Grimace: Difference between revisions
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→Popular Culture References: Closed quote, out-of-place fact, and quite frankly, Grimace isn't my friend. |
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The novelist [[Alex McAulay]] often includes hidden references to Grimace in his work, and under the name [[Charles Douglas]] recorded several songs that mention Grimace. |
The novelist [[Alex McAulay]] often includes hidden references to Grimace in his work, and under the name [[Charles Douglas]] recorded several songs that mention Grimace. |
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On the Flash cartoon [[Homestar Runner]], [[Strong Bad]] remarks about a pilot for a cancelled show, "without this tape, it would be as lost as four-armed Grimace. |
On the Flash cartoon [[Homestar Runner]], [[Strong Bad]] remarks about a pilot for a cancelled show, "without this tape, it would be as lost as four-armed Grimace". |
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In comedian Demetri Martin's CD "These are Jokes" he says, "If you have a pear shaped body, you should not wear pear colored clothes, or act juicy. Or wear purple...Grimace." |
In comedian Demetri Martin's CD "These are Jokes" he says, "If you have a pear shaped body, you should not wear pear colored clothes, or act juicy. Or wear purple...Grimace." |
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In the browser-based MMORPG [[Kingdom of Loathing]], Grimace is one of the two moons of the kingdom. |
In the browser-based MMORPG [[Kingdom of Loathing]], Grimace is one of the two moons of the kingdom. |
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The actual Grimace character was played by Michael Esposito. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 04:32, 21 October 2007
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into McDonaldland. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2007. |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2007) |
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. |
Grimace | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Grimace November 3, 1971 |
| Nationality | Ukranian |
| Other names | Purple Lightning |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Super Heavyweight |
| Stance | Unorthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 75 |
| Wins | 75 |
| Wins by KO | 75 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Grimace (pronounced /ˈgɹɪməs/) is a character in the marketing campaign by the McDonald's restaurant chain. Large and purple with short arms and legs, he is known for his monotonous face and slow-witted demeanor. His most common expression is the word "duh".
In the first campaign of McDonaldland commercials beginning in 1971, Grimace was the "Evil Grimace", with two pairs of arms with which to steal milkshakes. After that first campaign, the character was revised to be one of the "good guys", and his number of arms was reduced by two. Today, Grimace is generally portrayed in McDonald's commercials and merchandise as a well-meaning simpleton, whose clumsy antics provide a comic foil to Ronald McDonald.
Since the character's introduction, there has been much speculation regarding his appearance. The majority of McDonald's characters more or less directly represent a food product sold at the restaurants (e.g., Mayor McCheese, The Fry Guys, McNugget Buddies, etc.). Although his food group is ambiguous, he is most often associated with milkshakes, and could be likened to a shake with anthropomorphic qualities. Grimace's "official" role, according to McDonald's, continues to be representative of the chain's milkshakes. Given that McDonald's was successfully sued by Sid and Marty Kroft over McDonaldland's resemblance to H.R. Pufnstuf's Living Island, Grimace may well be based on Witchiepoo's hench-person, the spider Seymour.
According to the McDonald's website:
Grimace is a big, loving, fuzzy purple fellow who is Ronald McDonald's best friend. He's sure Ronald is the world's ultimate authority on everything. While Grimace loves all McDonald's foods, he's absolutely crazy about milkshakes. Grimace is very enthusiastic and eager to try new things. His joyous spirit helps everyone overlook the fact he's a little slow and clumsy sometimes.
Grimace also has a relative, Uncle O'Grimacey, a green-colored Irish-version of himself. O'Grimacey was a holiday-themed character used by McDonald's in the 1980s in celebrating St. Patrick's Day, in particular marketing its Shamrock Shake. In Brazil, Grimace is known by the name of Shaky. A record released with Happy Meals (McLanche Feliz in Portuguese) in the early '90s featured a song about Shaky called "Lá Vem o Shaky" ("Here Comes Shaky"). In the song, Shaky puts his shoes on the wrong feet, which causes a lot of confusion.
In the 1998 animated story The Legend of Grimace Island, viewers learn that "Grimace" is actually the name of his species as the McDonald's gang sails to his ancestral country, currently governed by King Gonga. The islanders range in color from various shades of purple to dark blue, frequently use the interjection "duh" (even in writing), wear vaguely Polynesian dress, and enjoy dancing with drum music. Centuries ago, the timid Grimaces were plagued by raiders and thus decided to cut their island loose from the ocean floor to drift away into obscurity. Nobody is permitted to visit for fear of leading thieves to the enclave, but apparently some inhabitants emigrated after the island took root again since Grimace was able to follow a map left to him by his great-great-grandfather. This video also includes a brief live-action home movie dating to Grimace's infancy. The islanders sent Ronald a surfboard in a later story, indicating they now keep some level of contact with the outside world.
In the UK and Australia, Grimace is no longer used in advertising or promotions, and is not one of the characters found in McDonaldland Cookies. In the Province of Quebec, Canada, even though Grimace is a French word, the character is known by the name of "Grosse Douceur" which means "Big Sweet".
Popular Culture References
| This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (September 2007) |
In the Family Guy episode Prick Up Your Ears, Peter calls Grimace "Ronald McDonald's autistic friend" after Lois dresses up as Grimace as a form of foreplay. The Adult Swim version of this episode has Peter calling him "Ronald McDonald's retarded friend."
On an episode of Clerks: The Animated Series, the Mayor ofLeonardo, New Jersey, dressed as Mayor McCheese, states that "nothing can kill the Grimace."
The novelist Alex McAulay often includes hidden references to Grimace in his work, and under the name Charles Douglas recorded several songs that mention Grimace.
On the Flash cartoon Homestar Runner, Strong Bad remarks about a pilot for a cancelled show, "without this tape, it would be as lost as four-armed Grimace".
In comedian Demetri Martin's CD "These are Jokes" he says, "If you have a pear shaped body, you should not wear pear colored clothes, or act juicy. Or wear purple...Grimace."
In the browser-based MMORPG Kingdom of Loathing, Grimace is one of the two moons of the kingdom.
The purple clad, Kansas State Head Coach of football, Ron Prince, has been compared to Grimace.
External links
- Ronald.com - official website for McDonaldland characters
