Cotton Candy Balls

Whenever I make a trip to Target, I usually take the time to search the aisles for products that may be new, limited, or special edition.  I usually look for items that can be purchased for fun and review on The Holidaze.  However, yesterday was not one of those days.  I had just gotten out of work, was tired, and had to run in for just a few essentials.  I didn't plan on buying any junk food, but my something caught my girlfriend's eye... blue cheese balls!  At first, I was intrigued.  No matter how tired I may have been, things like that will wake me right up.  How could you go wrong with blue cheese balls?  They're tiny cheese puffs, put into a ball, and dyed blue!  Um.. yes, please!

But when we picked up the giant tub of blue cheese balls, things changed..

Okay.. Cotton Candy Balls?  Have the good people at Herr's gone nuts?  This was far from what I expected and the first thing I said was "ew, these are going to be gross."  In turn, that scared away a couple who were obviously interested in making the purchase.  They stopped, looked at the tub, then at each other, before leaving after I let my opinion drop.  I'm sorry if that killed their vibe, or the sale for Target, but who in their right mind would buy these?  Of all the flavors Herr's could have released, why an overly sugary circus treat?  Don't get me wrong, Cotton Candy is great, but I just didn't see how it could successfully translate over to corn puffs.

Regardless of my preconceived notions, my girlfriend convinced me that this would be a good pick-up.  We'd get to try such an odd snack and, for The Holidaze, it would make for an interesting review.  For the $6 they cost, it was well worth the risk.  After all, I seem to be in the minority when it comes to liking limited edition Oreos, so why would this be any different?  Similarly, how could I knock Herr's and praise Nabisco for going the extra mile?  No matter what I think, before or after the taste test, I am happy to see such a unique product on the market.

As Leonardo gazed and salivated in hunger, I took a good whiff of these blue balls (pause for immature laughter) and.. wow, they really do smell like Cotton Candy.  I didn't expect them to be so potent, but this was the real deal.  Even more intrigued than before, we chomped down on one of the Cotton Candy Balls.

The flavor?  Bland.. It's an almost flavorless corn puff, but that's only at first.  After a second or two, there's an after taste that actually does remind me of Cotton Candy.  It's not very strong, and tastes much more like Cap'n Crunch Berries than anything else, but even that is a bit weak.  They taste as if they took all the sugar out of our favorite cereals and left us with nothing more than a scent and puffs.

With that said, I'm actually not knocking these Cotton Candy Balls.  I think the fact that they're more bland than expected is actually a good thing.  Had they been overwhelmingly sweet or tastes too much like Cotton Candy, I don't think these would have worked out at all.  Fan of Cotton Candy or not, I just don't think that's a flavor that does very well outside of it's incarnation.  Bubblicious Bubble Gum does a decent job of relaying the flavor, but even that gets old after a while.  So, this way, the way Herr's did it, works well.  I'm not going to buy them again, nor will I be finishing off the tub, but I'm happy we bought them.  They're something worth trying and, as a fan of weird products like this, I had to lend my financial support to the companies that go the extra mile.  Because I do so, I wouldn't be surprised if Nabisco released a Cotton Candy Oreo next.  I'd probably be writing the same review, but at least the packing would be cool.

Since it's Ninja Turtles month around here, I decided to let Leo eat as much as he wants.  Nobody notice that he's missing an arm, okay?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Gummy Turtle Power Pizza

Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film will be released three weeks from today!!  I don't know about you, but I couldn't be more excited!  I've been looking forward to this movie since it was first rumored on TheTechnodrome.com's forums.  I remember thinking, "who, a live-action CGI Turtles film?  That's going to be amazinggg."  Now, say what you will about the character designs because, for the most part, I'm right there with ya.  The Turtles that I know and love are obviously not the Turtles who will be gracing the silver screen on August 8th.  But that's okay.. This is a new generation and I'm embracing the new look and hoping for the absolute best.  My hopes are high, no matter how hard I try to keep them low.  I'm pumped and I'm not even attempting to hide it.  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mean a lot to me, my childhood and the nostalgia I now celebrate.  I'll get more into that as we get closer to the film's release, but any Holidaze fans already know how much I love those four teenage turtles.  

So how do you celebrate such an awesome time in our lives?  How do you celebrate this new film?  How do you celebrate the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?  On The Holidaze, it's simple... dedicate as many posts to The Green Machine as you can between now and August 8th!  Thanks to the power of marketing and Nickelodeon, the Turtles are pretty much everywhere and we have a bunch to discuss!

We'll start off slowly and begin with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles candy featuring Nickelodeon's hit character designs.  While at work, during my lunch break, a group of manly men and I ventured to the local grocery store for a quick sandwich.  These guys don't have any interest in anything I talk about on The Holidaze, so the last thing they were looking for was Ninja Turtle candy.  But me?  I'm a giant man-child and my eyes were moving a mile a minute.  Candy, soda, chips, cereal.. you name it.  I'm always looking for something.  I didn't see much, but when I saw Gummy Turtle Power Candy Pizza, there was nooo way I was passing it up.  At the risk of being ridiculed by men twice my age and size, I grabbed a box and walked over to the cashier like I had just struck gold.  Nobody saw the 27-year-old man pay for his Turtle candy but, even if they did, there was no stopping me.  At that point, I could have easily been confused for Vanilla Ice.

When I got back to work, I did a quick Google search and learned that these aren't all that new, but they're new to me so I couldn't wait to get home and rip open the box.  The Gummy Pizza's don't look like the design pictured on the box, but I actually prefer their actual appearance much more.  There's something about them that reminds me of my childhood.  Do you remember Slime Slurps?  I vaguely remember the slimy, gummy creatures molded into TMNT heroes and villains.  They were strung out in Toys R Us and always drew me in.  Man, I'm having quite the flashback now as I write this.  I knew that these Gummy Pizza's wouldn't share the same texture, but the shape and color surely brings about nostalgia!  That's already a step in the right direction!

Out of the wrapper, you can see the slight detail they added to the Gummy Pizza's.  Again, it's a far cry from what's pictured on the box and looks more like faux vomit you'd find in an old magic shop. The chunky pepperoni pieces a bit less appetizing now that we've crossed that bridge, but I'm willing to accept and overlook that for the Ninja Turtles.  In reality, these don't look, smell, or feel much different than any gummy candies you'd find in your standard candy-by-the-pound stores.  You know, the ones where you fill a plastic bag with more candy that you'll ever eat in your life?  Yeah, well you can't have those without these and, by this point, I had pretty much figured these were Peach Rings without the hole or sugar coating.

I was pretty close.. They're more like those Gummy Strawberries that are red on top and pink on the bottom.  That's the texture, anyway.  But the flavor?  Very bland.  It's a dull battle between cherry and peach, but it's mostly flavorless.  These aren't something I'd eat regularly and they'll probably sit around in my kitchen until I sneak them into theaters on August 8th, but they're just okay..  I love them for being Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' candy, but maybe they're better off in the three-fingered hands of another.

Mikey!  He likes it!

Limeade Oreo Cookies

Man, it's been quite a while since I last posted on The Holidaze.  I hate typing that sentence, because I feel like I've done it too often, but life always finds a way to distract me from the site.  Don't get me wrong, that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Although work has kept me busy, I also spent a beautiful week in sunny Las Vegas which provided me with at least one future entry.  While I may not have written on The Holidaze in over a month, I'm always looking for new things, products, and events to cover.  I just can't help myself.  This stuff makes me happy and even if I didn't have this small outlet to share my thoughts with all of you, I'd still be talking to myself about how great Halloween candy is.

My buddies at Nabisco are at it again and, yes, they're still out of their minds.  Say what you want - I've read the complaints - but I will never ever knock Nabisco for releasing these crazy, out-of-the-box, Oreo flavors.  As I've said before, there are many of you out there who can't stand the fact that these Oreo flavors exist, but I'm not one of them.  Whenever I review one of these new limited editions, I always thank Nabisco for ignoring the haters and continuing to impress me by going the extra mile.  When I judge a company, especially one that releases junk food, that's always one of my top criteria to go by.  By stocking shelves with Fruit Punch or Gingerbread Oreo cookies, Nabisco is only giving it's consumers more variety to choose from.  Some may love it, some may hate it, but why would anybody tell them to stop?  Nabisco has gone too far?  Oh no.. Nabisco has only just begun.  This time?

Limeade Oreo Cookies!!

When I first saw Limeade Oreos, the first thing that caught my eye was the bright, neon green color that popped off of the yellow packaging.  I don't know about you, but looking at that ice cold glass of Limeade makes me pretty damn thirsty.  I don't know why I'd think that an Oreo cookie would quench that thirst, but I have to assume it's thanks to Nabisco's genius marketing team.  When it comes to graphic and package design, they definitely do one hell of a job.

As for the cookies themselves, the green creme doesn't pop quite as much as the glass on the bag, but they're less pastel than I thought they'd be.  They're a beautiful color and given that green is my favorite color, I knew they were going to look pretty.  The fact that they remind me of Mutagen, Slimer and Ecto-Cooler is a great bonus.  Basically, regardless of their taste, I was going to be a fan of these Limeade Oreo cookies no matter what.  Based on appearance alone, they had already won my heart.

If you're familiar with similar limited edition Oreos, or if you've read any of my reviews, you already know that the creme center is a different texture that the traditional variety.  It's much creamier and less like frosting.  I think, in the case of these flavors, that's the way to go.  I believe that by reserving that frosty creme center for the chocolate and golden Oreo cookies, Nabisco separates their limited edition flavors from what we all know and love.  I take these varieties for what they are and don't attempt to compare them to anything else.  Each and every edition stands alone as an individual cookie and, unlike the classics, don't bring back any nostalgic memories.  However, with every release, these limited edition flavors do their best to create new memories and attach themselves to the seasons in which they were released.  Personally, that's my favorite part.  Candy Corn Oreos have become a new Halloween tradition and, now, Limeade Oreo cookies may very well become one for the Summer.

So, how do they taste?  Well they're not too far from the Fruit Punch Oreo cookies, but not quite as delicious.  However, with that said, these are absolutely incredible in their own right.  Limeade Oreos find the perfect line between sweet and sour.  Much like actual Limeade, there are multiple layers to the cookies' flavor and I was surprised by that.  To be honest, I didn't expect much more than a re-dyed Lemon Twist Oreo cookie in an attempt to quickly cash in on schmucks like me.  But I was happy to discover that these are completely original and insanely good.  I'd offer you one, but this bag is long gone by now.

I absolutely recommend these Limeade Oreo cookies to any of you who actually enjoy these limited edition Oreos.  I know there are many of you who want to see the madness come to an end, but I ask all of you to go out and pick up a bag.  One, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and, two, Nabisco will make a lot of money and keep these crazy flavors coming for me to review.  In the end, it's a win-win.  For now, here's lime-shaped creme to make you smile :)

P.S. I'll be doing my best to keep The Holidaze updated as much as possible as we enter the latter half of Summer and prepare for.. dun dun DUN... September! Bwahaha!

Pebbles - Summer Berry Flavor

Summer is right around the corner and those early Summer temps are already starting to pop up on the East Coast.  80, 81, 84.. It's getting hotter and hotter and besides making me wish I went to the gym more, it makes me excited for all the new products and activities in store for us over the next 3-4 months.  Much like the latter part of the year, Summer always brings out the best in retailers, distributors and promoters.  It leads to interesting shelves and even better times out and about in the sun.  Believe me, after the Winter we had in New Jersey, I'm more than ready for that heat and relaxation.  Until then, my eyes are always searching for new and creative products.

As I always do in grocery stores, I was walking down the cereal aisle in hopes of finding something I've never seen before.  I haven't had much luck in recent months so I wasn't expecting much.  As I looked at the same old boxes I've seen time and time again, I realized I was about to strike out again.  I shrugged my shoulders and began walking toward the next aisle when something caught my eye at the very last second.

Now, I'm not that much of a geek that I'd publicly do a solo Daniel Bryan "YES" chant but, in my mind, all I heard was "Ride of the Valkyries."  Instead of being on shelves, these beautiful boxes of new Summer Berry Flavored Pebbles cereal had their own display for the season!  Ever since I was a kid, I've always loved limited-edition cereals because there was so much uniqueness to them.  Whether it was an unusual flavor or amazing box art, they lured me in and I just had to have it bowled as quickly as possible.  As of late, Post has been doing an incredible job with the Pebbles collection.  Most recently, we had Sugar Cookie Pebbles for the Christmas season, but it even goes beyond that and has for years!

Now, it's obvious that this new Summer Berry Pebbles aims to celebrate America.  Whether it's Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, it symbolizes the USA chant!  The red, white, and blue color scheme, along with Uncle Sam's top hat on Bamm-Bamm's head, is enough for me to wave as if it's Old Glory hereslf.  It's an awesome illustration and, as a fan of product art and design, I would have purchased this box even if reviews warned against it.  But how could you go wrong with Berry flavored cereal?  I was about to find out..

Besides the white oats looking like flaky skin, the colors are vibrant and pop loud enough to be confused with Macy's July 4th Spectacular.  Okay.. maybe I'm stretching a bit, but the combination works very well and besides being appropriate for this limited-edition, it's nice to see these three come together in a cereal box.  Personally, I can't remember any time we've had the flag represented in breakfast form so this may very well be historic.  Call up Scholastic and have them publish this in time for next September's school year.  Students need to read this groundbreaking piece of literature ;)

Unlike the Sugar Cookie Pebbles which only had a hint of Sugar Cookie flavor, these Summer Berry Pebbles stand entirely on their own in the realm of cereals.  Besides texture, this cereal tastes nothing like Fruity Pebbles.  Going in, I expected the classic flavor with maybe a small hint of Berry in an attempt to quickly cash in on the season.  Nope.. I was wrong!

The Berry flavor is strong and sweet, but perfect for this limited-edition variety and was a nice change of pace from what I'm used to.  Now, I've never had Bamm-Bamm Berry Pebbles, so this is a Berry flavor that I've yet to experience from a breakfast cereal and that's a good thing.  This isn't Boo Berry, it's not Berry Berry Kix, and tastes nothing like Crunch Berries.  No.. if I were to compare this to anything, it would be a pack of berry Starburst or, if you've ever been to Houlihan's, their Blue Whale cocktail.  I know that's an odd comparison, but there's something about Summer Berry Pebbles that reminds me of an alcoholic concoction.  Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing... The only thing wrong with that is it doesn't get me buzzed in the process.  Otherwise, it does a great job of making me feel as if I'm relaxing on a beach with Fred and Barney while Betty and Wilma bring us some Summer Berry.  Ahhhh, the good life in Bedrock!

Coming Soon: TMNT Crush

We live in a unique time.  Thanks to technology, specifically social media, the way in which we acquire news has changed greatly since I was a kid.  Back then, you either watched the news or bought tomorrow's newspaper to find out what's going on in the world.  When it came to new products, you'd either catch a commercial, advertisement, or get lucky when searching the aisles.  But nowadays, the world is at the tip of our fingers and everything is updated in real-time.  Today, with a quick search, it's much faster to find news on Twitter than any other media outlet.  In fact, in that same regard, those of us who used to read the news can now make our own.  Now, more than ever, nobody is a nobody.

In terms of The Holidaze, where I discuss new products, toys, events, nostalgia and, of course, holidays, this new age we live in can be just as effective.  In my down time (and when I'm killing time at work,) I'll randomly search hashtags on Instagram in relation to my interests.  It only takes a second and, before ya know it, there are thousands of #halloween photos to go through.  Try doing a quick #80s or #90s search and go on a trip back in time for a true ride down memory lane.  For so many reasons, Instagram has become my favorite social media outlet and it's where I find a lot of Holidaze topics.

Most recently, while doing a #TMNT search, I stumbled across something absolutely awesome!!

As I've stated here before, I am a HUGE Ninja Turtles fan!  They're my favorite cartoon characters of all-time and, to this day, you'll still find me collecting merchandise and watching the classic 80s toon.  So when I saw this, posted by @its_lpk-all_day, my jaw immediately dropped.  With the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film being released on August 8th, the movie promotion has clearly begun!  This brand new can of Crush Soda is specifically designed for Raphael and is Strawberry flavored to match his colored eye band.  This is almost too perfect that it was hard to believe.  Then, as I looked closely, I started to think it was fake.  If you look at the logo, it looks as if it's poorly cut-out.  So I tried not to get my hopes up, especially because this was the only photo I found, and just forget about it until something else came along.

Then, today, I saw.... this!!  In a similar search, @thepleasuretheprivilegeismine posted this masterpiece!!  If this doesn't make it official, then I don't know what will!  Not only are we getting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Crush soda cans, we're getting 12-packs specifically designed and flavored to match all four Ninja Turtles.  Raphael will be Strawberry and I assumed Donatello will be Grape while Michelangelo will be Orange.  That makes sense, but I wasn't sure which blue flavor would be applied to Leonardo.  Well, now we know.. Crush Berry Punch!  As far as I know, this flavor has never been released before and will be making it's debut with our fearless leader!  Now, are there flavors for April, Splinter and Shredder, too?  I don't know, but I highly doubt it.  In reality, the only other flavor I can fathom is lime.  Perhaps we'll get a mutagen TGRI can to represent all four turtles.  That would put this over the top, but I'm already ecstatic over this promotional product.  It's a good sign for TMNT products and I hope to see much much more in the coming months.

As soon as I find these packs, they'll be here on The Holidaze.  Until then, keep your eyes peeled!!

X-Men: Days of Future Past Blue Raspberry Twinkies

All it takes is one or two new products to kick the season off right and get me back in that Holidaze spirit.  While I haven't been updating the site as regularly as I'd like, I have been behind-the-scenes, scouring stores and online shops, in an attempt to find as many new and intriguing products as possible.  I've been relatively successful and have a few things ready to go, but this one just couldn't wait.  There was no way I was going to sit on this until it had come and gone without any fanfare.  I did that with a good 6-7 Easter products and now they've been trashed in the "unreleased material" folder.  When I call it unreleased material, I feel more important.  I'm like the Michael Jackson of holidays.

Ahhh behold the beauty!!  If you're familiar with The Holidaze, you may be aware of my history (or lack thereof) with Hostess Twinkies.  For as much as I'd like you to click that link, the short story is I never tried one before they temporarily went extinct.  Then, upon their return last Summer, I couldn't get enough of the spongy goodness.  They weren't easy to find, but I bought a box whenever I did.  Now, they're everywhere and I still do my part to keep them in business.  However, since I overlooked Twinkies for so many years, I missed out on the promotional tie-ins or, more specifically, the Ogre Green Shrek Twinkies.  Oh man do they look and sound delicious!  Tasty sponge cakes filled with green goo.  As a fan of TMNT and Slimer, that screams cool on so many different levels.

That time has come and gone.  Thankfully, I have Google to search and pretend as though I took part in that craze.  But this time?  Oh no, buddy!  I wasn't going to miss out again... This time, Hostess and their Twinkies have joined forces with Marvel and the release of X-Men: Days of Future Past! Now, I didn't see the film, but simply because we received this box of delicious glory, I give it 5 stars and an Academy Award.  Blue creme wins every time.

These Twinkies are all business on top but there's one hell of an ecstasy laced party going on below.  This blue creme is seeping through the cake, just asking for you to devour it and ultimately mutate into a new super hero.  Nobody knows who or what you'll become, but that type of colored ooze can only mean you're destined to save the world.  Move over, Wolverine.. 

Cue the Daniel Bryan "YES" chants because I absolutely love this color!!  Look at this closely because it's obviously more than just "blue."  Calling it "blue" is insulting it's beauty.  There's a hint of turquoise, cerulean, cornflower, denim, purple, indigo, and navy.  Sure, I did look up the list of Crayola Crayon colors in order to name these colors, but that's just a small portion of my time worth spending in order to properly describe such an important Summer product!  It's the type of cake that lets kids and kids-at-heart pretend they're eating something forbidden that will enhance their powers beyond human capability.  I mean, I can't be the only 27-year-old expecting to fly after eating a Twinkie, right?  Um..

In all seriousness, the coolest part about these new Twinkies are exactly what separates them from those Ogre Green Shrek Twinkies from years ago... they're flavored!!  Now, I'm no Twinkie historian, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time Twinkie creme has been flavored Blue Raspberry!  I didn't know what to expect from this flavor because, now that I've had and love the traditional Twinkie, it's a tough recipe to alter without affecting its taste.  But the verdict?  Absolutely awesome!  It tastes sooo good and couldn't be a bigger hit in my eyes.  More than anything, this is a great sign that Hostess is back and better than ever.  Since their demise, they've come a long way in less than a year and I couldn't be happier for all my fellow junk-food-eaters of the world!  This one is for us!

In even better news, Blue Raspberry isn't the only promotional flavor released to coincide with X-Men: Days of Future Past.  While I was unable to find it just yet, there are now Strawberry Twinkies out there on shelves.  I can't comment on what type of super powers they may bring you, but rumor has it you may become a villain.  Choose your path wisely ;)

If or when I find the other box, you can bet your X that they'll be on The Holidaze!  In the meantime, I'll be over here praying that they do something similar for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie this August! Oh please please please, Hostess! hashtag nerd..

Holidaze Logo Tee

It's been over a month since I last posted on The Holidaze and you can blame that on Brooklyn Nets basketball.  For as much as I love all things nerdy and nostalgic, I have just as much passion for my Nets and it's almost as if I live two separate lives in an attempt to keep two different followings.  If I start talking about basketball here, I lose a lot of you.  If I start talking about The Holidaze outside of here, I start losing the jocks.  Can't we all just get along??  Just take a look at my personal Instagram @CKCash30 and you'll understand what I mean.  Even though it all sums up who I am as one person, I generally have to keep these different aspects in their own place.

However, now that the Miami Heat have unfortunately eliminated the Nets from the NBA Playoffs, I'm going to have much more time to dedicate to The Holidaze.  Now, if I had a few new topics, that would certainly help.  I had at least 6 posts ready for Easter, but work got in the way and it all went downhill.  So, from here on out, I'm going to make attempts to update the site and keep things fresh.  When it's any time outside of September to January, it's pretty tough, but Summer usually brings out the best in everything so I'll give it a good effort.  I already have my eyes on a few new products, but have been unable to find them in stores.  Back to hunting!

In the meantime - and I'll admit this is cheap - I opened up a SpreadShirt store online and will be posting various t-shirt designs as I come up with them.  This is one area where you may see two worlds collide, but I think it's a great opportunity to fund the site!  So far, I only have one product on sale for both sexes and it's, appropriately, The Holidaze logo!  If you're interested in owning this Ghoul-Aid inspired tee, it's yours for $25!

The Holidaze Logo Tees on Spreadshirt!

Yeah, it's a cheap Mick Foley pop, but somebody has to pad The Holidaze's pockets and keep that junk food coming at ya!  There will surely be more designs posted, but I'll be taking t-shirt requests from all readers!  Maybe you have an awesome suggestion that will revolutionize the t-shirt industry and make me the next Zuckerberg or famous on Shark Tank.  Or... maybe... you have a cool shirt idea that will, at least, sell to you!  Either way, I'm interested and I hope you are, too!

Until a new topic comes up, I'll see ya soon!