McDonald's brought back its iconic mascot Grimace for an unhinged marketing scheme that's taking the internet by storm

• Don't be alarmed if you see a strange purple blob named Grimace on social media this week.
• McDonald's is celebrating the iconic mascot's birthday with a new meal and a social-media campaign.

It's Grimace's world now, we're all just living in it.

If you're chronically online — or even just scrolling TikTok or Twitter for a couple of hours before bed — then you've probably noticed a recent surge of memes featuring McDonald's strange purple blob monster.

He (I guess Grimace has a gender) has taken the internet by storm after McDonald's released a milkshake, a meal, and a GameBoy Color video game to celebrate his birthday this week.

The birthday celebration has capped off a rather bonkers marketing campaign, with Grimace taking over McDonald's social-media accounts to share selfies and tweet like a Gen Zer.

And the people love Grimace. Some TikTokers donned insane cosplay to get the meal, and one even got a tattoo in honor of the purple furry creature of indeterminate origin.

Grimace has even been named a queer icon. Social-media users shared fan art of Grimace attending Pride events with the Hamburglar while wearing heels and a fluffy boa scarf.

A "fierce lil freak," if you will.

So what is Grimace anyway?

Grimace wasn't always the bizarre furball we know and love.

In 1971, he was introduced as "Evil Grimace," a monster with four arms that stole milkshakes, according to the Washingtonian.

He joined a roster of other McDonald's characters, such as the Hamburglar, Officer Big Mac, and Mayor McCheese.

Grimace's original design was too scary for children, so Grimace was rebooted, the Washingtonian reported. He became a goofy, fuzzy purple blob with a long line of family who all live on Grimace Island.

He's even got an Irish relative: Uncle O'Grimacey.

But even with all of this lore, it's unclear what exactly Grimace is. Is he an alien blob of fuzz? Is he a humanoid creature or a previously undiscovered species?

Some, like a McDonald's manager from Canada, say he's a tastebud, Insider previously reported.

In 2012, McDonald's tweeted that Grimace was "the embodiment of a milkshake, though others still insist he's a tastebud."

But perhaps he's both — or none of the above.

A spokesperson for McDonald's previously told Insider Grimace's identity was much more fluid than a tastebud or milkshake, saying: "The best part about Grimace is that he means different things to different people. Whatever he is, we're just proud our bestie makes people happy."

The purple blob makes a comeback

Grimace's Birthday Meal was released on June 12, supposedly Grimace's birthday. Yes, he's a Gemini.

The meal went viral for its inclusion of a purple-colored milkshake, which led to a host of questions: What's in the shake that makes it purple? Probably food dye, but you can't help but wonder if it's actually made of Grimace himself.

The internet has totally lost it over the promotional meal. One artist made a parody ad featuring a disgusting McGrimace sandwich made of actual Grimace meat.

Fanart of Grimace has flooded the internet.

Some said the Grimace shake had some sort of mystical power.

Others questioned why McDonald's most famous figure, Ronald McDonald, did not attend Grimace's birthday celebrations. Do they have beef?

To celebrate Grimace's birthday, McDonald's handed the purple being the keys to their social-media accounts, letting him tweet and post as he pleases.

It's resulted in some hilarious Grimace selfies.

The Grimace birthday celebrations have also come with a GameBoy Color video game.

The vintage game follows Grimace skateboarding through McDonaldland searching for his friends and collecting purple milkshakes before his big birthday bash.

It can also be played on desktop, too, because Grimace's birthday party is open to everyone.

McDonald's has also released a variety of Grimace-inspired merch, including T-shirts, socks, and a bucket hat, according to a press release.