Uncle O'Grimacey has returned after a 40-year disappearance
After disappearing from the public eye for roughly 40 years, Grimace's Irish, green, Shamrock Shake-slinging uncle has returned to McDonald's.
Uncle O'Grimacey, who was introduced as a McDonaldland character in 1975 to promote the Shamrock Shake, has reunited with his purple nephew 'for the first time in decades,' according to the company.
'This Shamrock Season celebration came to life when Grimace stumbled upon his family's original Shamrock Shake recipe,' McDonald's wrote in a press release. 'That discovery sparked Grimace to reconnect with his vibrant, joyful, and generous uncle, Uncle O'Grimacey.'
So, to announce the return of the seasonal shake and celebrate the 50th year of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Uncle O came from Sham Rock, Ireland, to travel across the U.S. — starting in Studio 1A.
For every Shamrock Shake purchased from Feb. 10 to March 23, McDonald's franchisees will donate 25 cents to RMHC. The goal is to raise $5 million, which could provide 50,000 overnight stays for families staying at RMHC programs, according to McDonald's.
'We are thrilled that proceeds from this minty treat will aid RMHC in keeping families together,' said Joy Silmon, a second-generation McDonald's franchisee, in the release.
And, of course, there is merch involved — Uncle O-themed T-shirts, baseball caps and crewnecks are available for preorder now at goldenarchesunlimited.com — and McDonald's says it will make an additional donation to RMHC from these proceeds.
Like his famous purple relative, Uncle O'Grimacey is a large anthropomorphic creature. We're not exactly sure what he is.
His relatives, Grimace's Grandma Winky and aunts Millie and Tillie, hail from Grimace Island, but Uncle O lives in Sham Rock, Ireland.
He has the important job of delivering his signature Shamrock Shakes around McDonaldland in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
The Shamrock Shake debuted in 1970, and Uncle O debuted as its mascot five years later. For about a decade, he appeared regularly in McDonald's ads promoting his signature shake — until he slunk out of the spotlight in the mid-'80s.
The most likely reason for this is that he was phased out along with many other McDonaldland characters, like Mayor McCheese, Birdie the Early Bird and Captain Crook, during the company's rebrand around that time (though there are far more controversial rumors about his disappearance).
How long will he stick around this time? At least until March 23. After that, he'll likely return to his quiet life in Sham Rock.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
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