Review: McDonald's Mt. McDonaldland Shake Is A '90s Blue Raspberry Extravaganza

There are few tools in the marketing arsenal quite as powerful as nostalgia, especially when restaurants like McDonald's are involved. This summer, the iconic fast food chain is dipping into its colorful past with McDonaldland, a new campaign that will revive some of the restaurant's playful characters from days gone by. Ronald McDonald is the one who's stuck around through the years, but aside from that obvious inclusion, you'll also see Grimace, Birdie, Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and the Fry Friends for the first time in over two decades.

Not everything is coming straight out of the '80s and '90s, though. As part of this nostalgic nod, the chain will also add a McDonaldland meal to its menu alongside a brand new item, the Mt. McDonaldland shake. As a child of the '90s myself, I was thrilled to have been invited to the restaurant's bustling Times Square location for a special sneak peek at what's to come. What I tasted proved that sometimes reaching into the past for inspiration can yield some delicious results. If you're curious, here's everything you need to know about this throwback campaign and what you can expect from the latest shake.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Those of us who are old enough to remember diving into a ball pit at one of the steadily disappearing McDonald's PlayPlaces are in for a trip down memory lane with the launch of the Mt. McDonaldland Shake. The brand new beverage is part of the McDonaldland Meal, which comes with either a 10-piece box of Chicken McNuggets or a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, fries, and one of six different souvenir tins that represent your "trip" to the bright and cheerful world of those retro McDonaldland characters, with postcards, stickers, and more. Starting August 12, the restaurant is also celebrating the nostalgia campaign with some cross promotions at PacSun (where you can pick up McDonaldland merch like sweatshirts and t-shirts) or receive a free McDonaldland character luggage tag with any purchase from Away.

But while this campaign is all about triggering some core memories, the Mt. McDonaldland Shake is the sole brand-new menu item you'll get to try as part of the experience. The bright blue drink is supposed to represent the lava that flows from Mt. McDonaldland (which is located on Grimace Island, in case you were wondering), topped with a dollop of pink whipped cream that evokes the fluffy, cotton candy-like clouds that surround the active (but non-threatening) volcano.

If you're itching to start your trip to McDonaldland, you'll only have to wait until the campaign launches on August 12, 2025. Starting then, the meal will be available at participating McDonald's locations nationwide. But if you're curious, just make sure you don't wait too long to place your order: Just like the fleeting joy of nostalgia, the new offering is set to run for a limited time only, soon to disappear like all of those forgotten McDonald's menu items from the 80s.

Of course, the Mt. McDonaldland shake comes with the purchase of the McDonaldland Meal, with prices varying by location. Even if you're not feeling hungry, you'll still be able to get your hands on one without the burger, nuggets, or fries by ordering it individually. According to a representative for McDonald's, the drink will be available on its own, in medium or large sizes, and can be customized to leave out the pink whipped cream topping on request.

For as vivid a picture of McDonaldland as the chain is painting with this campaign, it's also being quite cryptic about what the actual flavor of its brand-new shake is. But while the company is encouraging people to try it and "discover" the flavor for themselves, I'm willing to spoil the surprise and share my thoughts on what you can expect when you pick up your first order.

Just on sight alone, the mixture of magenta pink cream atop a baby blue shake is about as '90s as you can get. With my curiosity piqued by the lack of flavor description (and digging deep into my memory as to what "blue" could possibly taste like), I took my first sip and was instantly pleased. It was essentially a bright combination of raspberry and blueberry flavors that made me think back to the blue raspberry candies and drinks that were all over the market decades ago.

As someone who still counts this as one of their favorite flavors, I'm biased, but I was thrilled with this discovery. On top of everything, the dairy richness of the vanilla ice cream base really helps this flavor profile shine without being too cloying or overly decadent. I enjoyed it so much that I found myself subconsciously sipping on the shake throughout the event, very nearly finishing it by the time I grabbed my things to go.

I was personally thrilled that, after all the lead-up mystery of what the Mt. McDonaldland Shake would taste like, it ended up being one of my ultimate comfort flavors. I wasn't alone, either — a group of influencers sitting next to me also said how much they enjoyed the new drink. One even went so far as to say that this might give the beloved McDonald's Shamrock Shake a run for its money when it comes to which drink will hold the fan favorite spot. That may be a bold statement, but I can't say I'd disagree.

In my opinion, McDonald's has certainly succeeded in capturing a nostalgic flavor in shake form, that will likely please the masses, whether they remember the original McDonaldland run or not. Even if they're new to the cast of characters and the retro flavor, I still think the drink is a perfect accompaniment to a burger or nuggets and fries any day. Because of that, there's a good chance I'll be taking another trip to McDonaldland sometime soon.