McDonald's kicks off Crocs collaboration inspired by Grimace and the Hamburgler

By Charles Passy

The collection features Crocs' colorful clogs and socks themed after classic McDonald's characters, which comes after the purple Grimace shake went viral over the summer.

Don't Grimace: McDonald's is stepping up its merch game.

The fast-food chain is partnering with footwear brand Crocs (CROX) on "a full line of shoes, socks and Jibbitz charms" (the charms are designed to be attached to rubbery clogs) inspired by such iconic McDonald's (MCD) characters as Grimace, Hamburglar and Birdie. And there will also be a "Classic Clog" done in the familiar McDonald's red and yellow colors.

The new Crocs and other merch pieces will be available starting Tuesday, according to a McDonald's press release. Shoes (with charms) are priced at $70-$75 and socks at $20 a pair. They will be available at Crocs.com and at Crocs retail locations; so don't line up to get them at your nearest McDonald's restaurant.

The character-themed clogs come after McDonald's saw a huge hit over the summer with its purple Grimace Shake, which went viral on TikTok. This helped helped drive McDonald's U.S. same-store sales up 10.3% in its second quarter from a year earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported.

And the burger chain is further capitalizing on its characters by looking into a CosMc spinoff restaurant based off another one of its old characters, which is supposed to launch sometime in 2024.

Of course, McDonald's is hardly the first restaurant chain or food brand to come up with a fashion collaboration or promotion. Examples range from a Lay's (PEP) potato chip-themed Balenciaga bag to Nike sneakers inspired by ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry's (UL).

The Crocs brand has also done several partnerships of its own with different brands, including one with KFC.

Crocs were once derided for the utilitarian look and design, with fashion guru Tim Gunn calling the rubbery shoes "plastic hooves." But the brand has become more trendy, especially since the pandemic, even popping up the Oscars red carpet being sported by none other than Questlove.

Read more: Why these $120 Crocs cowboy boots -- or 'Croots' -- have people going spur-crazy

Deejay and producer Diplo has collaborated with Crocs. And even Balenciaga has joined the Crocs bandwagon, turning the shoes into stilettos of sorts.

-Charles Passy

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

11-14-23 0910ET

Copyright (c) 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.