McDonald’s ’70s-era Uncle O’Grimacey is back to sell some Shamrock Shakes

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Fifty years ago, McDonald’s purple mascot, Grimace, introduced his uncle in an extremely ’70s ad promoting the Shamrock Shake. “Uncle O’Grimacey” was a bumbling, fuzzy, top-hat wearing creature hailing from Ireland, who would go on to rep the Shamrock Shake for a few years before ultimately disappearing into the ether of early McDonald’s mascot lore. But now, for the first time since 1975, McDonald’s is giving Uncle O’Grimacey another shot at the limelight.

The green mascot’s reappearance is promoting the return of the Shamrock Shake, which is set to land at McDonald’s stores on February 10. It’s also celebrating the 50th anniversary of Ronald McDonald House Charities, which will receive a portion of the proceeds from this year’s Shamrock Shake sales and Uncle O’Grimacey-themed merch. 

Uncle O’Grimacey’s unexpected return comes in the wake of McDonald’s 2023 birthday campaign for the unsettling-yet-beloved mascot Grimace, which gave the world the oft-memed purple Grimace Shake. In comparison, the Uncle O’Grimacey play is a much bigger swing for McDonald’s, relying on less character recognition and fewer nostalgia points from customers. And it shows that goofy mascots might just be having an American renaissance. 

[Photo: McDonald’s]

Who—or what—is Uncle O’Grimacey?

Uncle O’Grimacey’s stint repping McDonald’s in the mid-’70s included a few seriously dated ads showing the Irish mascot visiting his nephew. Oddly enough, it also yielded the creation of a hand puppet toy in 1978.

When asked what kind of creature Uncle O’Grimacey is meant to represent, a McDonald’s spokesperson didn’t respond directly, instead sharing the following: “While the rest of the Grimace family lives in McDonaldland, Uncle O’Grimacey resides on a small island off the coast of Ireland called Sham Rock. Back home in Sham Rock, Uncle O’Grimacey spends his time going on nature walks, bowling in his local league, and attending the Sham Rock Street Fair and Music Festival (he plays the bagpipe!).”

They added that his favorite color is green, his nickname is Uncle O, and, for all those who are wondering, he’s a Pisces. (Yes, mascot lore is a thing: Hi-Chew’s new mascot, Chewbie, supposedly loves skateboarding and Chapell Roan.)

It’s unclear whether Uncle O will appear on packaging or in stores, but he has already made his debut on McDonald’s socials. He’s also the star of a questionable line of merch from the company, which includes a crewneck, ringer tee, and sweatshirt with the phrase “Who’s your uncle?” next to a graphic of the uncle in question. 

[Photo: McDonald’s]

Why revive Uncle O’Grimacey in 2025?

McDonald’s sudden investment in a little-known character might seem like a strange move, but it actually makes a lot of sense.

Mascots—especially goofy ones—are having a moment right now, spurred on by what Fast Company has termed “DGAF branding”: a form of indirect social media marketing that leans into all things weird and nonsensical, rather than explicitly hawking a product’s value. The goal is awareness, engagement, and “building and tapping into a fan community,” as Fast Company’s Jeff Beer noted last October.

Duolingo was one of the first companies to embrace this strategy with its lovable but occasionally homicidal owl, Duo. Brands like Pop-Tarts and Nutter Butter (if you can call its peanut a mascot) have followed suit. Out in the real world, sports mascots like the 2024 Summer Olympics’ Phryge, the New York Liberty’s Ellie the Elephant, and the Philadelphia Flyers’ Gritty are embodying wackier personas that appear curated to go viral.

McDonald’s new mascot of DGAF branding

McDonald’s got in on this trend with the Grimace Birthday Meal in 2023, which inspired a bout of feel-good articles about the mascot and spawned the Grimace Shake trend, wherein dozens of TikTok users put a deadly spin on the purple beverage. (Grimace then acknowledged the trend from McDonald’s X account.)

While McDonald’s didn’t respond to Fast Company’s request for specific data on the Grimace activation’s success, it’s been enough for the company to keep the purple creature around. Grimace experienced another bout of fame over the summer, after his opening pitch at a New York Mets game was credited with saving the team’s postseason run.

Now it seems that the company is trusting the internet to do what it does best and run with this new character. Of course, the trick that will determine the success of McDonald’s 2025 Shamrock Shake campaign is whether it can get its fan base to engage with a lesser-known—if similarly shaped—mascot. Would any fan be as happy if a celebrity’s similar-looking relative showed up instead? The people want Britney, not Jamie Lynn.

O’Grimacey’s ability to win hearts will come down to whether he can sell the lore as a strong personality hire—and if McDonald’s new DGAF mascot can make fans give an F about Shamrock Shakes.

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