What Is The 'Grimace Shake' Meme? The Strange TikTok Trend And Its Meaning Explained

Every once in a while, a viral marketing campaign from a fast food joint works really well. This month, it's all about McDonald's and its new (and purple) Grimace Shake.

Grimace Shake-related memes are currently appearing en masse on TikTok, where creators are producing avant-garde videos about the "effects" of the Grimace Shake. In what are seemingly creepy videos, these TikTokers portray the satirically horrid aftermath of drinking the purple, milky beverage.

So, where did these memes start? What do they mean and why are they so funny? Let's explain.

What Is The 'Grimace Shake?'

At the beginning of the month, whoever was running the McDonald's verified Twitter account announced that Grimace was "taking over," posting a selfie of the beloved mascot as if he was the one pressing "send tweet." The tweet launched an ad campaign for McDonald's that revolved around Grimace's Birthday. In turn, McDonald's released a limited edition Grimace Meal that revolved around the so-called Grimace Shake.

What Are The 'Grimace Shake' Memes On TikTok, And How Did The Trend Start?

At first, there were many memes and jokes happening on Twitter about Grimace's upcoming meal and shake. Many of the memes centered on the supposedly negative side effects of sipping the shake. These side effects were satirical, only being labeled as negative for the laughs. This was likely due to the shake being purple, which is just objectively unnatural.

The concept quickly spread to TikTok where meme creators took the plot a step further. They posted videos that started outside of a McDonald's location, announcing to the camera that they were about to try the Grimace Shake. In one quick cut, they were then in the woods somewhere, or in some other liminal space, as if they'd blacked out due to the Grimace Shake's contents. In many ways, the trend built on the precursor Spider-Verse Whopper memes.

What Is 'Viral Marketing?'

Companies like McDonald's participate in what's called "viral marketing" all the time. In the new age of social media, advertisements are less suitable for television and newspapers. Instead, ads are widely successful on social media, especially within ad campaigns that go viral and cause an organic flow of memes from influencers who aren't actually getting paid to promote the campaign.

For McDonald's this month, the Grimace Shake memes are helping them sell large quantities without paying for ads. Although the memes are humorously negative, ironically portraying the Grimace Shake as evil and wicked, the memes are definitely still boosting its overall interest and sales.

Some recent examples of viral marketing in the fast food realm include Taco Bell's campaign for its wings back in 2022, and Burger King's virality after its Whopper Whopper Whopper song earlier this year amid the Super Bowl. Similar to the Grimace Shake memes, these too had negative connotations for the company, but that didn't matter because negative publicity is still good publicity.

For the full history of the Grimace Shake, be sure to check out our encyclopedia entry on the meme for even more information.