With the return of the Shamrock Shake at McDonald’s, I am once again reminded of the long and winding lore of the fast food franchise. We all know and love this seasonal favorite, with its sweet minty taste and nuclear-green hue. What you might not know is that it came with a lovable mascot: Uncle O’Grimacey, an Irish relative of long-time McDonald’s character Grimace.
Wait, Grimace?
Yes, Grimace, as in sneer, scowl, smirk. You might know him as the big purple blob with eyes from the side of your Happy Meal box. Originally conceived as an evil milkshake-stealing figure, Grimace evolved into a cuddly character using his dessert-loving powers for (promotional) good.
However, the modern patron is more familiar with the man, the myth, the legend: Ronald McDonald. Our familiar clown friend was just one of a number of McDonald’s mascots in their earliest days of television marketing.
Up until 2003, the restaurant’s advertisements were centered in McDonaldland, a fantasy world inhabited by a cast of colorful characters. Alongside more regular figures like Ronald, Grimace, and the Hamburgler, there was a full B-team of anthropomorphic menu items touting the latest releases between cartoon episodes. While we might consider their puppet-like forms nightmare fuel today, they were the familiar faces of 80s after-school television.
There was extensive lore to go along with them. McDonaldland was filled with heavily branded fictional destinations like Filet-o-Fish Lake and the Thick Shake Volcanoes. New characters arrived and evolved to further appeal to children and parents. In 1980, McDonald’s introduced Birdie, the first identifiably female character in the lineup. Everything was bright, fluffy, and decked in warm, rainbow colors.
Today’s food mascots trade out the uncanny valley for saccharine-cute faces and eyesore color palettes. Consider the “yassification” of Gen-Z favorite Chuck E. Cheese. Our beloved cartoon skater mouse of childhood has turned into a Converse and skinny jeans-wearing tween rodent. What happened to cheap animatronics and Jim Henson-esque costumed marketing ploys?
Oftentimes, they go the way of the dodo when tastes change or problems strike. In 2003, McDonald’s opted for a major marketing redirection with their now famous “I’m lovin’ it” campaign. It took a stronger focus on quality and appealed to adults using a catchy jingle sung by Justin Timberlake. The early-aughts pop star was a far cry from the costumed characters.
Appealing to children and nostalgia was traded in for “cool” personality and computer-enhanced imagery. It shows a major change in how we sell food to young people, focusing less on family-friendliness and more on what’s new and interesting. While Birdie could sell the McDonald’s breakfast lineup, the new Chuck E. is much better suited to high-resolution restaurant arcade games.
That’s not to say we’re completely without fast food mascots. Ronald McDonald makes his annual televised appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And how could we forget Happy, the 2014 Norman Bates-eyed CGI Happy Meal? While my older cousins look back fondly on their memories of McDonaldland, my generation memed Happy to death with names like “McScary.” For weeks, his soulless expression was emblazoned on every image possible. Not exactly a kid favorite.
So for now, the lore of McDonald’s original cast of characters has faded into obscurity, seen in few places other than eBay memorabilia listings. Even as the commercials change, McDonaldland lives on in the rarely-renovated hometown restaurant walls and in basement toy bins everywhere. With the popularity of thrifting and 80s culture, maybe it’s time for a comeback.
The College Gourmet is an Opinion culture column written and created by Julia Dwight ‘22 to discuss cooking tips for students, explore local restaurants available to students, and more.
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