Grimace and Uncle O’Grimacey Reunite to Announce the Return of McDonald’s Shamrock Shake
By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon
Who better to announce the return of McDonald’s menu fan favorite Shamrock Shake than two beloved McDonaldland icons? On February 4, Uncle O’Grimacey, Grimace’s Irish uncle, reunited for the first time in decades with his nephew.
How Did This McDonaldland Reunion Happen?
There are a few narratives online detailing how Grimace and Uncle O’Grimacey were able to reunite. A McDonald’s press release says the wheels were in motion after Grimace found his family’s original Shamrock Shake recipe. This lucky discovery inspired Grimace to reconnect with his uncle, who packed his bags and traveled to America all the way from Sham Rock, Ireland.
However, nowhere in this release does it detail how, exactly, Grimace was able to track down his uncle. Remember: Uncle O’Grimacey hasn’t been seen in decades. Whether they’re McDonaldland characters or not, it can be easy to lose touch with relatives that way.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFp1U6UR2kD
This is why we like the Instagram depiction of their reunion so much! An Instagram Reel revealed that Grimace was able to find his uncle through Ancestry.com and FaceTimed him to confirm it was indeed Uncle O’Grimacey. (Don’t accidentally blink or you might miss the incredibly detailed Easter egg about their shared DNA.)
Grimace’s uncle then packed his bags and arrived at Hamburger University bearing a sign about the Shamrock Shake coming soon to McDonald’s. The seasonal favorite officially returns to McDonald’s locations everywhere on February 10 with 25 cents of every shake sold going to support RMHC families.
But that’s not all! A limited-time Uncle O’Grimacey capsule collection is available for pre-sale now at Golden Arches Unlimited. The collection features t-shirts, caps, decals and more with McDonald’s pledging to make an additional RMHC donation in the spirit of the campaign.
Welcome back, Uncle O’Grimacey! We’ll keep your return on our radar for a nomination in this year’s Madison Avenue Walk of Fame awards. Our fingers are also crossed we get a Shamrock Shake commercial starring these two legends.
Image Credits: McDonald’s
About the Author
Heather Taylor is the senior writer and editor-in-chief of PopIcon, Advertising Week’s blog about brand mascots. Got a pitch on brand mascots or want to wax nostalgic about characters? Drop her a line at howveryheather@gmail.com.
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