Spookylicious Pop-Tarts Return

If you've been a fan of The Holidaze long enough, that logo above is nothing new to you.  We've discussed these Spookylicious Halloween Pop-Tarts before.  But the amount of effort that Kellogg's puts into these Pop-Tarts every year makes them a must-buy and, in this case, a must-cover.  In my opinion, these are in the top tier of Halloween treats that come out throughout this season.  The order in which they fall is up to you, but there's not doubt that they belong in the upper class.  Everything, from the box to the pastries themselves, screams Halloween and represents the purity of the holiday.  Really, they do.  Trust me, I talked about them last year!

So, is there anything different about this year's box compared to last year's?  Actually, yes! Last year, the box design was a bit lackluster.  It featured a spider web, a spider, and a full moon.  It was nice and definitely surpassed much of what I've seen from other products.  But the 2012 box design features bats and spooky trees with their eyes on the prize.  They're obviously checking out those beautifully orange Pop-Tarts while hoping to get to them before the ghost does.  Speaking of that ghost, take a look at him.  He's in complete shock.  Some might like to think he's just being his ghoulish self, but I think he's just surprised to see that Target actually stocked the Halloween aisle for a change.  Zing!

Every year, Kellogg's Spookylicious Pop-Tarts feature a Halloween recipe to go along with the new season.  They may not change the Pop-Tarts themselves, but you don't fix what aint broke!  They have a good thing going and throwing in a new recipe every year is more than they have to do to get me to buy a box.  

Last year, I didn't even take a picture of whatever the recipe was.  The Holidaze was only a month old and I didn't think anybody would want to see it.  But this year, I'd be surprised if anybody is even reading an almost identical entry so I had to change it up.  This year, I took a picture of the back of the box and the Fudgy, Spooky, Spider.  I didn't make one myself, because I like to wait until October before I get crafty in the kitchen.  But in case you want to dive right in, here's the recipe!  They look good!

If you make any, let me know how they came out and snap a few pics.  Send them to @HolidazeBlog on Twitter! Maybe you can get a bit creative and add a little something to the mix.  Go wild!  It's Halloween!

One thing about writing on The Holidaze for over a year now, is the fact that I've gotten better at taking pictures and editing them to make them look more appetizing.  Believe it or not, you'd be able to see my entire kitchen in the background of that photo had I not cropped it out.  Who wants to see a stranger's house when they're looking at Halloween Treats?  Not this guy!  For that reason, I'm trying to make everything look better and I'm confident that the photo above topped last year's.  It's all about progress on The Holidaze!

I said it before, and I'll say it again, these Pop-Tarts are amazing to look at.  Forget about taste for a second, just stare at them for a moment.  Visually, the orange and brown contrast, mixed with the dark brown, white, and yellow sprinkles, makes for Halloween magic!  If these wouldn't go bad, I'd decorate with them!  I have to figure out how to preserve and hang them from my ceiling.  I'd get weird looks, much like the one you're giving your computer screen, but it'd be worth it to illuminate a room in this orange glow!

In terms of taste, I mentioned last year how chocolatey these things are.  That hasn't changed and, personally, I have no complaints.  I actually think these are the best Pop-Tarts to come out all-year-long.  However, I also mentioned that I rarely microwave or toast my Pop-Tarts and usually eat them right out of the box.  Well, again, in order to change things up for The Holidaze, I had to toast these babies up and give 'em a chocolate whirl!

What was I thinking?  Why in the world did I not toast these last year?  Why didn't any of you shake me, wake me up, and tell me what type of mistake I was making?  Spookylicious Pop-Tarts, toasted, go from great to "OMG."  I never say "OMG" and I feel like a 13-year-old girl when I do, but there's no other way to put it.  These are that good and it's sad that I actually get excited over the fact that I still have a full box left.  Unlike last year, I won't be eating these in moderation.  I've become addicted to the chocolate overload and I'll be storming through these boxes like a twister.  What have I done? ;)

To conclude this Spookylicious 2012 entry, I'm going to recycle a photo I used last year.  Seeing as how these Pop-Tarts have pulled me into their darkness, it's only fitting that these little monsters return :)

Caramel Apple Milky Way

This was a nice surprise!  While at a meeting yesterday, I got a text from my cousin, Meghan (Follow her @MegIsHellaCool on Twitter.. she really is hella cool!).  In her text, she told me that she heard Milky Way made a Caramel Apple flavor and it would be great for The Holidaze.  She was right, that would be perfect for The Holidaze.  I was pretty pumped up, but didn't let on.  I just said thanks and that I'd check it out.  Little did she know I planned on hunting these down like a scavenger as soon as I was done with work!  On my way home, I stopped at Rite Aid in hopes of finding the rumored Caramel Apple Milky Way.

Well, at first, all I found were a bunch of pumpkin shaped Reeses and Butterfingers.  That's great, but we covered those last year.  I saw the Caramel Apple Lollipops, but again, that was reviewed in the very first Holidaze post ever! We need to find something new and what could be better than these Milky Ways?  They had to be somewhere, and they were, but I was looking in the wrong place.  I was thinking along the lines of a Milky Way bar.  But once I started thinking Mini's and scoured through the thousands of bags of Halloween candy, there they were.  Right in front of me.  In all their glory!

Once I finally found them, I tried figuring out why I didn't see them before.  I was in that exact same Rite Aid a night earlier and these never popped out at me.  How is that possible?  My Halloween Hunting skills are obviously not as sharp as they should be just yet.  This is something I usually wouldn't miss, but probably would have again if it weren't for the heads up from my cousin.  If not for her, we might have never found these beautiful Caramel Apple Milky Way Mini's.  What a shame that would have been!

Looking at the bag, how can you not love it before trying it?  First of all, the bag is red.  Has there ever been a red Milky Way bag?  I can't think of any.  I know I've seen green for Christmas.  I know it's also been clear.  I've seen dark brown/black and even a bit of purple, but I don't think there has ever been a red Milky Way bag.  Little things like this make me way too happy to be considered normal.  Then you add in the "Caramel Apple" text in some type of syrup font (that I tried to replicate in the banner) along with the caramel apple graphic and "Limited Harvest Flavor" leaf??  Are you kidding me?  I haven't taken a bite and I'm already in love with this.  Milky Way.. you had me at Harvest..

I really like the mini wrappers because Milky Way did a fine job of making sure these represented Fall and not Christmas.  Had they added too much green or not enough gold, the mood and atmosphere of this "Harvest" would have been lost.  Not everybody cares about wrappers and bags, but I do!  Having gone to school for PR/Marketing, I understand that those things are the first thing a customer sees and it's important to reel them in from the first glance.  Granted, I totally missed these the first time around, but regardless, I really do appreciate the attention to detail and if you've been reading The Holidaze for a while, you'll know how much of a fan I am.

The only thing missing on the wrapper?  An apple!!  That was the first thing my girlfriend mentioned.  An apple on the wrapper would have been awesome, but beggars can't be choosers.  Especially when we're talking about little candy pieces ;)

Okay, moving on to the flavor now.  I was expecting to taste nothing more than a regular Milky Way with, maybe, a bit more caramel than usual.  I didn't know how they were going to enhance the Fall feel or add an apple flavor.  The only way I saw fit was to change the flavor of that classic nougat.  As expected, that's exactly what they did and did it perfectly!

This tastes amazing!  It obviously tastes like caramel, but I wouldn't say it really tastes like apple.  It's more like an apple cider or apple spice.  I'm not sure.  It's hard to pinpoint exactly what type of flavor this is, but I can guarantee that it reminds you of Fall.  It keeps that same, traditional, Milky Way flavor that everybody loves, but packs a big punch of Fall.  It's so good!  

So far this Holidaze, we've found Fall's alcohol, Fall's soda, and now, we've found Fall's candy.  This is it.  There's no topping it.  Reeses, Snickers and Butterfinger can shape their candy into whatever they see fit, but without changing the flavor, it's really just the same old candy.  But not the Caramel Apple Milky Way!  This is new, this is definitely different, and this is the best Fall candy you'll find this season.

Looking for a combo?

Oh yeah! Now we're talking! Pop in a scary movie, sit back, relax, and overdose on sugar.

Thanks, Meg!

Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

I meant to talk about this last year but, for whatever reason, I didn't get it posted.  I can tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash last year, and it might have even been pictured in one of my posts, but it definitely wasn't spotlighted.  This year.. that changes.  Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash rightfully deserves it's place on The Holidaze and I'll tell you why.  

To be honest with you, Cranberry Splash reminds me of Christmas much more than it does Halloween.  For starters, the first time I ever tried it was during the Christmas season.  I believe it was two years ago.  I was up late, playing a few games of NBA 2K10 on the 360, while taking sips of Cranberry Splash in between quarters.  It's a rough game, ya gotta replenish from all that fatigue!  

Secondly, the box is printed in red, white, and green.  Plus, the tree was lit, the smell of sugar cookies filled the house, and it was all about December 25th.  That's really what Cranberry Splash reminds me of.  The flavor itself can easily bring me right back to the Christmas season.  However, does that mean Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is specifically a Christmas drink?  No way!  Not by a long shot!

Despite not claiming to be a seasonal product, Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash is, at least in my area, most definitely a seasonal edition.  Now, I've worked in Brooklyn a few times over the Summer and I've seen Cranberry Splash at Path Mark, but that's the only time I've ever seen it outside of this time of year.  For as much as I love Cranberry Splash, I don't want this to be available year-round.  This comes out at the perfect time and, over the past two years, this has become associated with the Big Three (October, November, December.)  In October, pretend you're a vampire and Cranberry Splash is your can of blood!  In November, bring it to Thanksgiving Dinner instead of Pepsi or Coke.  It changes things up!  In December, enjoy it all month and use the cans for decorations.  Honestly, if Pumpkin Beer is Fall's drink, then Cranberry Splash is Fall's non-alcoholic drink.  The classic cola's are great, but when it comes to this time of year, Cranberry Splash is my go-to soda and I'm happy to see it out a bit earlier than usual.

Of course, in our case, we're celebrating the Halloween Holidaze, so that means it's time to whip out the Skull Glass to enjoy our Cranberry Splash.  We have to differentiate between the holidays and what better way than using a transparent, disembodied skeleton to drink "blood" from?  Sometimes it takes imagination to create a better 'daze.  I'm a kid at heart and if there's one thing I'm confident in, it's my ability to be creative and use my imagination to enhance every day experiences.

I hope you're impressed by my pouring skills.  I managed to open and pour the can with one hand, while holding the camera to take photos with the other.  As you can tell, I'm full of unimportant, meaningless talent that will take me nowhere but The Holidaze.  But still, that's pretty cool!  The way the Cranberry Splash fizzes as it rises makes for a cool color all-around.  It goes from pink to red and whatever there is in-between.  Mountain Dew Code Red does the same thing and, in fact, I once used that on Valentines Day for my girlfriend's dinner.  So I think we just found another holiday Cranberry Splash is good for!

When it comes to flavor, I love Cranberry Splash.  It obviously tastes like Cranberry, but not as much as you'd expect.  I want to say it tastes like a bitter version of Sierra Mist, but that makes it sound bad.  It's not bad at all.  It's great!  I'll admit, I sometimes get caught up in what seasonal items represent and the memories attached to them more than anything else.  Sometimes I am willing to overlook taste, but in this case, I really enjoy it. If you've never tried it, I'd say go for it!  Pretend you're a blood-sucking vampire or zombie who thirsts for cranberry flavored blood!  You need it to stay alive and you're quickly dying!  Hurry! Watch, that Cranberry Splash is going to quench a thirst you never even had!  It's all imagination and if you can't use it on Halloween, what's the point of having it!?

Cheers, Zombies!

Blue Moon Pumpkin Beer

Most likely, this is not new to you, but this is the first year I've ever noticed Pumpkin Beer.  I'm sure it's been around for a long time, but in my four years of being legal, I've never realized it's existence.  It wasn't until I started seeing Facebook statuses and pictures on Instagram that it came to my attention.  I thought, hey, that's pretty cool!  I'd like to try that!  But I didn't know if you had to buy them special somewhere or get them down at a local liquor store.  What do I know?  Give me an ice cold Coors and I'm good to go.  However, while shopping with the GF, we did find various types of Pumpkin Beer and opted to start with the Blue Moon brand!

This wasn't the coolest of packages or bottles that my girlfriend and I saw when we were out.  There were a few that symbolized Halloween much better than Blue Moon, but see, I'm not a huge fan of Pumpkin flavored anything, so I wanted to start with a brand that I am familiar with and actually like.  Besides, Blue Moon didn't do a horrible job with their designs at all.  I love the pumpkin patch and orange box.  The blue really pops against it and, as a Mets fan, I appreciate that.  Except for when we're talking about the Knicks.  In that case, unlike this box, blue and orange just doesn't work! ;)

The stickers on the bottle match the designs on the box and that's just the way I like it.  When it comes to drinking an ice cold beer, I don't need various designs to look at.  If not for this blog or the Halloween season, I'd give nothing more than a passing glance at both the box and bottle stickers, so I'm fine with them using the same design.  But, because we are in a Holidaze, every little detail counts.  So, take a closer look at the bottles and the wonderfully Fall designs.

First, this is obviously a Seasonal Collection.  I never knew beer manufacturers released seasonal collections, but I recently tried a Samuel Adams "Octoberfest" while out at Applebees and that was apparently a seasonal edition as well.  That's great because, now that I know, I'll definitely be on the look out for more.  Who knows what I'll find?  I recently found Buttered Popcorn and Glazed Donut flavored Vodka, so I can only imagine what type of Fall / Halloween ideas these crazy drunks have come up with.  If the soda companies won't quench my thirst for liquidized Falloween (like that combo?) flavor, then I'll turn to alcohol and find myself in more than just a 'daze!

Back to the design, we have a Blue Moon (who woulda guessed it?), the Blue Moon Logo, the official "Harvest Pumpkin Ale" name, and what seems to be a drawing of a Pumpkin Patch at dusk.  As you know, I'm a fan of art, graphics, designs, etc; but I don't know what type of drawing that is.  I'm sure there's a name for the style, because I've seen it plenty of times before, but I'm just going to call it crosshatched awesome.  That works for me.

We waited until that night to enjoy our "Harvest Pumpkin Ale" (I love that name!) because the weather was so cool!  The wind was blowing, the leaves were falling, and it was the perfect time to hang out on the deck with a cold one.  Not gonna lie, I was pretty pumped to try this bad boy out, but I didn't know what to expect.  I really dislike Pumpkin.  As I've written before, I hate Pumpkin Pie.  I got through Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows / Treats last year.  And I pass on the Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts every year.  I'm just not a fan, but I wish I was so that I could enjoy more of the season.  That's why I had to try this Pumpkin Beer.  Love it or hate it, it was mandatory that I throw one back.  It's part of the season, it's part of The Holidaze, so it's gotta happen!  Time to pop that bottle open!

Like my .GIF?  I got a little bit more creative and high-tech for all of you with this one.  I didn't even know I could make one look so good until I started playing around with different programs, but that's actually really good.  I probably enjoy it much more than you do, but that's why we'll keep this paragraph short and start pouring this sucker!

 

Take a look at how orange that beer is!  I really didn't know what to expect at this point.  Going by this picture, it looks like chunks of Pumpkin Seeds were pouring out into the Hard Rock Cafe glass.  I love the vibrant, Fall, color, but I wasn't so sure about the beer.

So, it's obviously a different color than regular beer or any other type of beer I've ever had, but those Pumpkin chunks my minds eye saw have now disappeared and this looks really good!  This beer had been refrigerated all day and it was extremely cold.  Even if it's technically still Summer, It was the best compliment to a beautiful Fall night.  Now, it's time to take my first sip of Pumpkin Beer!

I really had to idea what to expect.  Is this going to taste like Pumpkin Pie?  Maybe it will be similar to Sam Adams "Octoberfest" and only taste like caramel?  Maybe it won't have any flavor at all?  Why am I acting like such a little girl?  

Those were the thoughts going through my head as I took that first swig.  The result afterward?

Realllly didn't like this beer at first.  Nothing against Blue Moon or their Harvest Pumpkin Ale, it's just me and my distaste for everything Pumpkin.  I hate that I made that wimpy face.  I should have at least manned-up for The Holidaze.  I could have come here and lied to you about how I'm a dominant Pumpkin Chugger, but that was not the case.  I have to keep it real with ya, I didn't like it.  However, like my first beer years and years ago, Pumpkin Beer is also an acquired taste and it doesn't take much time to acquire it.  In a matter of not time, you're drinking this like it's Water-Fall (another classic combo!)

Look at me acting like it's no big deal now.  Like I wasn't just crying like a baby because the Harvest Pumpkin Ale was destroying my taste buds.  Now I'm a tough guy, eh?  Not really.. But I did begin to enjoy the beer quite a bit.  If you like Pumpkin, you're going to love Blue Moon "Harvest Pumpkin Ale."  It does have a punch of Pumpkin flavor, but it's not overwhelming.  It's similar to the Candy Corn Oreo Cookies tasting like Candy Corn.  In this case, I'm on the opposing end so I felt the brunt.  But I did like it enough to get it again and I'm looking forward to trying different brands and varieties.  At the end of the day, it's alcohol.  Nothing about it can be that bad ;)

 Cheers!!

Finally, before I conclude, I can't let this day go by without acknowledging the innocent men and women who lost their lives 11 years ago today.  Much like that day, they will never be forgotten.  I want to thank our troops, police officers, firefighters, port authority, doctors and nurses around the world who continue to do their duty to protect and heal the United States of America.  We owe them more than we can ever pay.  Without them, the true super heroes, we could never enjoy the meaningless silliness of the Holidaze.  God bless them, you, America and all those who strive for peace around the world.

To lighten the mood of a dark day, I leave you with a picture I made in May of 2011.  Remember, there is more good in the world than evil and, thankfully, one of our biggest enemies is no more.

Candy Corn Oreo Cookies

Here they are!! Finally, I found the Candy Corn Oreo Cookies!  I've never seen a cookie get so much attention in my life.  It was first brought to my attention on Twitter by @mcel33, then I saw it was trending, then I saw it on the news.  I couldn't believe an Oreo cookie was getting this much coverage, but it was great to see that many people in a pure "Holidaze."  See, when I talk about the "Holidaze," this is what I mean.  Millions of people getting caught up in the season and the hype of Candy Corn flavored Oreo Cookies!  Are they important? No.  Can we live without them? Yes.  But, do we want to?  No freakin' way!  We're in a 'daze and it's all thanks to Candy Corn Oreo Cookies.  Let's get into it!

The graphics on the bag are awesome.  First off, I love that the bag is yellow.  That's pretty custom with Golden Oreo Cookies, so it's not all that out of the ordinary, but I love the fact that this limited edition isn't blue and completely wraps these cookies in the spirit of Fall.  

Next, we have the Candy Corn pieces, big and small, randomly splashed across the front!  It's like a big smack in the face!  And that's fitting because Candy Corn flavored cookies are so unexpected.  This came so far out from left field that I feel like I've been sucker punched with excessive amounts of sugar!  But is there any better type of surprise you'd want around Halloween?  I don't think so!

I'm pretty sure Nabisco knew this Candy Corn edition was going to be huge because of the type of bag the cookies come in.  I've never seen a double-sided Oreo bag that you could reseal after you've opened it!  This is the real deal.  Nabisco went all out and I love it.  Whenever a company makes changes to their products, branding, or labels, I get pumped.  I love art and graphic design so much that I truly appreciate the creativity.  This bag means that someone, somewhere, took attention to detail.  Give that guy or girl a raise!  They struck white, orange, and gold with this one!

Before I get into the taste, let's talk about the best part about this limited edition.  The first thing that hits you, as soon as you open the bag, is the smell!  Whoa.. This may explain why the bag was made the way it is.  I think it was designed to trap in as much of the aroma as possible because the scent comes flying out from the bag so strong that you feel like you're in Willy Wonka's Haunted Chocolate Factory.  It's amazing.  If it's still warm where you live, or if you've yet to embrace the Fall, I can bet that all changes as soon as you open this bag.  All of a sudden, an 80 degree day feels like 60 and those green leaves seem a bit more brown.  It may be in my head, but I blame it on the Oreo Impact.

After you smell the cookies, take a look at them.  They're basically the Golden Oreo Cookies, but with Candy Corn flavored orange and yellow creme.  Looking at my photo, you might think they're tiny cheese sandwiches or mini Ritz Crackers, but nope, those are Candy Corn Oreo Cookies!  Can you believe it?

Ahhhh.. So awesome!  Everything about it screams Fall, Halloween, cold weather and, of course, Candy Corn.  Now, on to the flavor..

I actually like Candy Corn, so I was expecting to enjoy these either way.  I know a lot of people don't enjoy the texture of Candy Corn pieces.  They're kind of chewy, feel a little bit like plastic, and I get that.  I'm one of the pickiest eaters on Earth so I understand where people are coming from.  But, while it may be a rarity, I have no problem with Candy Corn, but would never eat them outside of the Fall months.  If you're eating Candy Corn in July, then you might have a problem.

So how are these Candy Corn Oreo Cookies??  They're...Amazing!!  I'll admit, they don't really taste like Candy Corn, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  They taste a lot like the Golden Oreo's, with just a slight hint of Candy Corn.  It's just enough to make Candy Corn lovers and haters come together and agree that this is the perfect cookie for Fall.  Actually, this IS Fall's cookie.  I can't see any other company topping this one.  Nabisco hit a home run in every aspect of this product.  They promoted it well, they got it trending, the PR got it on national news, they have an exclusive deal with Target, the graphics are perfect, and it tastes great.  

Kraft, Nabisco, Oreo.. whoever.. they knocked this one right out of the park!  BUT, if there was anything else I could add just to make the creme look more like Candy Corn, I'd include a white strip down the middle.  It doesn't need it, but I wanted to show you what it would look like, anyway.

These cookies weren't easy to find, so if you're looking for them, you might have to travel outside of your area.  Because they're a Target exclusive, this won't be easy for everybody, especially with all the hype.  But they're definitely worth looking for! 

Football Treats

This isn't Halloween related, but the kick-off of Football season is obviously a Fall tradition and, this year, there are a few treats in stores that had to be written about during the Halloween Holidaze!  Whether your a football fan or not (I'm a casual Giants fan, but not big enough to call myself a die-hard) you'll definitely enjoy these football-themed touchdowns!

First, we have Little Debbie Football Brownies.  I'm very pleased with everything Little Debbie Snacks have been doing during the Fall season.  First, we saw the Fall Party Treats.  Then, we saw the Bat Brownies.  Now?  Football Brownies!  And in my opinion, these are actually a lot cooler than the Bat Brownies because of the two white strips on each brownie.  See, they could have easily etched out a line to represent the two, much like they did with the football seams, but they didn't.  They went the extra mile and made these brownies actually look like footballs!  I love that stuff.  I love the sports fonts, pennant, and field in the background.  The only thing they could have changed?  Well, I know it's taboo to mess with a corporate logo, but how about putting Little Debbie in a football helmet?  How awesome would that have been?  

These pictures don't do the brownies justice, but you can tell they're exactly as depicted on the box.  Although, they are bit smaller than I expected.  That's okay, I'll just eat the whole box, anyway.  The bottom picture doesn't look as smooth as the top, but I'm pretending those indentations are supposed to be the grooves on a football.  That makes everything much more realistic and proves that I care about this brownie much more than any 25-year-old ever should!

Had I just found one football-themed snack, I probably would have skipped this edition all together.  But, I found two! And that was enough to make me interrupt the Halloween celebration and bring in a little extra something.  Here we have Football Oreo cookies and they're just amazing, man!  Nabisco has been releasing so many different varieties of Oreo Cookies over the past 8 months or so that I haven't been able to keep up.  They've been on fire!!  They're taking notice of the seasons and paying attention to every little detail.  They're celebrating The Holidaze just as much as we are and that's a major plus for Nabisco and Oreo Cookies!

I've seen Oreo Cookies come in different flavors and colors, but I don't think I've ever seen them come in different shapes.  The traditional circle is so classic that I thought changing that up would be even more taboo than adding a helmet to Little Debbie!  But with this Limited Edition, Oreo Cookies come in the shape of footballs!!  And Nabisco could have stopped there, went out while they were ahead, and called it a day.  But no, they added 5 Football Designs to their cookies to complete the 2-point conversion!

The Football Oreo Cookies are bigger than the traditional Oreo Cookies so they only require two rows.  I was surprised to only see two when I opened the bag because I honestly expected them to be much smaller than the originals.  But the fact that they're bigger is pretty cool.  I like them better that way because I feel that better represents the game of football.  Big, strong, and perfect for dipping into a cup of milk.  Well, 2 outta 3 aint bad!

Take a close look at the 5 Football Designs.  I'm sure you can see, otherwise you wouldn't be online, but I'll go over them with you just to make this post feel longer.  First, we have the Oreo Football Helmet, followed by the Goal Post, "Touchdown," a Football Player, and "Lick the Competition."  They're all perfect for the recently kicked-off NFL season, but Oreo are actually the "Official Cookies of NCAA."  I don't know what that actually means in terms of what Oreo does for the NCAA, but there's something else I didn't know until now.  I just feel, if you really want to represent the NCAA, why not add some team logos to the cookies?  That would be awesome.  That would also be a great segue into..

Overtime!

 I haven't seen these in any stores in my area, but apparently Pop-Tarts have released 5 NCAA University Edition Pop-Tarts.  I'm pretty sure they were supposed to be for sale by now, but honestly, I haven't looked because I didn't attend either of these Universities and, based on the box art, I'm really not impressed.  If you haven't seen them yet, take a look!

Not too bad, but I feel there is so much more they could have done with this type of license.  Why is every flavor the same?  Why not incorporate more of what each University stands for and represents their school/area.  It's probably due to cost-cutting, but luckily we don't have to worry about that here on The Holidaze.  Let's take a look at what I would have done had I been in charge of each box.

I changed the colors, the flavors, and the names.  I hope you like them!  My personal favorite is the University of Florida's Gatorange!  Have their ever been orange flavored Pop-Tarts?  I don't think I've ever seen them before, but that would probably be something I'd like to try.  In fact, that would be a great Halloween edition!!  

Ahh, see how I brought it all back to Halloween?  Pretty slick, right?