The line between hero and villain is razor-thin – something Grimace (and McDonald’s) are experiencing firsthand. On June 12, McDonald’s launched the berry-flavored Grimace shake as part of the extensive marketing campaign to celebrate the mascot’s birthday. The vigorous reaction from fans turned the action into a celebration of Grimace as a queer icon, with people donning blurry cosplays and creating fan art of it for social media posts about the birthday he and the Hamburglar take part in the Pride. However, just two weeks later, a search for Grimace on TikTok turns up no person honoring “Mother Grimace.” Instead, videos appear in which Grimace’s Shake isn’t a purple treat, but rather a deadly concoction that kills or incapacitates all who dare drink it.
Is the Grimace Shake dangerous?
No of course not. TikTok humor just works on a whole different level of absurdity. It’s all part of the really fun — and sometimes brutally visceral — grimace shake trend.
What is the grimace shake trend?
The grimace shake trend, also known as the grimace shake incident, has skyrocketed on TikTok, with #grimaceshake generating 689 million views at the time of publication.
A typical video starts with someone excitedly declaring that they’re going to try the Grimace shake and wishing the living taste bud a happy birthday. But once the person takes a sip, the camera shows the horrifying aftermath, with the person pretending to be passed out, dead, or dying — sometimes in an odd place, like in a trash can or draped over the hood of a car — as Result of drinking the shake. And no Grimace Shake tableau is complete without the contents of the shake dripping like vomit from the victim’s mouth or spilling onto the floor like purple blood.
There is no limit to the creativity of the creators and their dedication to this part, which is why the joke becomes more relevant instead of becoming boring. Fans are continuing the grimace shake trend by creating elaborate narratives, horror films, and fake documentaries.
Some of the videos make Grimace an active culprit in the deaths, showing the mascot strangling or stalking those naïve enough to have tried the cursed shake.
So is Grimace a mother? Or is Grimace a killer? The decision is yours. But what’s undeniable is that Grimace is the moment.