Swim Team

 Previously:

 Justice League Cheese Nips  - -  Avengers Cheez-Its

There they were...staring right up at me from the shelf on the cracker aisle at Target.  After Endgame, we thought the Avengers were done but it looks like they've returned.  Now instead of the plains of Wakanda or the streets of Manhattan, this time the battle rages on in your lunchbox.

Looks like the the world's greatest superheroes are teamed up with the Pepperidge Farms Goldfish.  Black Widow (deceased), Captain America (retired), Iron Man (deceased) and the Hulk (alive and less angry?) are the attention-getters on the outside of the bag, but what's on the inside?

 Our snack lineup consists of the Avengers "seal," Iron Man's mask, Black Panther's mask and Black Widow's symbol.  It's good to see Black Panther represented and, at this point, Iron Man is a no-brainer.  But if they were going to include symbols, I wouldn't have minded another character to show up instead of just the Avengers "A."  I also suspect that the Widow's hourglass symbol might have come from some previous franchise that got the cracker treatment.  More research is need to confirm that theory though.

And if you've got some time to kill while snacking, why not treat yourself to a "back of the bag" maze?  Pick your favorite Avenger and make your way to the center...hours of fun.

There are also regular shaped Goldfish in the mix so traditionalists don't get too disoriented while chomping down on these new, unfamiliar superhero shapes.  Grab a handful during the next Marvel Disney Plus show.

Crack Team

There are two types of Super Hero Food: one type that ties in with a movie or TV show and another that doesn't.  The first kind is a dime a dozen whereas the second is a little more rare.  This type seems to be an effort to keep the characters in the public eye and, of course, make a little money.

These are always more fun because they just "are."  Justice League Crackers are Justice League Crackers for the sake of being Justice League Crackers.  Which brings us to today's entry: Justice League Crackers!

Nabisco Justice League Mini Cheese Nips are the most recent item to make its way into my shopping cart.  They are your standard cheese cracker but with the theme of never-ending justice.  The usual gang is involved and, wisely, Nabisco decided to go with logos instead of faces.  Let's see how the cracker crumbles:

No Green Lantern and, of course, the ongoing Martian Manhunter snub is still in full effect.  Also, apparently Cyborg has a logo now and it's not bad.  Looks like a "C" with a gear in the middle which is a pretty clean design and translates well into the cracker medium.

The rest of the usual line up get their own crackers, as per their Justice League contracts.  All the logos look pretty good and are easily more recognizable than they tend to be in gummie format which makes me wonder why we don't get more character cracker stuff on a regular basis. 

There's a group shot on the back along with a nice little quiz.  As with most "back of the box" fare, this feels less like homework and more like a little light snack time fun.  You can see that the cracker-less Green Lantern makes an appearance at the back of the group shot and even gets his own trivia question.

The twelve packs of these beauties will fit very nicely in your Justice League lunch box with your Doom Patrol Tuna Salad sandwich.  Enjoy!

Infinity Bars

Marvel went retro with its latest snack treat offering.  When you buy a box of these chewy granola bars you get faced down by the old school Avengers (and Spidey) and for a group of guys who are hanging out on the front of a box of granola bars, they sure look pissed!

 

Even with the all star line up on the front the box beckons you, nay commands you, to "see the character wrappers" inside.  Since they're so proud of them let's take a look:

All right, not bad I guess.  It's always good to see a rare appearance of Black Widow on a food product.   Even rarer to see her in the retro style.  Additionally, each character wrapper contains a factoid about that character that may or may not be completely made up.

For example, "Iron Man's Armor adds five inches and 200 pounds to his frame."  While your head is spinning for that information, let's head to the back of the box:

We've got some games and the tried and true "cut out collectible trading card."  The Hulk card definitely makes up for not getting a Hulk wrapper although I am wondering what his factoid would have been.  Maybe something about the cut and length of his purple pants.

It's also worth noting that cutting along those dotted lines is entirely too stressful.  So I'm going to need a few minutes to get psyched up.

Dawn of a New Age

The time has come.  After years of speculation and anticipation, whispers and rumors, we finally get to see what we've been dreaming of for far too long.  Today is the day I've waited for all my life:

Ok, so granted, I've been ranting about wanting Iron Man cereal for the past several years and this is technically Avengers: Age of Ultron Cereal, but look who's right up front.  Shellhead is flanked by his two best wingmen but for some reason there's no love for Thor.  Now no one would expect to see Hawkeye of Black Widow (or as they're sometimes known: "And the Rest") but the lack of Thor is...well...ungodly.  This neglect continues once you open the box:

In addition to the nondescript, square cereal shapes there are three different marshmallow varieties, presumably representing our three cover boys.  Red and blue for Cap.  Red and yellow for Iron Man and green and a slightly different shade of green (unless I imagined it) for the Hulk.  But if you are worried about Thor withdrawls, just turn the box over:

Consider it a cameo.  We've got one coder breaker-esque puzzle type game to help you bide your time while chewing.  The bulk of the back, however is devoted to the overly complicated way of buying a certain number of products in a certain time frame in order to get a free ticket to some movie of somethingorother.  Who cares!?!?  I've finally got my Avengers cereal!!  It will now take its rightful place in my collection:

The Food of the Marvel Experience

You heard that disembodied voice!  We have to go to the Cotton Bowl!  So that's where I went to check out the latest stop of The Marvel Experience Tour in Dallas.  Now I'm sure there is tons of info all over the web about the tour with its cool games, ride, props and all around awesomeness.  It's definitely worth a visit.  However...

With all the good word of mouth about the tour, I was looking forward to some next-level snack treat branding.  Hulkburgers, Iron Manwhiches, Rocket Ragu, Agents of V.E.A.L., the possibilities were limitless.  But my hopes were dashed when I approached the tour's "Power Cafe" (the what?) and saw the menu:

Was "Loaded Mac Daddy Dog" in the West Coast Avengers at some point?  No?  Thunderbolts, maybe?  While I definitely appreciate and respect the courageousness of putting macaroni and cheese on a hot dog, I just wish it could have somehow be named after Thor or Agent Carter or somebody cool like that.  I mean there could have been an entire appetizer menu based on Pepper Potts alone!

In another part of the Experience, the "Bio Mix Station" offered hope:

Looks like a multitude of characters, colors and logos.  Surely there are some clever, one of a kind items that we can score here in this clever, one of a kind environment.  Sadly, upon closer inspection, this proved to not be true:

I like cherry sours and smoked almonds as much as the next guy, but I usually don't have to go through a S.H.I.E.L.D. orientation in order to get them. 

A quick perusal through the gift shop (located conveniently between the Experience and the Exit) left me equally nonplussed but I didn't let it get me down.  Overall, the Marvel Experience was great and deep down I know that someday my Sub-Marinated Invisible Grilled Peter Pork Chops will be a reality!