It's purple, and not for the reason I assumed.
Better late than never — the Grimace Milkshake at McDonald's has finally arrived in Canada, after a year of feeling left out from our lucky neighbours. And it's safe to say that one way or another, people feel strongly about it.
Abby Zinman
Basically, the treat was released last summer in the U.S. as a "birthday shake" for Grimace, a McDonald's mascot. After this release, Canadians were pretty loud about feeling left out on the Internet — and I guess they heard our complaints, because here it is.
Eugene Gologursky / Via gettyimages.ca
Yes, that's Grimace, and no, I don't know what kind of monster he is.
It wasn't a complete surprise, though — people suspected the Grimace Shake would arrive in Canada this year after the mascot was spotted at a Vancouver Canucks game on May 1.
There’s a person running around the rink in a Grimace from McDonald’s costume .. he was hanging with the DJ by the 3rd period 😄 #Canucks pic.twitter.com/j4yGkJAdin
— Ryan Lidemark 📻 🎙️ (@RyanLmark) May 1, 2024
Why all the hype for a milkshake? Well, last summer, it sparked a TikTok trend in the U.S. where people would drink the shake on camera and essentially pretend that it killed them. (No, I don't really get it either.) And I guess Canadians wanted in.
@guacbowly Replying to @clooberts2003 #hbdgrimace #grimaceshake #grimace #grimacesbirthday #grimacebirthdaymeal #mcdonalds
♬ Sounds like a bee swarm - Eiji
@guacbowly on TikTok
Warning: this video is a bit graphic.
Now that we've been able to try it, some people are super excited and would love nothing more than for the Grimace Shake to become a permanent menu item in Canada.
Dollar Drink Days and Grimace shakes in the same week? @McDonaldsCanada is really spoiling me.
— Jonathan Chan (@JChan_811) May 15, 2024
@McDonaldsCanada I don’t know who I need to talk to about this. But the Grimace Shake needs to stay.
— Skyler Fraser (@skylerfraser14) May 15, 2024
The #grimace shake has made its way to Canada. It's not bad honestly @McDonaldsCanada pic.twitter.com/CQaRjztJ0Y
— Frozen treats of NL (@FrozenTreats_NL) May 15, 2024
Others couldn't help but joke about the Grimace TikTok trend...
I'm still alive a day after drinking the Grimace shake. Nothing ominous or scary happened.
— Clarion (@Clarion_AE) May 15, 2024
...and some just find it hilarious that it took a year for Canada to get the shake at all.
Canada JUST got the grimace shake today!? Lmaoooo
— Piink❥ (@piinksparkles) May 15, 2024
It does feel like we're embarrassingly late on a trend or something.
Of course, lots of people aren't thrilled about the news.
Canada is getting grimace shake 😭 Lord have mercy
— carimell 🥞 ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ (@calixico_) May 14, 2024
THE GRIMACE SHAKE HAS ARRIVED TO CANADA. THE TRUE NORTH HAS FALLEN.
— nak. (@orderforsnubert) May 14, 2024
Grimace shakes in Canada? I’ve never had one and don’t think I ever plan to
— Bri (@_guitarsolo) May 15, 2024
We really can't seem to agree on anything Grimace Shake-related, because there's also lots of confusion on what the flavour actually is. Some say it tastes like Froot Loops, and others say it's berry yogurt.
Comment
by from discussion
inMcDonaldsEmployees
u/Jamminjoe_2 on Reddit / Via reddit.com
Did we even get the same shake as the U.S. after all?
So, amidst all of this discussion, I thought I'd do a taste test to determine, once and for all, how much hype this milkshake truly deserves. The short answer? It's actually pretty good.
Abby Zinman
FYI, this is coming from someone who swears by McDonald's Shamrock Shakes — so that might mean taking my review with a grain of salt if you don't trust my taste buds.
It's definitely blueberry-vanilla flavoured, so if you're not a fan of those, don't try it. But overall, I'd give it a 7 out of 10 — it does the job, but nothing to write home about. I probably wouldn't order it again, but I enjoyed tasting it.
Abby Zinman
Of course, I also had to do the fry-dipping test. This was honestly better than the milkshake on its own.
I may be nitpicking here, but I was also a bit disappointed to see that Canada didn't also get the special birthday cup for the Grimace Shakes. It somehow made the experience less exciting — like it was just another milkshake.
Abby Zinman
Although, if it's to cut back on plastic production, I do support it.
