When last we talked about the M&Ms the little candy coated super-stars we're headed full tilt into the new Millennium. While other companies we're floundering to maintain clean cut mascots in a world full of cynical and way too smart kids the M&Ms managed to ride a tide of good will bolstered by smart mature humor and a constantly evolving sensibility that kept them fresh. Maybe what worked so well for them was that they stopped being aimed specifically at kids. The M&M characters left their pure cartoon roots with the introduction of the mixed media CG versions of the characters, and Mars stopped even making commercials without them. They reached a mass awareness that few mascots have ever achieved and kept on pushing, to become, and stay, the biggest of mega-stars in the candy world.
To be honest, figuring out how this all went down is pretty confusing so |I'm going to assume I will be getting some of this wrong. Lets be clear: I am not a historian. This is a light fun pop survey of the modern M&M characters as seen through their advertizing. There are other places on the web, or in print if you're looking for cold hard facts. Like Yellow, we're just here to have a good time :)
So as we got into the early 00s foreign markets expanded, the brand grew, and ads specifically targeted at non-western markets began to hit. This change alone makes sifting the chaff on the internet pretty complicated especially since some of the campaigns and ads were used in different countries at different times, or under different circumstances. Anyhow, suffice it to say the opening of foreign markets and ad campaigns, makes it extremely messy.
Lets take a step back though and have a look at some ads. As the century ended, the M&Ms were interacting with celebs in new mixed media adverts, and establishing the core dynamic of the Red Yellow relationship that we all know and love.
The candies declaring themselves the Spokescandies of the new Millennium at end of '97, and I missed one ad they featured in one that I had to share. I love this one, and wanted to make sure I posted it.
Its great to see Dick Clark still young (youngish) and its nice that he was comfortable making fun of his age.
With the launch of Crispy M&Ms in '99 there were more than a few ads featuring the new character and flavor.
Oh Puddy. You always entertain me :D
And Red, you're always pulling fast ones...
As I said Red and Yellow especially we're developing the classic Laurel
and Hardy playing off each other riffs, and the public loved it. Here
are a few other turn of the century ads that feature the M&Ms just
being their own funny selves.
That is a little disturbing. funny but disturbing. This next one just features Red, but its pretty cute.
And finally here's an ad from '99 that I think shows where all the ads were headed in the early '00s.
This is a really great one. The airport ad is awesome because it showcases Red and Yellow doing their thing. It's got them bickering lovingly, being funny interacting with our world. They even break the fourth wall directly, they acknowledge that they are in fact candy, and it all wraps up with a solid tag at the end. This is the shape of the ads to come.
Getting into the 2000s for real-sies now they launched a fun campaign at the start of the year.
This is great on a number of levels, but I think the most important thing to note is the solo color offering. This is one of the first time solo colors were offered for a promotion. AND this wasn't a promotion tied into a holiday like Easter or Xmas where they gave us specially colored (or flavored) editions of the candy. This was just for the heck of it.
Another fun thing came up in the year 2000. And the next very serious ad addresses it perfectly.
That's right. Plain has changed, and in 2000 M&Ms re-branded their classic candy as Milk Chocolate. Such an obvious thing, but remember back when M&Ms started it was really a different world.
One more cute one on this, because I as I've mentioned before I smile for Patrick Warburton and always want him to succeed.
2000 also saw the release of two new M&M video games: The Lost Formula and Mini Madness.
In 2001 M&Ms started a long and strange journey trying out a lot of weird and sometimes very interesting flavors. For this outing they tried their hand at Dulce de Leche in some 5 Hispanic countries. Although it was a valiant attempt and actually sounds pretty good there wasn't much interest apparently and the product line was discontinued by '03.
In 2002 the ads continued, only got a bit more sophisticated. The Laurel and Hardy routine that Red and Yellow we're perfecting still had to be tempered. As much as I like the Airport commercial above its also VERY 90s. Here's the kind of standard ad that typified the early 2000s. Even though it only has Red you can see that it shows a literal and quirky take on the candy. More importantly it's just plain funny.
Love that Bradley Whitford (and this ad is during the height of his run on The West Wing).
2002 also saw the return and update of a previous successful ad campaign. The Global Color Vote was essentially the same trick they'd pulled in '95 but this time it was between Pink, Purple, or Aqua as the new color.
Here's a French ad featuring some cheerleaders?!
After Purple won the contest, it became an M&M color for a limited time. I'm not sure why they didn't keep it around or give us a new mascot like they did when Blue made the scene but they did feature a nifty contest looking for the bag full of Purple M&Ms to win a prize.
In 2004 the M&Ms launched another cool color campaign, only this one was all about the missing color! The hunt was on to find Grey M&Ms this time and it all started with this funny ad.
Here's one that maybe explains it a bit better.
And I always loved this bloodhound one though. Great stuff.
One of the interesting things about M&Ms getting so popular in the 2000s is that they started doing huge tie in marketing promotions. M&Ms had a number of movie tie ins over the years 2004 saw the start of the cross media tie ins, And not just with The Wizard of Oz. No instead I mean this beauty below inspired by the Addams Family to promote another limited run on Dark Chocolate M&Ms.
That's not all from '04 though. M&Ms also got big, and I don't mean regular big, I mean OGRE sized!
I actually think this tie in with Shrek 2 is a great one. M&Ms and Shrek are a really perfectly paired brand. But since M&Ms were in the midst of experiments in size and shape 2004 saw the first appearance of the most radical change yet, the M-Azing chocolate bar!
It sounds like the M-Azing bar was only moderately successful. The bar apparently stuck around in some form or another straight through until today and was finally re-branded and re-launched in 2013 as the new M&M chocolate bar. A bit more on that in the next post.
Aside from featuring in the new M-Azing bar, the M&M Minis we're also going strong in '04. I posted a few ads from this era of the Minis in my last blog post on this subject but here is another one to show you where the Mini advertizing was at the time.
At first I thought it seemed like a very 90s ad but then I realized that the M&M minis were being targeted at kids, while regular M&Ms were targeted at everyone.
Speaking of mass marketing the following year M&Ms teamed up with another film franchise that had probably the biggest mass market appeal possible. Watch the ad below to see the M&Ms join the Dark Side...
Watching this I have to wonder why Mars never just out and out put out a Dark Chocolate M&M on a permanent basis. I know they've got a few specialties at all times these days, but its weird that they kept bringing it back as a limited run.
2005 also saw the launch of Mega M&Ms. I'm guessing that the Ogre sized M&Ms went over so well that they decided to continue the line.
I know that ad didn't have the M&M characters in it but its pretty funny..
If the Chocolate M-Pire tie in wasn't the breaking point then it had to be the M&M tie ins for '06. These guys weren't just well known spokes-candies, they were true celebrities unto themselves. In 2006 Red and Yellow made a mark adjacent to Joan Rivers at the Academy Awards pre-show. To me this is huge.
Think about the number of eyeballs on that broadcast. Think about the fact that there are people who care about this from really all over the world. Its pretty serious stuff. I mean as serious as you can get for entertainers who aren't actually stars on the big screen.
They may be super-commercialized.... but can you blame them? I mean they are commercial characters. 2006 also saw ties ins for Pirates 3, and Shrek 3.
Pirates 3 in saw the launch of limited time white chocolate M&Ms,
and Shrek the Third saw the return of Ogre sized M&Ms again, as well
as this vacation contest.
I'm going to jump ahead a bit now, in 2008 M&Ms finally hit on a weird urban myth for their gain. At Valentines they launched a limited run of all green M&Ms. Green you ask? yes. I'm not sure how well known the rumor is now, but I totally remember as a kid hearing that green M&Ms we're for sexy time...
These also came at Christmas time that year. As good a time as any for an aphrodisiac (weather its true or not).
The summer of 2008 saw another side product launched from M&Ms. The M&M ice cream bar.
Its true...
That's pretty funny :)
New limited time flavors also emerged in 2008. Wild Cherry hit the scene alongside Mint Crisp M&Ms as a promotion tied into Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.
The biggest promotion of 2008 though came with the launch of mymms.com. Now there was finally a chance to change things up, and get your face, or whatever you wanted printed onto your M&Ms. Very exciting stuff.
After this commercial Mars took a different tack making a bunch of pretty funny commercials letting regular people become an M&M.
That ones probably my favorite, but there are some other great ones.
ha, contacts...
Gross but funny.
ha, earholes...
Good stuff all around.
Before I finally wrap this very long blog post up I'll mention one more
2008 M&Ms item. The launch of Premiums. Ms Green finally got something all her own here and it turned out quite well.
5 flavors of premiums were launched. I know I ate a few of them. They had a 'high end' vibe to them and I suppose they were pretty decadent.
Of course we know that Mint has been around since this time in on again off again limited runs, but this is where I first had it. A few more of the flavors were Rasberry Almond, which is actually a current limited run flavor, and Triple Chocolate. Both sound great to me.
I've had these and they do taste great.
mmm... so delicious sounding.
When we come back to this topic, I'll pick up from 2008 and we can watch some more ads together. These crazy M&Ms just became superstars right under your noses... pretty impressive. Thanks all, later :)
Showing posts with label old ads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label old ads. Show all posts
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
M&Ms ads - the 90s
A few weeks ago I posted a long and involved post talking about some of the evolution of M&M advertising on television. I encourage you to go read that post first. It was really fun writing the post since I got to parse through a ton of my favorite old M&M ads. Today I thought I'd follow up with the next part of the story and have a look at the more modern M&M ads of the 90s.
M&Ms themselves are really fascinating, and the ads have gone through a lot of changes over the years. But the 90s are characterized by some really dense advertizing. The M&Ms were becoming legitimate stars in their own right, and the advertizing and products went in a number of interesting directions. When last we left off the year was 1992 and M&M had just celebrated their 50th anniversary, and introduced both Peanut Butter and Almond varieties. And just to note the ads I'm really talking about here are all centered around the M&Ms characters, not the commercials with just humans :)
As I said, M&Ms were so popular now that they really seem to have had multiple ad campaigns running concurrently. In some cases you could still find old 80s style M&M commercials featuring M&Ms in pure cartoon settings.
But M&Ms also in the late 80s into the early 90s created a lot of commercials without their mascots entirely. I'm not sure if these were meant to appeal more to adults since they obviously at some point realized the true value of the mascots and basically stopped doing commercials without them, but its interesting nonetheless.
Additionally they made the big transition around this era. It was becoming more and more common to see the M&Ms interacting with real humans. And often not just any humans but celebrities.
That's Daisy Fuentes, model and MTV VJ.
And the incomparable Robert Pastorelli of Murphy Brown fame.
Also since I forgot to mention it earlier M&Ms started featuring Christmas and Easter seasonal bags in 1986. They had pastel colored seasonal M&Ms for Easter-time, and red and green for Xmas.
And...
Here's my absolute favorite Christmas one :)
Probably the next big innovation to M&Ms came in 1995 when they ran a campaign to vote on the next new color of M&M to be introduced.
The vote was actually to replace the tan colored M&Ms which were being discontinued. As you can see from the funny ads below featuring Wings star Steven Weber and the M&Ms the winner was a new favorite of mine, Blue.
And here's another funny one.
Interesting as far as I can tell Blue was not as of yet associated with a specific flavor, unless it was Almond. Its hard to determine exactly when that happened.Currently all of the different M&M colors are associated with certain flavors, but I don't think that was always the case.
Moving on though, in 1996 M&Ms decided to branch out again, this time with M&M minis.
These little guys have been giving Red and yellow a hard time ever since.Its funny, the Minis are kind of like a cross between a swarm of kiler bees and a crazed Looney Tunes character.
Here's a great example of the kind of pranks the Minis pull.
And I know this is skipping ahead a bit but I love these Mini commercials from the early 2000s as well and they fit into this same category :)
Yeah, of course Red rides the bus.
I LOVE this one. Talk about Looney Tunes!
And of course this is a great example of Red and Yellow just getting tossed around. Pretty typical stuff for the era.
Now it gets a bit tricky around this part but by the late 90s both Ms Green and Orange had also been established as M&M personalities. Unlike Blue these were soft and ongoing changes to character since both colors had been around for quite a while.
Starting with Green, lets have a look at some of her early appearances. She is of course the first woman M&M and they really played up the sexy angle. I mean A LOT.
She's also always had a real air of celebrity to her.
Was that inappropriate? I'm honestly not sure how to take it. Now I know this one is from much more recently, but how about this...
And then of course there's this one final one, my personal favorite.
Now that's pretty funny.
When Green was introduced she was associated loosely with Dark Chocolate, but now she reps for Peanut Butter, Mint, and Coconut. Although with that I have to wonder why Orange isn't on Peanut Butter anymore?
Orange on the other hand is the neurotic part of the M&M gang. He got a personality pretty early on but it wasn't until the introduction of Crispy M&Ms in 1999 that he found a calling and got his own full ad campaign. Here's a great ad with Orange and Halle Berry.
Love it. This guys always cracked me up and I wish they would've found more for him to do in those early days. While I liked Crispy M&Ms (they were discontinued Stateside in 2005) after the initial burst there wasn't much advertizing support for them. And so it wasn't until Pretzel M&Ms came along much later that Orange got a chance to shine again. For now though lets look at a few more ads featuring Orange from the late 90s.
Talk about neurotic.
That's another really fun one. And finally lets have one with your friend and mine Patrick Warburton.
Oh Puddy...
As the M&Ms launched into the 2000s they were of course the official spokescandy of the Millenium. And yes they may have been a bit early on it...
And what do the M&Ms get paid anyhow?
Oh Red and Yellow... you really can't help but love these guys. By this point they've fully developed the Laurel and Hardy routine and are just riffing some great jokes.
And once the M&Ms got into the new Millennium properly things got even bigger for them. While other companies like MacDonalds the cereal companies had tougher and tougher times selling the public on their cutesy characters, M&Ms simply didn't. Their focus on fun, and funny irreverant evolving humor made them stand out and become even bigger stars that any reasonable person would've thought possible. These guys are up there with the biggest spokespeople in the world, and its great to see how they continue to work in a modern setting.
Next time we'll delve into the M&Ms megastardom of the 2000s. Until then, lets not forget how great the candy actually is. Great candy and some stellar advertizing. Its certainly a winning combination.
M&Ms themselves are really fascinating, and the ads have gone through a lot of changes over the years. But the 90s are characterized by some really dense advertizing. The M&Ms were becoming legitimate stars in their own right, and the advertizing and products went in a number of interesting directions. When last we left off the year was 1992 and M&M had just celebrated their 50th anniversary, and introduced both Peanut Butter and Almond varieties. And just to note the ads I'm really talking about here are all centered around the M&Ms characters, not the commercials with just humans :)
As I said, M&Ms were so popular now that they really seem to have had multiple ad campaigns running concurrently. In some cases you could still find old 80s style M&M commercials featuring M&Ms in pure cartoon settings.
But M&Ms also in the late 80s into the early 90s created a lot of commercials without their mascots entirely. I'm not sure if these were meant to appeal more to adults since they obviously at some point realized the true value of the mascots and basically stopped doing commercials without them, but its interesting nonetheless.
Additionally they made the big transition around this era. It was becoming more and more common to see the M&Ms interacting with real humans. And often not just any humans but celebrities.
That's Daisy Fuentes, model and MTV VJ.
And the incomparable Robert Pastorelli of Murphy Brown fame.
Also since I forgot to mention it earlier M&Ms started featuring Christmas and Easter seasonal bags in 1986. They had pastel colored seasonal M&Ms for Easter-time, and red and green for Xmas.
And...
Here's my absolute favorite Christmas one :)
Probably the next big innovation to M&Ms came in 1995 when they ran a campaign to vote on the next new color of M&M to be introduced.
The vote was actually to replace the tan colored M&Ms which were being discontinued. As you can see from the funny ads below featuring Wings star Steven Weber and the M&Ms the winner was a new favorite of mine, Blue.
And here's another funny one.
Interesting as far as I can tell Blue was not as of yet associated with a specific flavor, unless it was Almond. Its hard to determine exactly when that happened.Currently all of the different M&M colors are associated with certain flavors, but I don't think that was always the case.
Moving on though, in 1996 M&Ms decided to branch out again, this time with M&M minis.
These little guys have been giving Red and yellow a hard time ever since.Its funny, the Minis are kind of like a cross between a swarm of kiler bees and a crazed Looney Tunes character.
Here's a great example of the kind of pranks the Minis pull.
And I know this is skipping ahead a bit but I love these Mini commercials from the early 2000s as well and they fit into this same category :)
Yeah, of course Red rides the bus.
I LOVE this one. Talk about Looney Tunes!
And of course this is a great example of Red and Yellow just getting tossed around. Pretty typical stuff for the era.
Now it gets a bit tricky around this part but by the late 90s both Ms Green and Orange had also been established as M&M personalities. Unlike Blue these were soft and ongoing changes to character since both colors had been around for quite a while.
Starting with Green, lets have a look at some of her early appearances. She is of course the first woman M&M and they really played up the sexy angle. I mean A LOT.
She's also always had a real air of celebrity to her.
Was that inappropriate? I'm honestly not sure how to take it. Now I know this one is from much more recently, but how about this...
And then of course there's this one final one, my personal favorite.
Now that's pretty funny.
When Green was introduced she was associated loosely with Dark Chocolate, but now she reps for Peanut Butter, Mint, and Coconut. Although with that I have to wonder why Orange isn't on Peanut Butter anymore?
Orange on the other hand is the neurotic part of the M&M gang. He got a personality pretty early on but it wasn't until the introduction of Crispy M&Ms in 1999 that he found a calling and got his own full ad campaign. Here's a great ad with Orange and Halle Berry.
Love it. This guys always cracked me up and I wish they would've found more for him to do in those early days. While I liked Crispy M&Ms (they were discontinued Stateside in 2005) after the initial burst there wasn't much advertizing support for them. And so it wasn't until Pretzel M&Ms came along much later that Orange got a chance to shine again. For now though lets look at a few more ads featuring Orange from the late 90s.
Talk about neurotic.
That's another really fun one. And finally lets have one with your friend and mine Patrick Warburton.
Oh Puddy...
As the M&Ms launched into the 2000s they were of course the official spokescandy of the Millenium. And yes they may have been a bit early on it...
And what do the M&Ms get paid anyhow?
Oh Red and Yellow... you really can't help but love these guys. By this point they've fully developed the Laurel and Hardy routine and are just riffing some great jokes.
And once the M&Ms got into the new Millennium properly things got even bigger for them. While other companies like MacDonalds the cereal companies had tougher and tougher times selling the public on their cutesy characters, M&Ms simply didn't. Their focus on fun, and funny irreverant evolving humor made them stand out and become even bigger stars that any reasonable person would've thought possible. These guys are up there with the biggest spokespeople in the world, and its great to see how they continue to work in a modern setting.
Next time we'll delve into the M&Ms megastardom of the 2000s. Until then, lets not forget how great the candy actually is. Great candy and some stellar advertizing. Its certainly a winning combination.
Monday, May 6, 2013
M&Ms ads - early years
A few weeks ago I posted some thoughts on those little candy mascots the M&Ms. When it comes to candy mascots there is literally none bigger. They showed up in the 50s and 60s but it wasn't until the 80s when advertizing went crazy that the M&M characters themselves started really taking over the entirety of the marketing. Still most of the ads you'll find for M&Ms are from the mid 80S onward. Of course, its not like there were VCRs around before the late 80s so that might be a factor too!
Regardless I thought I'd share some of my favorite M&M commercials with you here. This is by no means a complete list. And I'm not claiming to be any expert on M&Ms or the M&M characters. Like most of you out there I just really love the ads.
Here's a very early 50s ad for M&Ms
From Plain to Peanut. I love it. Swimming in chocolate and zipping up their "sugar" shells. This is the start of something awesome.
In these next two M&M commercials from the 70s they really play up the messiness angle.
Especially in that fist ad I have to say the chocolate mess is pretty gross. While I love the tag line of Melts in your Mouth and Not in Your Hand, I have to say I'm glad they abandoned this angle of marketing. Its not so pleasant to watch.
Jumping ahead again, in 1984 M&Ms became the official candy of the Olympic games (held in LA that year). This is the first time I can find that you really see the M&Ms as a group. A fun loving, partying group.
Doesn't it make sense to see them all together like that? I mean you get a whole bag full. And it works well for the Olympics.
And then in mid 80s M&Ms got a bigger sized bag. Here are some fun ads for that :)
What I really like about these ads is this they really further develops the M&Ms as a community. They're much more cartoony, and they start to give the M&Ms themselves more of a story.
This next one was a favorite of mine as a kid.
I think this ad is really awesome, no only because the M&Ms all go on vacation with each other, but that they're such a rowdy fun group. I know they don't have their individual personalities developed much at this point, but there's something kind of awesome about having like 30 M&Ms in a big crazy group partying rather than just Red and Yellow on their own. This is what M&Ms were about back then, a family (or at least a fraternity) of candy. Shouldn't M&Ms be a fun loving party all the time?.
Here's another funny one from 1988. I love the way the process is imagined here. That they actually have to go swimming in chocolate and then shower in a candy shell is genius. This is also a good example of some developing personality for Peanut. Such a goofball :)
Tell me that's not a party! And very cutting edge stuff with that computer.
One of the things I always loved about these old M&M commercials that has been lost over the years is that these commercials were so wholesome. They were really family friendly. Now I think people expect different things from their advertising, but I'm nostalgic for these old comfortable ads.
In 1990 M&Ms celebrated their 50th Birthday. a long time for any candy to be around, and Its cool to see the M&M mascots right front and center for the party.
Then finally a breakthrough for M&Ms came in the early 90s. The introduction of M&Ms Peanut Butter!
And while they'd had limited runs in before this 1992 also saw the permanent introduction of M&Ms Almond.
Finally, we'll end today's look at some old M&M ads with this one where the M&Ms themselves get nostalgic. I like the fact that they can reference their own history. It kind of brings the whole advertising campaign full circle.
Talk about some enduring mascots, these guys have been though A LOT.
Next time we'll look at M&M ads in the 90s, through the refinement of their personalities and into the new millennium!
Regardless I thought I'd share some of my favorite M&M commercials with you here. This is by no means a complete list. And I'm not claiming to be any expert on M&Ms or the M&M characters. Like most of you out there I just really love the ads.
Here's a very early 50s ad for M&Ms
From Plain to Peanut. I love it. Swimming in chocolate and zipping up their "sugar" shells. This is the start of something awesome.
In these next two M&M commercials from the 70s they really play up the messiness angle.
Especially in that fist ad I have to say the chocolate mess is pretty gross. While I love the tag line of Melts in your Mouth and Not in Your Hand, I have to say I'm glad they abandoned this angle of marketing. Its not so pleasant to watch.
Jumping ahead again, in 1984 M&Ms became the official candy of the Olympic games (held in LA that year). This is the first time I can find that you really see the M&Ms as a group. A fun loving, partying group.
Doesn't it make sense to see them all together like that? I mean you get a whole bag full. And it works well for the Olympics.
And then in mid 80s M&Ms got a bigger sized bag. Here are some fun ads for that :)
What I really like about these ads is this they really further develops the M&Ms as a community. They're much more cartoony, and they start to give the M&Ms themselves more of a story.
This next one was a favorite of mine as a kid.
Here's another funny one from 1988. I love the way the process is imagined here. That they actually have to go swimming in chocolate and then shower in a candy shell is genius. This is also a good example of some developing personality for Peanut. Such a goofball :)
Tell me that's not a party! And very cutting edge stuff with that computer.
One of the things I always loved about these old M&M commercials that has been lost over the years is that these commercials were so wholesome. They were really family friendly. Now I think people expect different things from their advertising, but I'm nostalgic for these old comfortable ads.
In 1990 M&Ms celebrated their 50th Birthday. a long time for any candy to be around, and Its cool to see the M&M mascots right front and center for the party.
Then finally a breakthrough for M&Ms came in the early 90s. The introduction of M&Ms Peanut Butter!
And while they'd had limited runs in before this 1992 also saw the permanent introduction of M&Ms Almond.
Finally, we'll end today's look at some old M&M ads with this one where the M&Ms themselves get nostalgic. I like the fact that they can reference their own history. It kind of brings the whole advertising campaign full circle.
Talk about some enduring mascots, these guys have been though A LOT.
Next time we'll look at M&M ads in the 90s, through the refinement of their personalities and into the new millennium!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The Munchies
Today we're kicking off a look at some classic mascots. Since for some reason candy and chocolate bars don't have too many we'll also be looking at a few other tasty treats. Today we've got a Canadian classic, the Munchies.
Who are the Munchies? Well they were the long running mascots of Hostess potato chips here in Canada. According to the wiki the chips were the #1 chips sold in Canada through the 80s, and I'd certainly believe that having lived here through the 80s, but once the 90s kicked in and upscale chips like Kettle Chips and Miss Vickis came around they couldn't compete. In '96 Hostess re-branded all of their chips as Lays here in Canada.
What got me thinking about this though was walking through my local grocery store and coming across what is apparently a limited run of Hostess branded chips. Are they testing the waters for a brand comeback? Here's a look at the chips and a glimpse of the current version of The Munchies.
Yup, those little guys are The Munchies, and boy do they get up to some shenanigans. In the commercials from the 80s they were always animated, often portrayed as celebrity superstars. Sometimes rocking out in a band. Yes they even play instruments.... I think there may have been a little Chipmunks influence there.
Check out the rest of the current product line and you can see these crazy Munchies up to all sorts of silliness.
Are they still superstars, or just chefs? I suppose its a bit moot since they're only on the limited run, but I know I would love to see these guys come back in full force. Don't people want this kind of stuff? I think they do.
Their tagline was "When you've got the Munchies nothing else will do: Hostess Potato Chips" and you've got to see some of their commercials.
This next one is actually one of my absolute favorites.
And finally here's a last ad that is SO TOTALLY 80s you've got to love it.
As you can tell, totally awesome! I always loved seeing these little Hostess goblins (or whatever they are) on my chips and my tv. Here's hoping Pepsico makes a move to bring them back!
We'll look at another mascot next week here on the Candy Aisle so please stay tuned :)
Who are the Munchies? Well they were the long running mascots of Hostess potato chips here in Canada. According to the wiki the chips were the #1 chips sold in Canada through the 80s, and I'd certainly believe that having lived here through the 80s, but once the 90s kicked in and upscale chips like Kettle Chips and Miss Vickis came around they couldn't compete. In '96 Hostess re-branded all of their chips as Lays here in Canada.
What got me thinking about this though was walking through my local grocery store and coming across what is apparently a limited run of Hostess branded chips. Are they testing the waters for a brand comeback? Here's a look at the chips and a glimpse of the current version of The Munchies.
Yup, those little guys are The Munchies, and boy do they get up to some shenanigans. In the commercials from the 80s they were always animated, often portrayed as celebrity superstars. Sometimes rocking out in a band. Yes they even play instruments.... I think there may have been a little Chipmunks influence there.
Check out the rest of the current product line and you can see these crazy Munchies up to all sorts of silliness.
Are they still superstars, or just chefs? I suppose its a bit moot since they're only on the limited run, but I know I would love to see these guys come back in full force. Don't people want this kind of stuff? I think they do.
Their tagline was "When you've got the Munchies nothing else will do: Hostess Potato Chips" and you've got to see some of their commercials.
This next one is actually one of my absolute favorites.
And finally here's a last ad that is SO TOTALLY 80s you've got to love it.
As you can tell, totally awesome! I always loved seeing these little Hostess goblins (or whatever they are) on my chips and my tv. Here's hoping Pepsico makes a move to bring them back!
We'll look at another mascot next week here on the Candy Aisle so please stay tuned :)
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Old Ads Round 2 Wrap
I hope you've enjoyed the look we've been taking back at some of the awesome advertisements of yesteryear here on the blog over the past few weeks. What with the holidays and double review schedule some of these posts definitely might have been lost in the mire, so for those fans who missed it I just wanted to make sure I gave you a link through to all of the pieces from this second round edition of Old Ads.
Here are the posts we covered:
Old Ads Gum
Old Ads Candy
Old Ads Cereal
Old Ads Tie Ins
And if you missed it here is a link through to the Old Ads round 1 wrap up post linking to all of those ads. OR for those of you more adventurous, please go and check out the Facebook page for WTCA, there is a photo album just for this very topic featuring all of the old ads seen on this site and one or two more to bot! I think the Facebook page may in fact be the best way to view these ads sicne the descriptive text is in the convenient sidebar beside the embiggened photo. And hey, while you're there why not Like the Candy Aisle. Every Like counts.
The next round of Old Ads will probably be a few commercials I love, so lets keep our eye open for that. Until then please keep enjoying the blog :)
Here are the posts we covered:
Old Ads Gum
Old Ads Candy
Old Ads Cereal
Old Ads Tie Ins
And if you missed it here is a link through to the Old Ads round 1 wrap up post linking to all of those ads. OR for those of you more adventurous, please go and check out the Facebook page for WTCA, there is a photo album just for this very topic featuring all of the old ads seen on this site and one or two more to bot! I think the Facebook page may in fact be the best way to view these ads sicne the descriptive text is in the convenient sidebar beside the embiggened photo. And hey, while you're there why not Like the Candy Aisle. Every Like counts.
The next round of Old Ads will probably be a few commercials I love, so lets keep our eye open for that. Until then please keep enjoying the blog :)
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Old Ads Tie Ins
Another day, another check in with our ongoing series on old ads. Today its the rare tie in candy spot. I always love it when Spider-man or Hulk is hawking bubble gum,. Somehow it just fits :) Check these gems out.
Wait a second... that's not my typical issue of What If... Something is up here :) Yes its that delicious pre-cursor to Poppycock, the beloved Crunch 'n Munch. Wow does this bring me back. Crunch 'n Munch is awesome. Whatever happened to it?! Almost like an offshoot of Cracker Jack I know I always loved it, but I guess it just couldn't survive, despite the pairing with Marvel on some awesome exclusive trading cards. I am definitely the target market for this ad. Love the candy, love the cards, love the comics, and the presentation of the ad as an issue of What If... is just classic.
From the looks of eBay you can find these sets of cards now (they apparently had a few different runs of cards), and they'll cost you anywhere between $20 and $65 for a full set.
Next up we've got two of my favorite superheroes together at last. Spider-man and the Kool-Aid man, Oh Yeah! I believe this is an ad specifically for the launching of the Wacky Warehouse program in Canada. Pretty sweet. I like how Spidey is joining Kool-Aid on his trademark wall breakage... seems slightly out of character for him, but I still enjoy it. Also I like the noting of New Rock-a-dile Red. That's a classic :)
Finally a Grrrrreeeeat! team up with Spider-man and Tony the Tiger. How could that not be awesome! These guys are awesome, and with a free comic book on the line this is something I'd definitely be down to read. Not sure how much good it'll do promoting the whole "drug free" messaging, but who cares. Spidey and Tony... These guys could kick some serious butt together!
These ads are from X-Men Adventures #9, and the Amazing Spider-Man limited series Canadian PSA issues #3 and #4 respectively.
Wait a second... that's not my typical issue of What If... Something is up here :) Yes its that delicious pre-cursor to Poppycock, the beloved Crunch 'n Munch. Wow does this bring me back. Crunch 'n Munch is awesome. Whatever happened to it?! Almost like an offshoot of Cracker Jack I know I always loved it, but I guess it just couldn't survive, despite the pairing with Marvel on some awesome exclusive trading cards. I am definitely the target market for this ad. Love the candy, love the cards, love the comics, and the presentation of the ad as an issue of What If... is just classic.
From the looks of eBay you can find these sets of cards now (they apparently had a few different runs of cards), and they'll cost you anywhere between $20 and $65 for a full set.
Next up we've got two of my favorite superheroes together at last. Spider-man and the Kool-Aid man, Oh Yeah! I believe this is an ad specifically for the launching of the Wacky Warehouse program in Canada. Pretty sweet. I like how Spidey is joining Kool-Aid on his trademark wall breakage... seems slightly out of character for him, but I still enjoy it. Also I like the noting of New Rock-a-dile Red. That's a classic :)
Finally a Grrrrreeeeat! team up with Spider-man and Tony the Tiger. How could that not be awesome! These guys are awesome, and with a free comic book on the line this is something I'd definitely be down to read. Not sure how much good it'll do promoting the whole "drug free" messaging, but who cares. Spidey and Tony... These guys could kick some serious butt together!
These ads are from X-Men Adventures #9, and the Amazing Spider-Man limited series Canadian PSA issues #3 and #4 respectively.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Old Ads Candy
So many old ads so little time, as we roll on with our series check out these awesome retro candy ads :)
Well this Nerds ad can't be that old can it. They've go the Willy Wonka design on it. But I love the "Intense" design for this super Intense -tasting candy! Neon Nerds! Can you get any more 90s than that! I mean neon in general is awesome, but by making our candy neon you've stepped into truly radical territory. And to top it off, in true 90s fashion the ad features some totally 90s extreme sports. Skateboarding (note the old school board) and inline skating. Totally tubular! Below the graphic the cool neon pink sunglass wearing Nerd lets us know about the new flavors - Pinktricity and ElectricOrange! this is some truly amazing design and marketing work. Then to top it off you've got a rebate coupon, giving you absolutely no reason not to try these awesome new Nerds. My only real complaint here is Wonka showing up. As much as I like the guy, its conflicting imagery to have him stumbling into the middle of my Nerds ad. Still, overall this is an amazing 90s advertisment.
Next up, we've got Brach's Rocks candy. Honestly I've never had this before, in fact I don't even remember if I've ever heard of it before, but I definitely like this ad. Rocky D. Dinosaur is obviously a totally cool dude. I mean he's wearing a letterman jacket, and sunglasses! How could he not be cool. He's definitely the James Spader of 80s candy icons... kind of a prick, but you love him anyhow. And look, he's actually chilling out on the hood of a pink Cadillac. I can't decide if this is more of a Denver the last Dinosaur ripoff or a Cadillac's and Dinosaurs ripoff, either way, its pretty awesome. Honestly the candy is secondary to the mascot in my opinion, Sure Rocky, you want me to eat rocks... ok, I'm down with that, lets just hang out and look cool together ok?
Finally today we've got a fun, and relatively simple Twizzlers ad. It takes the simple defacement of a poster to the next level. Fun, witty, devilish, and just the kind of play with your candy that every kid loves. I love the fact that Twizzlers are a playable candy. It just adds a whole other dimension to the fun of eating it. This ad is great at playing up that angle. I remember distinctly when the Twizzlers Pull-and-Peel was introduced and this was really a big deal in the licorice world. I'm not even a licorice fan and I knew about it. The one other thing that has to be noted here is something I don't think I would've noticed as a kid, but that guy, the face... its pretty funny to start with. Is that guy someone I should know? If he is I've missed it. He's definitely got a great look though, and defacing his picture makes it even more fun :)
These ads are from X-Men Adventures #9, and Jughead with Archie digest #124 respectively.
Well this Nerds ad can't be that old can it. They've go the Willy Wonka design on it. But I love the "Intense" design for this super Intense -tasting candy! Neon Nerds! Can you get any more 90s than that! I mean neon in general is awesome, but by making our candy neon you've stepped into truly radical territory. And to top it off, in true 90s fashion the ad features some totally 90s extreme sports. Skateboarding (note the old school board) and inline skating. Totally tubular! Below the graphic the cool neon pink sunglass wearing Nerd lets us know about the new flavors - Pinktricity and ElectricOrange! this is some truly amazing design and marketing work. Then to top it off you've got a rebate coupon, giving you absolutely no reason not to try these awesome new Nerds. My only real complaint here is Wonka showing up. As much as I like the guy, its conflicting imagery to have him stumbling into the middle of my Nerds ad. Still, overall this is an amazing 90s advertisment.
Next up, we've got Brach's Rocks candy. Honestly I've never had this before, in fact I don't even remember if I've ever heard of it before, but I definitely like this ad. Rocky D. Dinosaur is obviously a totally cool dude. I mean he's wearing a letterman jacket, and sunglasses! How could he not be cool. He's definitely the James Spader of 80s candy icons... kind of a prick, but you love him anyhow. And look, he's actually chilling out on the hood of a pink Cadillac. I can't decide if this is more of a Denver the last Dinosaur ripoff or a Cadillac's and Dinosaurs ripoff, either way, its pretty awesome. Honestly the candy is secondary to the mascot in my opinion, Sure Rocky, you want me to eat rocks... ok, I'm down with that, lets just hang out and look cool together ok?
Finally today we've got a fun, and relatively simple Twizzlers ad. It takes the simple defacement of a poster to the next level. Fun, witty, devilish, and just the kind of play with your candy that every kid loves. I love the fact that Twizzlers are a playable candy. It just adds a whole other dimension to the fun of eating it. This ad is great at playing up that angle. I remember distinctly when the Twizzlers Pull-and-Peel was introduced and this was really a big deal in the licorice world. I'm not even a licorice fan and I knew about it. The one other thing that has to be noted here is something I don't think I would've noticed as a kid, but that guy, the face... its pretty funny to start with. Is that guy someone I should know? If he is I've missed it. He's definitely got a great look though, and defacing his picture makes it even more fun :)
These ads are from X-Men Adventures #9, and Jughead with Archie digest #124 respectively.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Old Ads Cereal
The funniest thing about these old ads for kids cereal is that they really take the format in a weird direction. Either of the two ads I've got for you today could've been directly lifted from a tv spot. They play as full blown action. I get that they may not be used to doing print advertising but this is a bit silly. Sure you can tell a story in a comic, but these seem to go overboard. How much time do they expect kids to invest in their ad???
Click to em-biggen as needed.
Ok, so color me crazy. I just looked it up, you know just in case... and I'll be damned but this actually WAS a real tv commercial! check out the vid below, it runs from :04 - :24
So what's the game here? I mean why put basically the exact same ad in comic form as is on tv? Is it just laziness? Did they think this was really the best way to get to kids? There are a few more mentions of "Honey Sweet Wheat" in the comic ad, and the tag at the end of the commercial "Now with more honey" is missing but otherwise its really the same.Sugar Bear is still a bad ass mofo kickin some bumblin bee butt... I guess I'd rather see something a bit different, maybe that played more to the medium of a comic more. Don't get me wrong, this is a good little story, but I bet you could do the same thing in one cool splash panel or maybe 2 or 3 frames at most. Then you'd really be doing something impressive.
Of course now after knowing that I should be looking for it I have to assume that this Cocoa Pebbles ad is also a direct tv port. Both are Post cereals from the same comic so I guess it makes sense. Maybe they even had the same ad guys working on it. I can't for the life of me find this specific one but I'm sold that it must've been one. Check out the super sweet Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles commercial compilation.
I love how all the modern ads are kind of the same deal. Barney tricking Fred with some topical yet totally cockamamie disguise. These are real classics. Also I love how at the end of most of the commercials they insert a shot of a real bowl of cereal against the cartoon Barney and Fred running away in the distance. This is classic advertising and I have to say I love it.
Both of these comic ads are from the same issue of the Archie comics Laugh line, issue #14. Nest week you can look forward to some more straightforward candy advertising. Until then, stay hungry.
Click to em-biggen as needed.
Ok, so color me crazy. I just looked it up, you know just in case... and I'll be damned but this actually WAS a real tv commercial! check out the vid below, it runs from :04 - :24
So what's the game here? I mean why put basically the exact same ad in comic form as is on tv? Is it just laziness? Did they think this was really the best way to get to kids? There are a few more mentions of "Honey Sweet Wheat" in the comic ad, and the tag at the end of the commercial "Now with more honey" is missing but otherwise its really the same.Sugar Bear is still a bad ass mofo kickin some bumblin bee butt... I guess I'd rather see something a bit different, maybe that played more to the medium of a comic more. Don't get me wrong, this is a good little story, but I bet you could do the same thing in one cool splash panel or maybe 2 or 3 frames at most. Then you'd really be doing something impressive.
I love how all the modern ads are kind of the same deal. Barney tricking Fred with some topical yet totally cockamamie disguise. These are real classics. Also I love how at the end of most of the commercials they insert a shot of a real bowl of cereal against the cartoon Barney and Fred running away in the distance. This is classic advertising and I have to say I love it.
Both of these comic ads are from the same issue of the Archie comics Laugh line, issue #14. Nest week you can look forward to some more straightforward candy advertising. Until then, stay hungry.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Old Ads Gum
We've got yet another fun series of posts planned for this month. Don;'t expect this to impact either the Xmas reviews, or the regular ones. But today we kick off another look at some fun old candy ads!
Welcome to the advertising of yesteryear. Before we knew any better, when times were simpler and people thought giving kids all the candy they could eat was totally ok... So maybe that's a stretch, but candy advertising has certainly changed over the years. One thing that hasn't changed though, appeal to the kids and they will force their parents to buy it for them.
Lets start things out with a few ads for bubble gum :)
We all know Bubblicious is the Ultimate...well unless you're a Hubba Bubba fan, but this ad clearly states that this is a "taste that towers above the rest". I find it interesting that the Bubblicious skyscraper is Orange flavored, but then down below the package that's meant to sell you on it is original flavored. I'm not a huge gum person but I hardly ever bought straight 'bubble gum' flavored gum.
I'm thinking probably this building would be the Bubblicious headquarters if it existed... how I wish we lived in a world where buildings were made out of gum. The workers would of course have to eat their offices, carving something nice and functional. Sure it'd probably be pretty gross after a while...but you know the trick, just add a tiny bit of sugar and it'll all get its flavor back again.
Ok, now I'm going to try not to make \any inappropriate jokes about this ad. So we probably shouldn't mention the graphic explosion of juice from the gum.... Kids, that's what you should expect here though. Juice explosions in your mouth. How about the odd fact that this gum obviously is named after Punch & Judy, the abusive puppets you may have seen as a child. Remember when spousal violence was ok for kids??? I wish the mascot for Punch & Juicy was the characters Punch and Judy. That would be awesome. Instead we get a wobbly bubble, who is obviously way too happy about the situation.
These are spme pretty awesome flavor names too, "Oozin' Fruit", "Burstin' Regular". But they seem to have lost their nerve with the new flavors "Very Cherry", and "Great Grape".. Come on guys... this gum is just begging for a "Poppin' Cherry"and "Gushin' Grape" .... maybe next time :)
These ads are from Marvel's Magik limited series issue #1, and The Amazing Spider-Man limited Canadian PSA series #4 respectively. Look for another post on old ads next week right here on the blog!
Welcome to the advertising of yesteryear. Before we knew any better, when times were simpler and people thought giving kids all the candy they could eat was totally ok... So maybe that's a stretch, but candy advertising has certainly changed over the years. One thing that hasn't changed though, appeal to the kids and they will force their parents to buy it for them.
Lets start things out with a few ads for bubble gum :)
We all know Bubblicious is the Ultimate...well unless you're a Hubba Bubba fan, but this ad clearly states that this is a "taste that towers above the rest". I find it interesting that the Bubblicious skyscraper is Orange flavored, but then down below the package that's meant to sell you on it is original flavored. I'm not a huge gum person but I hardly ever bought straight 'bubble gum' flavored gum.
I'm thinking probably this building would be the Bubblicious headquarters if it existed... how I wish we lived in a world where buildings were made out of gum. The workers would of course have to eat their offices, carving something nice and functional. Sure it'd probably be pretty gross after a while...but you know the trick, just add a tiny bit of sugar and it'll all get its flavor back again.
Ok, now I'm going to try not to make \any inappropriate jokes about this ad. So we probably shouldn't mention the graphic explosion of juice from the gum.... Kids, that's what you should expect here though. Juice explosions in your mouth. How about the odd fact that this gum obviously is named after Punch & Judy, the abusive puppets you may have seen as a child. Remember when spousal violence was ok for kids??? I wish the mascot for Punch & Juicy was the characters Punch and Judy. That would be awesome. Instead we get a wobbly bubble, who is obviously way too happy about the situation.
These are spme pretty awesome flavor names too, "Oozin' Fruit", "Burstin' Regular". But they seem to have lost their nerve with the new flavors "Very Cherry", and "Great Grape".. Come on guys... this gum is just begging for a "Poppin' Cherry"and "Gushin' Grape" .... maybe next time :)
These ads are from Marvel's Magik limited series issue #1, and The Amazing Spider-Man limited Canadian PSA series #4 respectively. Look for another post on old ads next week right here on the blog!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Kool-Aid Memories
Oh how I love Kool-Aid...
For many years I've been a pop culture fanboy. And one of the things I've always really responded to is advertizing, especially 'pop' advertizing. The kind of advertizing that hits on that sweet spot of playful, fun, and cool geekery. Along with that came an appreciation for good design work. If you've watched my video reviews of candy then you know that I ALWAYS talk about the wrappers. That's because candy wrappers are important. They should convey what the potential buyer is about to get into, and if not maintaining a theme in the design, candy should always at least have a sense of what tone it wants us to take from it. If your wrapper isn't fun, then I don't expect the candy or the experience to be fun.
And that is one of the reasons I love Kool-Aid. The product hits
squarely into that sweet spot of pop advertizing, especially considering
the nostalgia I associate with the late 80s - early 90s Kool-Aid Man
commercials. They we're honestly a great example of creating a tone and
feel for a product. It clearly resonated with kids too, Kool-Aid was
massively popular back in the 80s.
Its unfortunate to see how far the product has fallen.... but I'd rather not dwell on that.
A few years ago I was reading one of my favorite blogs at the time X-Entertainment, and I came across his review for... I think it must have been Purplesaurus Rex, and I was hooked. Matt at X-E spent a time over a year or so reviewing a ton of Kool-Aid flavors. it was really a treat, and one of the first time I got a bit obsessive with a blog. In fact that is one of the reasons I started this very blog here.Kool-Aid is awesome. It has real power with kids, and I still love it to this day. One of the many things I love about Kool-Aid is the graphic design work. The packages and variations are very cool. I like the colors, and the evolving elements over time, but I especially love the Kool-Aid man himself. He graces most of the Kool-Aid packages and is possibly the best food mascot design ever.
So with that, lets have a look at my collection of Kool-Aid packets.
While these ones look old they are actally only from around 2009. I picked them up in Canada (hence the french). This shows off the current roster of flavors up in the great white north: Strawberry, Grape, Tropical Punch, Ice Blue, Cherry, Orange, Lemon-Lime, and Strawberry-Kiwi. At least this was the current roster the last time I was up there and checked. At least here in the States the market after 2010 has seen a steep decline in kool-aid variety. I will say about these packages though that I love the fact that right off the bat you know this is kool-aid. That face is all you need. Pretty impressive considering how the rest of their mascots body draws your attention. Oh Yeah!
Until a little while ago this was the roster of standard flavors available in the US. Grape, Tropical Punch, Black Cherry, Orange, Pink Lemonade, Cherry, Lemon- Lime, Lemonade, and Strawberry. These were, and are the standard packet designs you'll see around stores here. That said since around 2010 most stores seem to have switched and ONLY offer Tropical Punch, Lemonade, and Cherry. Sometimes if you're going for a larger size, say the tub of kool-aid, powder you'll find Grape or Ornage but mostly its just those very depressing three flavors. And I'm not saying Tropical Punch, Cherry, or Lemonade are bad, in fact they're all good. But my real favorites were always Black Cherry or STrawberry. Neither of which are readily available anymore :(
I definitely like elements of the design work on these packages though. Kool-aid man is in his dapper yellow coat, holding out your drink of choice. You get to check out some of the fruit above the logo, and it generally conveys what it should. I like how excited the kool-aid man is; he's actually spilling some of hismself outin his haste to serve you a tasty beverage. My only gripe is that I would love to see the Kool-aid man's body actually be the color of the flavor. Oh I know that was only saved for very special occasions in a few ads but I was always impressed to see them shake things up a bit.
Moving on, these ones above are some of the older packets I've got. just kool-aid man chilling out beside some gigantic fruits. I don;t understand why they wouldn't have put all that text on the back of the packaging, but they didn't and while what we're left with is a classic, it also features a pretty small version of the kool-aid man.
Now lets give it up for the Island Twists.
Gotta love that ja-fakin accent! Well I don't recall ever having those originals but these are the older Island Twists I've got in my collection.
Seriously these are some of the best creations known to man. I am a big fan of the Island Twists in general and I was happy to see so many different flavors out there for a time. Almost all of them are great, and everyone is totally drinkable. My favorite of the bunch is probably Slammin' Strawberry Kiwi, but Soaring Strawberry Lemonade, and even the innocuous Berry Blue are great.
And talk about your different packaging. This "Solar" Strawberry Starfruit is actually my absolute favorite kool-aid flavor that I own. I mean just look at it! THE KOOL-AID MAN IS IN A FRIGGIN SPACESUIT!!! how awesome is that? its amazing! yeah... just chilling out in space. leaning away against this awesome strawberry and starfruit asteroid. and is he standing on the earth?! wtf is going on here! greatest packaging ever. I will blast-off thank you very much.
btw - how many Americans have every even had a starfruit? especially in 1990???
Ok, so here's a look at some more modern Island Twists.Very busy packaging. I'm not sure why but I always expect the Soarin' Strawberry Lemonade to highlight the Strawberry. With the package being yellow like that I keep thinking its all lemon. The rainbows are a nice touch on all of the packages though. And I especially like the blue raspberries.
Did you know there's magic in the air...These two above are some more Kool-aid packets I picked up in Canada. The basic idea here is you get it and the powder is one color but it turns a different color once the water is added and its mixed. Then on top of that it might taste like a different flavor than its colored. David Blaine eat your heart out...
The Americans got in on the magic action as well with these two. Actually there were three in the line but I only ever found two. Both here and witht he Canadian ones you've also got a secret one. I Don't know about that though... what if your kid ends up hating the flavor?
For the life of me I can't remember what the actual flavor of this Switchin' Secret flavor is but I'm sure its awesome :)
Just wanted to take a break for another awesome ad. Sharkleberry, alongside Purplesarus Rex were possibly the coolest side characters you could ever have. Seeing them pal around with the Kool-Aid man was just awesome. Also one was a shark and the other a dinosaur. thats pretty awesome on its own. Still great company. ok back to the pics...
Kool-aid has taken more than a few twists and turns over the years. These Ice Cool branded ones are a good example of how the people behind kool-aid really did s good job innovating flavors. As far as I recall these were characterized by the addition of peppermint, making them "cool". I believe the lemon ice ones were far better than the arctic green apple but both were pretty fun. And the drinks were both colored clear, always a neat trick.
Here the kool-aid man has ditched the yellow jacket in favor of a lab coat. These are some seriously great graphics. Check out how excited he looks to be concocting these brews. I'm not sure how mad he really seems but I LOVE the lightning bolt through the logo.
Woah, very Jekyll and Hyde there in that ad. Pretty cool stuff :)
Just like the Ice Cool branded kool-aids, these invisibles share the clear liquid quality. Watermelon Kiwi is great and all, but this is really one of the only places I've ever seen to get straight Raspberry flavor kool-aid. Why they felt the need to go invisible on us with it is anyone's guess but I'm glad they did.
Finally I've got two random ones. The tangerine looks like ti could easily fit in wit hthe older style Island Twists, and I really like how they did the bordering on the packet. The Pineapple I believe is imported from Mexico. I'm a collector, but never to the point where I bought anything online, I found this Pineapple in a store myself just like all the rest. I like the Mexican packet design, if only because that is one seriously big glass of kool-aid in the background.
And here's the whole shebang, I stopped collecting sometime in 2010 after they officially discontinued the points program. Tha's a whole other topic that maybe I'll get into in another post though. Suffice it to say I was extremely bummed out that they stopped that, and now that kool-aid is down to only a few flavors tucked away shamefully underneath the Crystal Light its almost an embarrassment.
Think about how awesome kool-aid really was back in the day, a huge jug of kool-aid smashed through the wall shouting Oh Yeah! I mean that's pretty flippin amazing. And look at all these graphics! they are awesome. Oh I get it, I understand that people can't possibly intake that much sugar and feel ok with themselves anymore, it's a different world now. It just makes me sad... no more Sharkleberry Fin, no more Grape Houdini, no more Purplesarus Rex, no more Kool-Aid man. At least not for me.
In the end of course I still love Kool-Aid. I always will, but its a pale shadow of what it once was and that's sad. So instead of that, why not focus on the good. The joy that it brought to us all. Kool-Aid was a great brand. and even when I wasn't drinking it, it made me happy. That's a powerful brand, a powerful mascot. And for that I will always love and respect it.
Friday, June 15, 2012
3 Musketeers review
Its time for another review and this week we're looking at the classic 3 Musketeers!
Well after doing my due diligence of spending 3 minutes scanning Wikipedia I've come to learn that 3 Musketeers is really a true American classic candy bar. Starting in 1932 it was once partitioned into 3 sections each flavored differently covering chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Now though of course the 3 Musketeers is just chocolate, but man what a chocolate it is. This bar will once again show my bias, because I already know that I love this chocolate bar. This is one of those candy bars from when I was a kid that I always loved, and I expect to again here.
But let's back up a second, look at this great packaging. Brilliant silver, with red and white. Its making a statement and I'm liking it, maybe not as muted or dour as the classic Dumas book would allude to... but who'd want to eat a chocolate bar that was really themed after the middle ages. Talk about depressing. No instead this channels the themes of heroism and action that the Musketeers evoke. I really like the imagery here, and think the bar goes a long way to making it work for it. On the side of the wrapper we can see that this is a "Whipped Up, Fluffy Chocolate-on-Chocolate Taste". Now if that doesn't sound kind of dirty, yet also delicious I don't know what does. Also of note the "45% less fat than average of the leading chocolate brands" quote. Ok, I guess that might make the sale for some people... For me, I understand that this is a chocolate bar and I'm not being fooled into thinking its healthy for me.
Onto the bar itself though, and I really love the design here. Sure the bar is simple, but its coated well. It's a thick milk chocolate, but not hard, just sturdy. And I really like the swirly drip chocolate marks on the top, maybe a bit reminiscent of la Milky Way, but to me this is just classic.
As for biting into the chocolate, well let me tell you, this is truly a great experience. The insides have a real lightness to them, this really feels like whipped chocolate, but with a pull almost of a toffee. It doesn't have the chew or any kind of stickiness that toffee does, it just has a nice pull. Like the way you wish marshmallows pulled only it doesn't have the annoying gummy after-texture of your average marshmallow. This is light, chocolatey goodness. I think its actually made from whipped eggs and sugar and then flavored with chocolate, so that may help. Looking at the cross section you can really see that this chocolate bar even has tiny bubbles in the fluff, its just that airy.
For my tastes this is a great chocolate bar, it smells great, looks great, and tastes great.
Walking the Candy Aisle rates 3 Musketeers - 5 / 5
3 Musketeers is a product of the Mars Inc, to learn more please visit http://www.3musketeers.com
Final Question - why aren't there other chocolate bars based on classic literary figures or references. Where's my Tarzan of the Apes banana bar, or my John Carter Martian Munchies? Someone should at the very least make some gummy worms called Cthulhu Crawlers... I mean these things just write themselves.
Well after doing my due diligence of spending 3 minutes scanning Wikipedia I've come to learn that 3 Musketeers is really a true American classic candy bar. Starting in 1932 it was once partitioned into 3 sections each flavored differently covering chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Now though of course the 3 Musketeers is just chocolate, but man what a chocolate it is. This bar will once again show my bias, because I already know that I love this chocolate bar. This is one of those candy bars from when I was a kid that I always loved, and I expect to again here.
But let's back up a second, look at this great packaging. Brilliant silver, with red and white. Its making a statement and I'm liking it, maybe not as muted or dour as the classic Dumas book would allude to... but who'd want to eat a chocolate bar that was really themed after the middle ages. Talk about depressing. No instead this channels the themes of heroism and action that the Musketeers evoke. I really like the imagery here, and think the bar goes a long way to making it work for it. On the side of the wrapper we can see that this is a "Whipped Up, Fluffy Chocolate-on-Chocolate Taste". Now if that doesn't sound kind of dirty, yet also delicious I don't know what does. Also of note the "45% less fat than average of the leading chocolate brands" quote. Ok, I guess that might make the sale for some people... For me, I understand that this is a chocolate bar and I'm not being fooled into thinking its healthy for me.Onto the bar itself though, and I really love the design here. Sure the bar is simple, but its coated well. It's a thick milk chocolate, but not hard, just sturdy. And I really like the swirly drip chocolate marks on the top, maybe a bit reminiscent of la Milky Way, but to me this is just classic.
As for biting into the chocolate, well let me tell you, this is truly a great experience. The insides have a real lightness to them, this really feels like whipped chocolate, but with a pull almost of a toffee. It doesn't have the chew or any kind of stickiness that toffee does, it just has a nice pull. Like the way you wish marshmallows pulled only it doesn't have the annoying gummy after-texture of your average marshmallow. This is light, chocolatey goodness. I think its actually made from whipped eggs and sugar and then flavored with chocolate, so that may help. Looking at the cross section you can really see that this chocolate bar even has tiny bubbles in the fluff, its just that airy.
For my tastes this is a great chocolate bar, it smells great, looks great, and tastes great.
Walking the Candy Aisle rates 3 Musketeers - 5 / 5
3 Musketeers is a product of the Mars Inc, to learn more please visit http://www.3musketeers.com
Final Question - why aren't there other chocolate bars based on classic literary figures or references. Where's my Tarzan of the Apes banana bar, or my John Carter Martian Munchies? Someone should at the very least make some gummy worms called Cthulhu Crawlers... I mean these things just write themselves.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Old Ads wrap and more
I've really enjoyed posting about some of the old ads for candy, chocolate, and snacks. I'm sure you guys can tell how much I love packaging, graphics,and advertising. Honestly you probably knew that beforehand, but now you've seen me revel in it a bit. For now I'm done looking at old ads, but I think I'll run another series on advertising later this year. Maybe look at some of my favorite tv commercials. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas or suggestions for ads you think are worth a look.
For those of you that may have missed it here are links to the various Old Ads posts:
Old Ads intro
Old Ads bubble gum pt 1
Old Ads snacks
Old Ads bubble gum pt 2
Old Ads kool-aid
Old Ads M&Ms
As we wrap up Spring around here and move into summer I wanted to also give you a bit of a tease for whats to come. Summertime is a great time to get out and about, its also a great time for big summer movies, and a bit later this summer I'll be having a look at some of the best films about and featuring candy and chocolate I can find. Actually there aren't that many of them so I may just look at everything.
More details on that coming in a few weeks, but its time to start watching :)
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