- McDonald’s collaborated with Fandom to replace Grimace’s wiki page with a promotional ad.
- This move came after a successful marketing campaign to celebrate Grimace’s birthday.
- However, the curator of the page expressed dissatisfaction, stating that it sets a negative precedent.
McDonald’s caused discontent among the creator of a wiki page dedicated to its character Grimace by paying the website’s hosts to replace it with an advertisement.
Fandom, the host of the McDonald’s wiki, was compensated by McDonald’s to swap Grimace’s page with an ad linked to the character’s promotional campaign.
However, the fans responsible for curating the page were not pleased with this change.
Nathan Steinmetz, a digital marketer and writer who had contributed extensively to the Grimace page, expressed his discontent to gaming news site Kotaku, stating that this action “sets a really bad precedent.”
McDonald’s introduced the “Grimace’s Birthday Meal” on June 12, featuring a purple milkshake, to celebrate the character’s supposed birthday. The furry purple mascot gained immense popularity on the internet, inspiring cartoons, memes, and even tattoos, as reported by Insider’s Chris Panella.
Grimace has become a beloved fan favorite despite the mystery surrounding his identity. Insider previously reported that a McDonald’s manager claimed Grimace symbolizes a “taste bud.”
This explains why Steinmetz dedicated numerous hours to maintaining the Grimace page on the McDonald’s Fandom site, an unofficial wiki page that celebrates the fast-food company and its lore. It’s important to note that although wikis share a similar format to Wikipedia, they are distinct entities.
On June 17, Steinmetz tweeted his disappointment, stating that McDonald’s had taken control of the Grimace wiki page by erasing all the real-world information, appearances, and citations he had diligently added over the years. The page was transformed into a massive advertisement.
Reviewing the edit history for the Grimace page, a significant change occurred on June 14, along with a note explaining that it was done at McDonald’s request for the duration of the 2023 campaign. Following subsequent edits, an administrator locked the page until July 10.
Steinmetz expressed frustration, stating, “I can add it back, but there’s no point if they’re paying someone to undo it. They have partnered with Fandom for an ad campaign on the page now as well.”
—Nathan (@Humanstein) June 17, 2023
Steinmetz described the Grimace wiki page as a “goofy fun space on the internet” that was now reduced to a mere advertisement. A disclaimer at the end of the page states that it is sponsored by McDonald’s.
Although Steinmetz was informed that the change was temporary, he still objected to it, suggesting that McDonald’s could have opted to enhance the existing content and include promotional copy. His tweet received over 40,000 likes and was shared by other disappointed fans. One person remarked, “They are defiling the sacred text of Grimace lore.”
In a statement to Kotaku, Steinmetz emphasized that wikis serve as “a bastion of the old internet where people get together to share information simply for the sake of it.”
He expressed concern over the issue’s monetization, stating, “While The Grimace page may seem silly to focus on, I believe it establishes a dangerous precedent where an intellectual property holder can approach Fandom or any platform and suppress or replace user-generated content with a press release.”
Steinmetz acknowledged that discussing the “suppression of Grimace lore” might sound dramatic, but many individuals, including himself, rely on Fandom wiki pages to explore various aspects of pop culture, ranging from movies to games to comics.
“If you want comprehensive information on Doctor Who audio dramas or catch all the pop culture references in an episode of the Venture Bros, you have to visit a Fandom wiki,” he explained. “I believe these wikis are invaluable resources, and it feels unsettling that any company can intervene in this manner.”
Insider has reached out to McDonald’s for comment.
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