Trick-or-Treat Chip Mix

This is one of the coolest items we've found this Halloween season and, really, it's pretty amazing.  Frito-Lay has released a box filled with 20 mini bags of Cheetos and Doritos for the "Lil Monsters" on Halloween.  That's all well and good, but the only thing I care about is that box.  Look at this awesome box..

You wanna talk about graphics?  This is how it's done, man!  For only $4.96, you get a piece of art featuring the classic Universal Mummy Monster chomping down of bags of Cheetos and Doritos!  I know, I know, it's crazy cool, but is there any more to it?  YES!

They didn't get cheap or lazy with the sides of this box.  Oh no, they extended his arms so that we can all see his rotting, decayed, wrapped hands holding even more bags of cheesy goodness.  With something that great, there was just no way I wasn't ripping this thing up and pulling it apart to see this Mummy in all his glory.

That's not only art, that's a decoration.  I hung it up in my kitchen in an attempt to scare anybody who went looking for my 20 bags of chips.  Screw the Trick-or-Treaters, those bags are all mine.  With package art this perfect, I have to believe Frito-Lay released this product just for me.

Not only is the box all decked out, but so are the bags themselves.  My picture obviously doesn't do them any justice, but each bag is themed for Halloween.  Chester Cheetah is dressed like a witch, riding a broom outside his Haunted House and the Doritos bag also features a spooky looking house in front of a full moon.  The Cheetos bag is obviously better looking, but they don't turn your mouth green and that's the only downside to this product.  Had Lays used the color-changing Cheetos rather than your basic doodle, this would have been the perfect Halloween product.  But I can't hold that one misstep against them.  The Trick-or-Treat mix is about as good as it gets.  If you're walking through the aisles and you see those ominous Mummy eyes staring at you, just make sure you make him happy by taking him home.  You won't regret it!

Even the top of the box is awesome.  Man, just bow down to Halloween perfection.  Lays hit the nail directly on the head.  Awesome job!

Reese's and Hershey Candy Bags

We all know how important the randomly assorted bags of candy are to the Halloween season.  Every year, they fill the aisles of department stores in giant orange boxes.  It's the time of year when candy companies take every one of their products, miniaturize them, and combine them to create a pinata-like bag of Halloween goodies.  I'm sure you've seen hundreds on shelves already, but here are two that stood out to me.

For me, Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups have become synonymous with Halloween and Christmas.  Every year, they fill up bowls in my living room and usually don't last very long.  Right now, there are probably about 6 left and they'll be gone by the end of the week.  That's the problem with celebrating Halloween so early.  By the time the big day actually arrives, I'll have nothing left.

The bag is perfect for Halloween.  It's simple, effective, and horrifying.  They couldn't have picked two better colors without being confused for their very own bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins.  It's good.. I like it.  What else can I say?

These mini peanut butter cups are nothing new.  You know exactly what you're getting and that's a good thing because they taste great.  But the cool thing about the Halloween edition?  The black and orange wrappers.  Much like the Rice Krispies Treats, these wrappers make me happy.  Again, I love seeing companies go the extra mile and they did with both the bag and wrappers.  It's sad how much I enjoy staring at stupid candy wrappers, but that's what puts me in a Holidaze!

The Hershey bag has a similar style, and that makes sense, because Hershey makes Reese's Peanut Butter Cups too.  So, it's no surprise that this bag is decked out for Halloween.  It doesn't take much to celebrate the season.  All you have to do is throw a pumpkin on a bag and draw a few bats and you're set.  It's that easy.  Hear that, graphic designers?

The designers at Hershey must have "heard that" because they've done a fantastic job.  They could have easily wrapped the miniature candy bars in their primary colors, but they didn't.  They chose colors that contrast well with each classic logo.  For example, they used green to go along with the Mr.Goodbar logo.  That means they were thinking logically rather than simply throwing things together.  Plus, they used what I consider to be the only true Halloween colors - orange, black, purple and green.  This is my type of work.  I think Hershey should give me a call and offer me a job.  We could do great things together.

As I said, we've all seen these types of bags before.  If you want to pick them up, they're everywhere and easy to find.  It comes down to which variety of candy you prefer and what looks best in your living room.  So far, these two bags have proven to have the best of both worlds.  But, the Holidaze is still young and there's still plenty of time to see what else is out there.

Halloween Krispies Treats

I found a box of Halloween Rice Krispies Treats at Rite Aid and, unlike the Monster Treats I attempted to make a few weeks ago, these actually taste good.  Normally, I'd pass up on a box of Rice Krispies Treats.  I love them so much that they never last long so it's usually not worth the seven bucks, but this time I had to make an exception.  Assuming Kelloggs isn't going to release many Halloween themed products this year, I figured this was a good item to pick up.  Sure, as expected, all 40 miniature squares are already gone, but at least I have this cool box to look at for the next month and three days.  That's something..

The package art is cool.  I like the fact that Snap, Crackle and Pop are dressed in Halloween costumes.  Snap seems to be some type of wolf man or scarecrow, Crackle is obviously a clown and I think Pop is going for the dracula look.  That's awesome.  Combined with the haunted house casted in the shadows, surrounded by bats, the candle-lit pumpkin and a frightened cat, this box is spectacular for Halloween.  But, was that enough to make me buy it?  No.. That didn't do it for me.  Had this box been black, orange, purple or green, this would have been an easy decision.  But blue?  So boring.  If it wasn't for the wrappers pictured in Crackle's Trick-or-Treat bag, this box would still be sitting on a shelf in Rite Aid.

With this much orange, I can handle a little blue.  This was, for me, the selling point.  I couldn't wait to see just how horrific these midgit 'Krispie Treats looked wrapped in their orange blankets.  Plus, they're great for Trick-or-Treaters.  Yeah, I know, I ate all of mine so why am I talking about Trick-or-Treaters?  Because, if you're not a glutton like me, then these would be perfect to share.  I wish I would have gotten something like these when I was an 8-year-old.  Instead, some people actually gave me pennies.  Are you serious?  What kid wants a penny?

If you're thinking about buying Halloween Rice Krispies Treats, then you need to know that these things are insanely small.  I could have easily devoured one in one bite, but I usually took two to prolong the happiness.  That's what I'd suggest you do too.

Like I said, the only reason I bought these was because of the box and, more specifically, the wrappers.  This is the Halloween season and I'm looking for things that remind me of the Holidaze as much as possible.  Tiny orange wrappers do just that.  Unfortunately, Kelloggs doesn't release as much as they used to for Halloween.  When I was younger, they used to do a lot more.  So far, all I've seen are the Rice Krispies Treats and Halloween Pop-Tarts.  But what about the cereal?  Just look at what they used to do..

Those five boxes are classic!  Not only did they take their box art to the next level, but they added marshmallows into the mix.  I remember most of these cereals, especially the Kooky Cocoa Krispies with marshmallow ghosts.  Pictured above are the Rice Krispies boxes, but Kelloggs did the same for a number of their cereal brands.   That was when Kelloggs actually did their part to contribute to the Holidaze.  Now they have to persuade me with orange wrappers.  Ah, such a shame.  Maybe next year they'll step it up and bring back their Halloween boxes.  Until then, we'll have to settle on a somewhat acceptable box of Rice Krispies Treats Mini Squares.

Cookies and Candy

Cookies are never a bad thing, especially when they're Chips Ahoy.  Every time of year is the perfect time of year to have cookies and milk.  It's so classic that it has the ability to take you back to any time of your life.  I'm usually brought back to when I was a child and couldn't understand why my cookie kept breaking off into the milk.  One of the best things about adulthood is you come to realize what's important in life.  Learning not to keep your cookie drowned in milk for over a minute is one of them.  You gotta be quick about it.

Although Chips Ahoy are best served at any time, I appreciate the fact that they still release special editions throughout the various seasons and holidays.  They've been doing so for Halloween for quite some time now, but they've never done this well in terms of packaging. 

I'll admit, my photos aren't doing this bag justice.  This is one of the greatest displays of Halloween graphics I've ever seen in a product.  Not only did they change their primary bag color from blue to black, but they also included the words "haunted" and "Halloween!"  Along with the pumpkins, bats and moon, we're looking at a true piece of art here.  Plus, we all know Dracula took a bite out of that cookie.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  It's awesome.  I rarely keep packages, boxes or wrappers once they've been gutted, but I think this will be one time that I do.

The cookies themselves are exactly what you'd expect from Chips Ahoy, but they've added orange coated M&M like chocolate into the mix.  They've done this before and we all know what it tastes like so there's no need for me to explain.  Sure, less explanation means a shorter paragraph, but I just added a lot to it by typing this unnecessary sentence.

These Chips Ahoy are, as always, very good.  But, of course, the Halloween packaging takes it over the top.  So if you're shopping and you see an old, boring, regular, blue bag of Chips Ahoy right next to that beautiful, black and orange masterpiece, then you know which one to get.

Here, we have Fruit By The Foot - Mini Feet.  Now, I'm not entirely sure that this has anything to do with Halloween at all.  Sure, there's a disgruntled Mummy on the box, but we also have Scooby-Doo.  This could very well be a Scooby themed box of Fruit by the Foot.  Everything about Scooby and the gang can be related to Halloween in some way anyway, so I'm not sure if this box is special in the least.  However, based on the flavor, I'm going to guess that it is.

Trick or Treat Berry!  Would Betty Crocker actually release a Trick or Treat flavored anything during the months of January and February?  Nah.. that would just be moronic.  This has to be themed for Halloween.  I can't say they did an amazing job on the box art, but there is a Mummy and, as usual, Scooby is scared out of his mind.  That counts for something, but I always look for a little bit more.  Regardless, "Trick or Treat Berry" was more than enough to make me want it.

The wrappers are essentially the same as the box.  I would have liked to see something different, but that's because I'm a nerd who geeks out over cool packaging.  Little kids couldn't care less about what the wrapper looks like.  They just want to rip it open, unroll their Fruit by the Foot, and come up with new ways to turn their tongues orange.  Who can blame them?

What's best about these "mini" feet is that they're perfect for Trick or Treaters.  With 28 pouches in a box, you can afford to throw one into each kids' bag.  Of course, around here, we get 35 year old bums with masks on who expect you to dump out an entire bowl of Halloween goodies into their garbage bags.  Sadly, I'm not joking.  And, even sadder, they would probably get a bigger kick out of an orange tongue than the kids.  But, anyway, for those of who you don't have to worry about being mugged when you open your door to strangers, these Trick or Treat Berry flavored Fruit by the Foot snacks will be perfect for the youngins'.

Halloween Treats

Growing up, Trick-or-Treating was one of the highlights of my year.  I loved everything about it.  That cool crisp air whistling through your Halloween mask.  The sound of dead leaves crunching as you walked over them to get to the next house.  The sights and sounds that come from highly decorated houses.  Everything about Trick-or-Treating contributed to the amazing memories I have now and, if I wasn't as tall as I am, I'd probably throw on a Scream mask and do it again!

But..come on, the atmosphere may provide an extra hint of spooky, but we all know what Trick-or-Treating is all about...The CANDY!  Halloween and the season I love to celebrate has become an unofficial holiday in The United States with 9 out of 10 kids in America hitting the streets in search of free goodies.  In recent years, over 2 billion dollars worth of candy flew off the shelves and you can bet your jack-o-lantern that this year won't be any different. 

Now, I may not be out there with the kids, but I sure as hell like the candy and, as I've gotten older, I've grown to love the Fall and Halloween packaging that distributors develop every year.  Anytime you take an ordinary Kit-Kat package and enhance it with cartoon bats, color me interested.  Anytime you change the actual candy itself, consider it bought.  I love those things and, every year, I look forward to seeing what these big companies are going to roll out.

To my surprise, we're already starting to see Halloween merchandise.  I'm pretty sure this is earlier than ever before, but that may just be my own experience.  Either way, here are a few things I picked up while out at Walgreens.

Here's a perfect example of packaging playing a major economic role.  I'm not the biggest Tastykake fan.  I don't dislike their donuts, but I don't love them.  I'd much rather pick up a dozen Dunkin' Donuts than this box but, unfortunately, DD hasn't impressed me with any orange donuts with chocolate bats just yet so, until then, these will have to do.

Regardless of which flavored donut you prefer (I'm boring and go with the plain jane cinnamon), you can't deny how great this packaging is.  It's completely fall with the perfect hit of Halloween.  Those pumpkins make me happy.  The one on top of the powdered donut gets me downright jolly.  I mean, if that pump isn't excited for this season, then I don't know who is.

Even the back of the box is completely decked out in Autumn.  Not only is this how you sell a box of donuts during the Holidaze, but it's also how you get a jump start on the competition.  September?  As soon as my family saw this box they said "wow, pumpkins already?"  Yep, already.. That's why there's a box of uneaten Tastykake donuts in my kitchen and not Entenmann's..

Next up.. Candy

Reese's, Butterfinger and York Peppermint Patty all have their Halloween candy out already and that's just how I like it.  This is nothing new but, for me, these packages are a symbol of tradition.  As soon as I see them in the aisles, I know the ominous spirit of Halloween is nearby.

Now, knowing that the flavor never changes in these legendary candy recipes, we have to look at the packaging and candy size and shape to see just how invested Hershey and Nestle are to pleasing that die-hard Halloweenies like me.  First up, York Peppermint Patty..

This is not your grandpa's Peppermint Patty.  No, this is a horrifying York Peppermint BATTY.  Nice touch.  Now, it's not the greatest looking package art I've seen, but I like what they've done.  They stayed true to their classic color scheme but added an overly round bat with yellow eyes.  I'll take it!  But most specifically, I like the fact that this isn't a pumpkin.  Everybody seems to make pumpkins.  Where's the love for Frankenstein and Dracula?  I'd love to see Hershey make a Frankenstein shaped Symphony Bar.  That would be insane but, oh well, at least they created a mint bat.  At least we're making progress here.

Now, let's see what this bat looks like unwrapped..

This is supposed to be a bat. I mean, I see it but he'd have to be mostly deformed.  It's, again, overly round and his sides are uneven.  I was also expecting the filling to be orange when I should have figured it'd remain white.  But, yeah, he's a bat.  See?

Obviously!

I know I've seen this packaging before but I like it so much that I don't mind that they haven't changed it.  Unless you're into the disgusting white chocolate Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, you know Reeses rarely strays from their orange wrapper.  But, every Halloween, they bring out that black and purple.  In my opinion, there are only 4 Halloween colors:  Black, orange, purple and green.  Yellow gets an honorable mention.  Reeses gives you three out of those four.  I love it..

With packaging like that, you know they pulled out all the stops on their peanut butter pump!  Right?

Are you serious, bro?  This is what I get for falling for that same old packaging every year?  This looks like they took two melted peanut butter cups and smashed them together to create a circle.  This is just unacceptable.  I love the taste of Reeses, but no flavor makes up for this complete lack of disrespect...

Obviously, I'm not taking it that serious.. but almost..

Regardless, this is one sad Pump

Ok, we have one left and we're breaking away from Hershey here to see what Nestle has in store for us with their Butterfinger Pumpkin.  Yep, another pumpkin..

Give it up for the package art!  This Butterfinger pumpkin obviously comes from an evil patch and one that we probably wouldn't want to pick from.  Not unless we were gullible enough to believe that Scarecrow Pump wasn't going to come to come alive, unhitch and chase us.  Ha, there's no fooling me, Nestle!

However.. Pedazos en chocolate con leche??  Last time I checked, this was America and our one and only official language is English.  If you don't understand the language, then you don't get to know that this candy features Butterfinger pieces in milk chocolate.  Come on, Nestle.. stop drinking the Kool-Aid.

Anyway.. ¿Qué hace este dulce parece?

To quote one-hit wonder Montell Jordan, "This is how we do it!"  Look at this Pump.. He's perfect.  Not only does he have a face, not only does he have a stem, but he actually looks carved.  He appears to be your typical Jack-O-Lantern and, for that reason, I am willing to forgive Nestle for forcing me to use Google translator.

So, in conclusion, which treat should you pick up when the time comes to make that decision? Well, I'd say get them all but, if you can only pick one, it comes down to who you are.  Are you the type who only wants to eat some candy?  Then go with what you think tastes best.  BUT, if you're the type who cares about the little things and attention paid to detail then, there's no decision to be made.. Butterfinger wins!

This was fun.. I enjoyed reviewing the Holidaze treats and I'm sure there will be many more to discuss in the coming weeks.  Like the Holidaze, this was a nice break from the real world.  But, on this day, there are obviously more important things to keep in mind and remember.  There's a reason why we're able to spend hours talking about candy and donuts and that reason is freedom.  Thank God we have it and may He continue to bless the United States.

Never forget.