McDonald's Grimace Birthday Meal: List of dishes, price, and everything to know about the fan-favorite feast

McDonald's USA is celebrating the 52nd birthday of one of its classic characters, Grimace, with a special limited-time birthday meal. The Grimace birthday meal was first made available from Monday, June 12. A few weeks ago, the fast food chain announced the return of another classic character, Hamburglar, and now the bulbous Grimace, as well.

The purple McD character’s birthday celebration includes a limited-edition meal, containing either 10 pieces of Chicken McNuggets or a Big Mac, fries, and the new purple-colored vanilla and berry-flavored shake. The entire meal costs $15.

The meal would also be available in restaurants nationwide in the U.S. that are participating in the campaign for as long as supplies last. The purple berry shake is also being sold separately at most of McDonald's branches.

Birthdays have been a part of the fast food chain for decades. Some grown-ups may also remember redeeming their free McD birthday meal postcard back when they were kids. McDonald’s recently announced the advent of Grimace’s birthday celebration via social media. On June 6, the company also shared a new commercial featuring the purple bulbous on Twitter.

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Grimace merchandise is also available on McDonald's website

JJ Healan, the Vice President of McDonald’s U.S. marketing brand, content & culture team, said that they were not only using the heritage that the company has with people but also wanted to connect with today’s youth.

The birthday celebration for Grimace goes beyond the special birthday meal. Customers can also buy Grimace merchandise, such as socks and t-shirts, at McD’s online merchandise site.

A video game featuring the purple bulbous was also launched on June 12 on mobile and desktop. JJ Healan said:

"It's reminiscent of games from the '90s. Grimace actually goes on this journey with his McDonaldland friends."

When a customer posts a birthday memory on June 13 and June 14 on their Instagram story, tagging McDonald's and using a Grimace sticker from the “add yours” option, $5 will be donated by the company to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The total collection goal is up to $200,000.

Healan further said that there are a lot of cool layers to the overall campaign. It was an effort to connect with their fans to drive McD in culture, as they are on their journey to make the brand a cultural icon. She added:

"What better way to celebrate birthdays and actually give one of our favorite McDonaldland characters a spotlight for June."

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The mystery surrounding Grimace's birthday special McDonald's shake

After McDonald's announced their limited-edition birthday meal, customers were a little confused about the flavor of the special shake. While some speculated that it could be berry flavored, the fast food chain itself did not provide any hint about the flavor at all.

McDonald's only said in a press release that the shake was going to be inspired by Grimace’s iconic color, which is purple, and its sweetness. They said that the shake would feature vegetable juice and a natural flavor. Though the vegetable juice was only specified as a color additive.

It was noted in later reviews that the drink has a strong berry flavor. One customer described the shake as the sweetest berry-flavored smoothie one can get.

After the release of the birthday meal on Monday, the purple shake was an instant hit with customers as it carried the signature color of the mascot. According to the restaurant, the shake has a vanilla and berry flavor, but the fruitiness of it was drowned out in a loose sugary pool of cream.