McDonald's Grimace Shake trend is a hit with fans, but what about the fast-food chain's other characters?

The decision by McDonald's to relaunch their Grimace character seems to have gone down a treat with fans and inadvertently given them some free promotion. And who knows, we may see some other nostalgic characters from the fast-food chain make a return off the back of this success.

Marking the character's 52nd birthday, McDonald's relaunched the Grimace meal which includes a purple berry drink that has become a viral hit. Currently doing the rounds is a trend where TikTokers wish Grimace a happy birthday before abruptly cutting to a scene where they pretend to be dead with the shake spilt or splattered close by. We know, odd right?

Grimace is a large purple character who was first unveiled in 1971 as the 'Evil Grimace' before becoming one of the good guys in 1973. A simple character, Grimace is known for bringing amusement to the others in McDonaldland.

The Grimace meal returned for about a month on McDonald's menus in the US, but fans in the UK have been keen to get in on the action - even coming up with a recipe on how you can make your own Grimace shake at home.

But Grimace is far from the only character at McDonald's who has been a hit. We take a look back at some of the others.

Hamburglar

The plot of the Hamburglar has seen him try - and fail - on numerous occasions to hoard all the hamburgers for himself. This character also appeared first in 1971 and was one of the first villains in the adverts known as 'The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald'.

Around the same time that authorities were clamping on fast-food in the early 2000s, the Hamburglar mysteriously disappeared from commercials. He last appeared in 2002.

Mayor McCheese

The elected mayor of McDonaldland, Mayor McCheese has an instantly recognisable look.

His massive cheeseburger head has appeared in a number of McDonald's commercials below his top hat.

Behind Ronald McDonald, he is considered one of the main characters of the McDonald's brand.

Ronald McDonald

Ronald McDonald is the primary and longest-enduring character belonging to McDonald's. The red-haired clown wears McDonald's colours only and first appeared in commercials in 1963.

A US radio personality Willard Scott is widely credited with the character's origins and although he has undergone several rebrands to appeal to contemporary audiences, the character has never been retired.

In campaigns over the years, he has frequently collaborated with Grimace and the Hamburglar.

Officer Big Mac

A character who featured from 1970 to 2008, Officer Big Mac serves as the chief of police in McDonaldland. As a result, it's his job to keep the Hamburglar from stealing all the hamburgers.

He bears a similar appearance to Mayor McCheese with his burger for a head.

A frequent character of the 1970s, Big Mac was dropped in the 1980s.

Captain Crook

Bearing a striking - yet careful not to infringe trademark - appearance to Captain Hook, Captain Crook has one mission and that's to steal all the Filet-O-Fish burgers in McDonaldland.

As part of the nautical theme of the character, Captain Crook used ships and waterways as a means to escape being captured. In the 1970s, he was a major character.

Birdie the Early Bird

The first identifiably female character for Mcdonald's was Birdie in 1980. She was called upon to promote the restaurant's new breakfast items and was recognised by her pink jumpsuit and scarf.

The character was originally voiced by Russi Taylor - the same person as Minnie Mouse.