Happy 52nd Birthday, Grimace!
I have to admit; Grimace doesn’t look 52 years old. It’s like he’s the Paul Rudd of McDonaldland. (By the way, Paul Rudd is older than Grimace.) To celebrate the occasion, McDonald’s is offering for a limited time Grimace’s Birthday Meal that features your choice of either a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, fries, and a limited edition shake that’s inspired by the big guy’s color and sweetness.
Look, if you’re reading this, you probably know what a Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets, and McDonald’s fries taste like. So let’s spend the rest of this review on Grimace’s Birthday Shake, which I wonder if Grimace has actually had because wouldn’t it be like eating himself since, according to McDonald’s, he’s “the embodiment of a milkshake”?
Anyhoo, since Grimace represents a shake, one of the mysteries about it was, “What shake flavor is he?” Well, we now might have an answer. Grimace’s Birthday Shake has a delightful blueberry flavor that reminds me of the fruit at the bottom of a blueberry yogurt but a little more intense. It’s mostly sweet, and at some points I thought it was reaching the level of being too sugary, but there’s also some tang to it. I also think this blueberry flavor would be great in an Oreo McFlurry. Maybe do that for Grimace’s 53rd birthday, McDonald’s? For now, I’ll just dip my fries into it, which is surprisingly good.
If there’s one issue, it’s that in order to get it, I have to purchase Grimace’s Birthday Meal. Look, I get it, money, demand, growth, customer traffic, valuation, shareholders, Hamburglar’s constant bail, yadda yadda yadda. But the only barrier to getting the shake should be a broken or currently being cleaned soft serve machine and not wondering if I want to eat several hundred calories to suck up a few hundred purple calories. Although I admit, it’s worth it the first time because that’s how tasty the shake is. But I don’t want to do it every time.
Purchased Price: $13.19* (meal)
Size: Medium shake
Rating: 8 out of 10 (shake only)
Nutrition Facts: (shake only) 580 calories, 15 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 97 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 75 grams of sugar (including 62 grams of added sugar), and 12 grams of protein.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.
Great review and I agree with everything you said. I found out that apparently some locations do offer a la carte ordering of the shake but none of them offer it through the app or on third party delivery apps. So I guess it is just hit or miss.
You didn’t pay a higher price in Hawaii. It’s the same price here in Birmingham, Alabama. $13 for a McD’s combo is insane.
It costs a ridiculous $17.50 in Idaho. If you buy each item separately, it’s only $14.50. Feeling ripped off in South East Idaho. 🙁
What the heck?? Idaho, really? Lol 😉 Wonder if that’s a franchisee that decided to set a higher price (if they can do that)
Damn. Only $10 in Illinois. One of the few good things about living here is a low cost of living.
*Outside of Chicago, of course
Yes I attempted to get just the shake today and they said it’s not available like that you have to buy the combo to get the shake I think that is absolutely ridiculous!!
I know it’s not marketed as a happy meal, but it blows my mind that they didn’t come up with some kind of toy to act as a party favor in this meal.
$15.12 with tax here in Brooklyn, NY
I was looking into it so my kids could try the shake, $18.89 for the meal in Vermont, no thanks!
I was able to buy the shake by itself today, without purchasing the meal. I thought it was really tasty.
I was able to order just the shake through the app. To me it tastes like a blueberry-Froot Loop mashup. It’s pretty good though I feel like grape would have been more fitting.