Let's Get Crackin'

It.  Has.  BEGUN!

Avengers Age of Ulton may still be a few months away but the Hype Train has now officially left the station.  Forget the trailers, posters, tweets and online buzz.  The REAL first day of movie promotion starts in the grocery store.  And that day is today.  Avengers Cheez-Its, anyone?

They're certainly not Marvel's first superhero foray into the cracker genre:

 

But some extra steps were taken here and that need to be acknowledged.  Let's start with the shapes.  With many teams, particularly the Avengers, food real estate is at a premium and usually goes to the most popular profitable characters.  That being said, I would like to welcome Black Widow (who usually gets left out) to the grocery aisle, even if it's only her logo:

In addition to her logo we've got Iron Man's mask, Cap's Shield, the Avengers logo, Thor's hammer...essentially the usual shapes we've seen in cookies, pasta and fruit snacks before.  Of course, there's no Hawkeye but it's rare to see him on a package, outside of a group shot anyway so it's not like he was expected.  We'll just have to be satisfied with Widow's inclusion.      

The other good element from this snack is a throwback to the old days of games on the back of cereal boxes and this time you get two for one:

Everything is included except the coin you need to flip for "Game of Heroes."  I would image that it would work with dice as well but Big Cracker didn't want to take the chance that you didn't have a pair handy.  Odds are, you are someone near you might have a coin on hand when cracking open a box. 

You can also try spend some cracker crunching time with "Ultron's Menacing Maze."  And if it's too menacing then there is a URL at the bottom, in small print, you can use to find the answer.  Yes, that's right.

Hopefully this is only the beginning of the AoU hype train.  I, for one, am ready to get on board.  

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!

Souper Can

The Age of Ultron hype has officially made it to the grocery aisles.  While not exactly a true movie tie-in, Avengers Fun Shaped Pasta Soup is definitely meant to whet the appetite of fanboy foodies and maintain a market presence of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes.  While I assume that each Avenger gets a spotlight on the label, there was only one who managed to push his way to the front and center:

He may not be getting his own movie anytime soon but he definitely got his own soup can label.  'Nuff Said.

And now for the breakdown:

I guess noodles are an easier medium than gummies.  The shapes are not too far off from the pictures.    Of course, only the fab four are included but it seems like an arrow or two from Hawkeye wouldn't have been too hard.  Maybe by Phase Four...

Recipe: Ollie's Stupendous Chili

For your next post-crime fighting session, why not try a steaming bowl of Ollie's red hot chili:

Snack Time: Marvelous Munchies

Sometimes I'll come across some super hero related food that is interesting but not quite interesting enough for its own blog entry. When that happen they get combined into a "Snack Time" entry.

Today we have an assortment of Marvel snacks starting with a Marvel Snacker:

Iron Man and Thor deliver apples, pretzels and cheese for a slightly healthier version of a Lunchable. Next up are a couple of X-Men Days of Future Past food tie ins:

For some reason this bag of Flipz is Wolverine White Fudge flavor.  I'm not sure what makes them "Wolverine" White Fudge instead of just regular White Fudge.  Our next one also barely qualifies as being re-branded:

The only reason I think of this box of Twinkies as X-Men Twinkies is that they went to the added effort to switch the regular cream filling with Blue Raspberry cream filling.  I think that should be recognized and rewarded.

Next up is a weird one (in a good way):

Mighty Bananas are the food of the gods and are heavily endorsed by the Mighty Thor.  If you are worthy, you can pick some up.

Avengers Cookies Assemble!

Occasionally companies that market super hero licenses remember that kids like cookies.  It's a lot rarer than you would think.  In the grocery store we're tripping all over Super Hero Fruit Snacks but for some reason cookies are few and far between.  That's what makes these beauties so special:

Honey Maid Avengers chocolate cookies are now in our lives.  The other good news is that, much like the best old school cereal, the back of the box is fun-packed with fun-type fun activities:

Despite being not particularly difficult, I appreciate the extra effort.  And it doesn't stop there.  The side of the box includes hero bios.  This box had Captain America but I assume the other boxes had the rest of the team:

They also did a good job with their shapes.  We've got the Avengers logo, Cap's shield, the Iron Man mask and Hulk's fist (which is quickly becoming the new, international symbol of the Hulk):

All in all I'd call it a great effort and definitely a good way to pass the time while while for the next Avengers movie.

100 Percent Cotton

When you think of Batman, things like cotton candy rarely come to mind.  Until now, that is.  Batman Cotton Candy is now officially a thing.  For some reason you can find it in the Easter aisle:

One of the first things I noticed is that it says "25% More Free."  Now, to my understanding, this is a brand new product so it's not like it is "25 % More Than it Used to Be."  Could it possibly be "25% More Than We Originally Intended To Sell"?  Yet another Super Hero Food Mystery.

Once the bag is opened, the Batman theme ends and it's just your standard pink and blue cotton candy:

Not that there's anything wrong with regular cotton candy.  I would imagine that if it were the standard yellow/black Batman colors it would not be particularly appetizing.

And while this may be the first Batman Cotton Candy, it is most certainly not the first Super Hero Themed Cotton Candy.  Check out Hulk & Spidey Cotton Candy from a few years back: