July 28, 2023: The fast-food firm shared a few details about the project during its second-quarter earnings call.

“CosMc’s is a short form picture with all the DNA of McDonald’s, but with its unique personality,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said.

The company will test CosMc’s in a handful of sites in “a limited geography” in early 2024.

McDonald’s said it will share more details about those plans on its December investor day.

The name for the latest brand comes from CosMc, a McDonaldland mascot that appeared in advertisements in the late 1980s and early 1990s. CosMc is an alien from outer space who craves McDonald’s food.

The brand will revive CosMc after the return of another McDonald’s mascot, Grimace, yanked its U.S. business. In June, the burger chain introduced the Grimace Birthday Meal, which included a bright purple milkshake.

Grimace and his combo meal went viral on social media, driving traffic and sales for U.S. restaurants.

“This quarter, if I’m being honest, the theme was Grimace,” Kempczinski said.

McDonald’s past endeavors to expand beyond its direct business have failed. In the late 1990′s, it purchased Donatos Pizza and Boston Market and a stake in a fledgling Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Less than a decade later, it kept divested from all three, which had become distractions as McDonald’s struggled. Chipotle and McDonald’s also butted heads over franchising plans and drive-thru lanes.