya learns sumptin’ new every day. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/15 "2003-01-20T13:53:09Z")
You’re right about “Evil Grimace”. “Captain Crook” has already been mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/16 "2003-01-20T17:38:47Z")
According to the FAQ of alt.mcdonalds, the four-armed Evil Grimace stole milkshakes. So Grimace represents milkshakes. I think. “Nothing can kill the Grimace.”-short-lived _Clerks_ animated series. The Professor doesn’t seem to represent anything. What about CosMc? I think Mac Tonight was for a food item or items. What about Ronald himself? Is he just the ringleader of this twisted circus? ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/17 "2003-01-20T20:39:43Z")
See [http://www.mentalsewage.com/loser/14.html](http://www.mentalsewage.com/loser/14.html) for a picture of the early four-armed Evil Grimace in milkshake-stealing mode. Couldn’t find a picture of Seymour the Spider for comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Harli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c0e974/32.png) [@Harli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harli)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/18 "2003-01-20T22:14:34Z")
I always thought Grimace looked like a [BarbaPapa](http://wwwusers.imaginet.fr/~mhp/). ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/19 "2003-01-20T23:44:19Z")
At least now i know what [he isn’t.](http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-2715-3911FFCC-3A4F7E7C-prod5) ROFL ---
**Author:** ![monterey86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@monterey86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monterey86)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886/20 "2003-01-21T00:20:08Z")
I always thought he was their nutritional spokesperson, exemplifying the dietary results of a McDonalds diet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grimace-really-who-is-he/148886.md?page=2)