McDonald’s Wants to Bring ‘Grimace’ to the Masses With Free NFT Drop

Aug 19, 2023

McDonald’s is releasing 2,000 free and exclusive Grimace digital collectibles, each with its own design, in Singapore, according to an initial report from Decrypt.

The fast food chain’s iconic Grimace character, best known for his friendly and playful personality, has served as one of McDonald’s signature characters for over 50 years.

This summer, it debuted a limited-time Grimace birthday meal, which included a vanilla-berry-flavored milkshake, in celebration of the mascot’s 52nd birthday. The #grimacemilkshake which went viral across social media (2.9 billion views on TikTok) and helped boost McDonald’s Q2 sales over 10% in the U.S. and almost 12% globally.

“The McDonald’s brand has never been stronger and I remain inspired by the ability of the McDonald’s System to create cultural conversations and develop industry-leading innovations,” Chris Kempczinski, McDonald’s CEO, said in a June statement to Fortune.

Grimace NFTs

This new initiative from McDonald’s, according to the report, brings Grimace into the current digital collectibles phenomenon, giving customers a chance to own a piece of McDonald’s history with Polygon-based NFTs that will afford access to “exclusive treats in the future.”

Powered by crypto startup Bandwagon Labs and in collaboration with digital artist “The Hidden Walls,” the fast food chain will begin dropping a “soulbound token” on the week of August 21 through the official McDonald’s mobile app in Singapore. This soulbound token also prevents the holder from selling it or transferring it upon its initial minting off Polygon.

For Singapore, having a global brand like McDonald’s embrace NFT technology is another testament to the country’s rapid innovation and technological advancement that has other countries trying to “keep up with the Joneses.”

Chee also noted that by digitizing Grimace, this helps to evolve its character from pure nostalgia that many of us grew up on to something for all generations to enjoy – that is, assuming they have some minimal understanding of blockchain technology and digital collectibles.

McDonalds first started playing with digital collectibles in 2021 as the food chain celebrated the McRib’s 40th anniversary in the United States, while subsequently launching its own metaverse world, McNuggets Land, inside The Sandbox.