Here's When McDonald's Shamrock Shake Is Coming And Going In 2025

Special items come and go with stunning speed and regularity at fast food spots these days, but the one thing you can always rely on is the return of McDonald's Shamrock Shake. Unlike the more enigmatically released McDonald's favorite, the McRib, you can set your clock to the return of the popular mint shake, with its Irish theming making it inseparable from St. Patrick's Day. And so once again as February opens, we are treated to the creamy green drink, made with vanilla soft serve and minty Shamrock Shake syrup, with its annual re-release starting on February 10 and lasting until the week after St. Patrick's Day on March 23. However, this year there is an extra Irish surprise in store.

This last year marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Ronald McDonald House Charity, the organization supported by McDonald's that helps children who need to travel for medical care and their families. To celebrate, McDonald's launched its Gift to RMHC program, which has added new ways for customers to help support the cause, including rounding up their orders when making their purchases. To continue the Gift to RMHC celebration, McDonald's will be making a donation of $0.25 cents to RMHC for every Shamrock Shake sale this year. But that's not the only surprise, because, in the spirit of family and the season, McDonald's is also reuniting its friendly purple monster mascot Grimace with his Irish relative, Uncle O'Grimacey.

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Grimace And Uncle O'Grimacey Are Celebrating The Return Of The Shamrock Shake And Ronald McDonald House Charities

According to McDonald's press release, Grimce's reunion with Uncle O'Grimacey was sparked by his discovery of his family's original Shamrock Shake recipe, perhaps related to McDonald's successful Grimace Shake a few years ago. Uncle O'Grimacey comes from Sham Rock, Ireland, and plans to tour the country spreading St. Patrick's Day joy. This is not Uncle O'Grimacey's first visit stateside, however. The character, who resembled a green Grimace with a jacket and hat, first debuted in 1975 and stuck around until the mid-80s. It's not clear why he was ever dropped; this was around the time a lot of the McDonald's characters started to be phased out, but his return is sure to excite fans of the chain's more old-school advertising efforts.

It's not just the Shamrock Shake Uncle O'Grimacey is bringing with him either. To celebrate the reunion, McDonald's is launching a line of limited-run Uncle O'Grimacey merch. There will reportedly be hats, t-shirts, and other apparel, which will be available at goldenarchesunlimited.com starting with a pre-sale on February 4. Of course, this isn't just about merch, and McDonald's will also make an additional donation to the RMHC with each purchase. So while fans will eagerly await the return of the Shamrock Shake no matter what, this year they can feel a little better about their purchase.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.