McDonald’s leans hard into nostalgia with the return of the Shamrock Shake—and Grimace’s uncle
The Shamrock Shake is back at McDonald’s—and so is Grimace’s Irish uncle, Uncle O’Grimacey. And yes, there’s already merchandise available.
Nostalgia is an easy way to draw eyes to whatever product you’re pitching to consumers, but choosing exactly what to be nostalgic about can be a tricky line to walk.
McDonald’s is rolling the dice with this year’s return of the Shamrock Shake, the vanilla-mint-flavored dessert that first appeared in 1967 as a St. Patrick’s Day promotion. While there’s nothing especially surprising about the return of the shake itself—that’s pretty much an annual thing for the chain—the re-emergence of a long-forgotten character was definitely unexpected.
Uncle O’Grimacey, the Irish uncle of fuzzy purple fan favorite Grimace, is making his return to the Ronald McDonald universe. The character, who speaks in about the most stereotypical Irish accent you could possibly imagine, has been absent since the mid-1980s after debuting in 1975, returning occasionally to paint Ronald’s whole world green.
Uncle O’Grimacey isn’t just going to appear in marketing for the shake: The restaurant is going all in on his return, offering merchandise including baseball caps, crewnecks, and a T-shirt that reads “Who’s your uncle?” (Yes, TikTokers, you can buy it now.)
Bringing back Uncle O’Grimacey might seem a stretch, but two years ago, Grimace himself was a bit character in the restaurant’s world. The release of the Grimace Shake changed all of that as social media embraced the…whatever the heck Grimace is…and made him a superstar again. Last year, he even became a good luck charm for the New York Mets, throwing out the first pitch at one game, having a purple seat reserved for him at all games and even appearing on customized cleats for first baseman Pete Alonso.
To celebrate the Shamrock Shake’s return, McDonald's will donate 25 cents from each one sold to the Ronald McDonald House Charities starting Feb. 10.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
