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 character Grimace, best known for his friendly and playful personality, has been one of McDonald’s signature characters for over 50 years.
This summer, it debuted a limited-time Grimace birthday meal, including a vanilla berry-flavored milkshake, in honor of the mascot’s 52nd birthday. The #grimacemilkshake that went viral on social media (2.9 billion views on TikTok) and helped drive McDonald’s second quarter sales by more than 10% in the US and nearly 12% globally.
“The McDonald’s brand has never been stronger, and I continue to be inspired by the ability of the McDonald’s system to create cultural conversations and develop industry-leading innovations,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a June statement to Fortune.
Grimas NFTs
This new McDonald’s initiative, according to the report, brings Grimace into the current digital collectible phenomenon, giving customers the opportunity to own a piece of McDonald’s history with Polygon-based NFTs that will provide access to “exclusive treats in the future”.
Powered by crypto startup Bandwagon Labs and in partnership with digital artist “The Hidden Walls,” the fast food chain will drop a “soulbound token” through Singapore’s official McDonald’s mobile app during the week of August 21. This soul-bound token also prevents the holder from selling or transferring it on Polygon’s first minting.
For Singapore, having a global brand like McDonald’s that embraces NFT technology is another testament to the country’s rapid innovation and technological advancement, leading other countries to try to “keep up with the Joneses”.
Chee also noted that by digitizing Grimace, it helps develop his character from pure nostalgia that many of us grew up with into something that all generations can enjoy – that is, assuming they have a minimal understanding of blockchain- technology and digital collectibles.
McDonalds first started digital collectibles in 2021 as the food chain celebrated the 40th anniversary of the McRib in the United States, then launched its own metaverse world, McNuggets Land, in The Sandbox.