McDonald's purple shake, Grimace Birthday Meal coming June 12

McDonald's is releasing a Grimace Birthday Meal and Grimace Birthday Shake. Photo: Courtesy of McDonald's

First, the Hamburglar. Now, it's Grimace.

Driving the news: McDonald's is digging into its past, this time turning the spotlight on its iconic purple character with the June 12 release of the Grimace Birthday Meal, a limited-time meal that includes a purple shake.

The big picture: The fast-food giant's special meals — from its 2022 adult Happy Meals to collabs with celebrities like Travis Scott, BTS and Mariah Carey — have helped drive restaurant sales and create demand.

Zoom in: The adult Happy Meals released last October started selling out immediately and included a Cactus Plant Flea Market Box and one of four collectible toys with Grimace and Hamburglar as toy options.

What they’re saying: Tariq Hassan, McDonald's USA chief marketing and customer experience officer, said in a statement that the company was excited to put a "modern spin" on Grimace memories to continue "to drive McDonald's relevance with a new generation."

The fast-food giant said it will release the special meal and purple shake starting Monday at participating restaurants nationwide in honor of Grimace's 52nd birthday.

Details: The meal includes the choice of a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, a medium side of fries and a medium Grimace Birthday Shake.

McDonald's confirmed to Axios that the shake is berry flavored and "inspired by Grimace's iconic color and sweetness."

Of note: It's the first time the chain has offered a Grimace Birthday Shake, but it did have a purple shake made with purple sweet potatoes in Japan in 2018.

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