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infrogmation Dang. "Kibo" once again shows amazing insight into pop culture while exposing bozocity for amusement.
Why the heck do so many commercials market food to kids as if the consuming the products would produce an acid trip?
What sort of market research went into this tactic?
Wondering simply, -- Froggy
From: kibo@world.std.com (James "Kibo" Parry)
Subject: Cap'n Crunch is the oldest living hippie
Newsgroups: alt.religion.kibology
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 06:47:53 GMT
Organization: http://www.kibo.com
X-Newsreader: none
Here's a new one, commercial-wise...
While watching cartoons this morning, I saw a commercial for a weird cross-promotion between Crayola crayons and Cap'n Crunch cereal. It seems that Crayola is on the verge of adding another new color to their box of 128 (or 256 or 512) crayons, presumably meaning they'll have to discontinue one of the 123 (or 251 or 507) colors nobody uses. And, as always, they're drumming up hype over this major crayon innovation by letting kids "vote" on which of the potential new colors looks the best.
Or in this case, tastes the best.
Cap'n Crunch's Crunchberries have changed from the old-fashioned blistering magenta color to three new Crayola-brand colors, so kids can determine which potential new crayon will have the crunchiest, tangiest taste. The commercial does mention (quietly) that they have the "same great berry flavor" they used to, but still, the concept that WOW! NOW MY FOOD LETS ME PRETEND I'M EATING YUMMY CRAYONS! makes me think Cap'n Crunch should be court-martialed, keel-hauled,or at least made to walk the plank into a vat of molten wax.
And that's not even the really scary part.
The candidates for new Crayola colors which are current Crunchberry colors include Outrageous Orange (it's like regular orange except it causes people to write editorials complaining about it), something-or-other Green (it's like regular green except with a new name so exciting I can't even remember it) and...
...Mellow Yellow.
That's right, now you can pretend your cereal is made of crayons made of drugs.
Instead of journeying to the bottom of your oatmeal bowl to see the crudely-drawn bunny, now you can eat Cap'n Crunch and journey to the center of your mind! Oh wow, it's like eating a planet made of crunch.
Of course, commercials for weirdly-color kids' foods always show the kids biting into the stuff and then freakin' out into a trippy world of multi-colored candy swirls and flying fruits (and in some cases undergoing hideous genetic damage, like in the Gushers commercials where the kid's head turns into a watermelon slice.) But do they have to be so overt about the psychedelic nature of confetti-colored cereals?
"Taste the rainbow" with Skittles! "Go koo-koo" for Cocoa Puffs! And now, experience a Crunchberry freakout with the tricky trippy taste of new Mellow Yellow Crunchberries! They're toasted, and you'll be too! Try 'em with Kool-Aid and Gushers and Fruit Roll-Ups for a FAR-OUT BLAST OF FREAKY FRUIT! YOU'LL BLOW YOUR CANDY MIND!
I knew that Cap'n Crunch was a countercultural hero -- after all, he invented the Atari 2600 -- but I didn't know he was turning kindergartners on to recreational drugs. At least Mellow Yellow is the most harmless one out there, given that it's made entirely from banana peels. And in cereal form, you can put milk on it and -- WHAT? NUTRASWEET IS "MADE FROM INGREDIENTS FOUND IN BANANAS AND MILK"? OH NO, MELLOW YELLOW IS INCREDIBLY DEADLY!!!!
-- K.
But at least it's not
"TUH-WISTED!"
Why the heck do so many commercials market food to kids as if the consuming the products would produce an acid trip?
What sort of market research went into this tactic?
Wondering simply, -- Froggy
From: kibo@world.std.com (James "Kibo" Parry)
Subject: Cap'n Crunch is the oldest living hippie
Newsgroups: alt.religion.kibology
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 06:47:53 GMT
Organization: http://www.kibo.com
X-Newsreader: none
Here's a new one, commercial-wise...
While watching cartoons this morning, I saw a commercial for a weird cross-promotion between Crayola crayons and Cap'n Crunch cereal. It seems that Crayola is on the verge of adding another new color to their box of 128 (or 256 or 512) crayons, presumably meaning they'll have to discontinue one of the 123 (or 251 or 507) colors nobody uses. And, as always, they're drumming up hype over this major crayon innovation by letting kids "vote" on which of the potential new colors looks the best.
Or in this case, tastes the best.
Cap'n Crunch's Crunchberries have changed from the old-fashioned blistering magenta color to three new Crayola-brand colors, so kids can determine which potential new crayon will have the crunchiest, tangiest taste. The commercial does mention (quietly) that they have the "same great berry flavor" they used to, but still, the concept that WOW! NOW MY FOOD LETS ME PRETEND I'M EATING YUMMY CRAYONS! makes me think Cap'n Crunch should be court-martialed, keel-hauled,or at least made to walk the plank into a vat of molten wax.
And that's not even the really scary part.
The candidates for new Crayola colors which are current Crunchberry colors include Outrageous Orange (it's like regular orange except it causes people to write editorials complaining about it), something-or-other Green (it's like regular green except with a new name so exciting I can't even remember it) and...
...Mellow Yellow.
That's right, now you can pretend your cereal is made of crayons made of drugs.
Instead of journeying to the bottom of your oatmeal bowl to see the crudely-drawn bunny, now you can eat Cap'n Crunch and journey to the center of your mind! Oh wow, it's like eating a planet made of crunch.
Of course, commercials for weirdly-color kids' foods always show the kids biting into the stuff and then freakin' out into a trippy world of multi-colored candy swirls and flying fruits (and in some cases undergoing hideous genetic damage, like in the Gushers commercials where the kid's head turns into a watermelon slice.) But do they have to be so overt about the psychedelic nature of confetti-colored cereals?
"Taste the rainbow" with Skittles! "Go koo-koo" for Cocoa Puffs! And now, experience a Crunchberry freakout with the tricky trippy taste of new Mellow Yellow Crunchberries! They're toasted, and you'll be too! Try 'em with Kool-Aid and Gushers and Fruit Roll-Ups for a FAR-OUT BLAST OF FREAKY FRUIT! YOU'LL BLOW YOUR CANDY MIND!
I knew that Cap'n Crunch was a countercultural hero -- after all, he invented the Atari 2600 -- but I didn't know he was turning kindergartners on to recreational drugs. At least Mellow Yellow is the most harmless one out there, given that it's made entirely from banana peels. And in cereal form, you can put milk on it and -- WHAT? NUTRASWEET IS "MADE FROM INGREDIENTS FOUND IN BANANAS AND MILK"? OH NO, MELLOW YELLOW IS INCREDIBLY DEADLY!!!!
-- K.
But at least it's not
"TUH-WISTED!"
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no subject
Date: 2002-03-04 09:16 am (UTC)There's also a soda called "Sierra Mist" which is either a Mountain Dew clone or a Sprite clone. I haven't tried it.
I haven't had Mountain Dew in forever. In fact, I haven't even had the urge to, despite all the advertising. I am drinking diet root beer right now, and that's close enough.
Kibo forgot to mention the sour candy commercials that gave kids Bitter Beer Face.
no subject
Date: 2002-03-04 10:10 am (UTC)Mello Yello is Coca-Cola's fake Mountain Dew.
Sierra Mist is Pepsi's fake Sprite.
"Diet Rootbeer"? Well, I do have a little bit of a love-handle thing going on, but I really don't think I need to lose any weight...
ACH! SAUERESUSSIGKEITGESICHT!
Re:
Date: 2002-03-04 11:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-03-11 11:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-03-17 11:15 pm (UTC)This is a great sentence!!!
groovy
Date: 2002-03-18 06:00 pm (UTC)sorry...having a Homer moment. LOVE that phrase "a far-out blast of freaky fruit". Too much!