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McDonald's reintroduction of the Grimace character with a new berry-flavored milkshake to commemorate his birthday has sparked an unexpectedly dark yet humorous trend on TikTok, known as the Grimace Shake Incident. The trend involves creators simulating their own eerie "deaths" after sipping the drink, causing a flood of memes across social media platforms.
The Grimace Shake Incident involves TikTok creators sipping the milkshake and then simulating their own deaths in haunting scenarios. These videos typically begin with creators wishing to Grimace a happy birthday. As they take a sip of the shake, the footage abruptly cuts to scenes where they portray themselves as lifeless or injured, with the purple milkshake ominously flowing from their mouth, nose, or even head.
McDonald's commemorated Grimace's 52nd birthday on June 12 by reintroducing the beloved character from the 60s with limited-time treats and meals. Although McDonaldland icons like Grimace and the Hamburglar haven't been in the spotlight since the 2000s, Grimace has now captured the attention of Gen-Z TikTokers, catapulting him to viral fame.
These TikTok clips showcase individuals enthusiastically tasting the Grimace shake while extending birthday wishes, but as soon as they take a sip, hilariously staged fake deaths occur, often with a playful purple puddle. TikToker @ruiz_alv04 reportedly initiated the viral trend in a video shared on June 24. Known for his mischievous antics, Grimace's spoof videos pay homage to his villainous side, adding a humorous twist to the celebrations.
On Tuesday, the official McDonald's account tweeted a message that read, "meee pretending i don't see the grimace shake trendd," accompanied by a picture of Grimace appearing horrified.
According to the online meme, database Know Your Meme, the first Grimace Shake Incident TikTok was posted on June 13 by user Austin Frazier (@thefrazmaz). Since then, the trend has turned toward the dark and cinematic.
Frazier shared with NBC News' Stay Tuned that he drew inspiration from a TikTok video where someone pretended to be in the hospital after trying Burger King's Spider-Verse Whopper. Initially, Frazier expected his Grimace Shake video to be a one-off success. However, he was pleasantly surprised by the many users who joined to create their renditions.
Frazier explained that what's fantastic about it is that it became a trend that took off, allowing for creativity and individuality. He added that while he may have had a certain vision, it opened the door for people to infuse their unique humor, whether it be funny, dark, or even horror-inspired.
Photo; Erik Mclean/Unsplash
