No joke—snack and bakery brands aced April Fools’ Day
Several producers got in on the fun this year with silly snack and bakery product news.
Courtesy of Lenny & Larry's
Many people find themselves on guard when April 1 rolls around. Thanks to the annual April Fools’ Day holiday that lands on the first day of the spring month, folks in the U.S. and other countries that participate in the shenanigans brace themselves for pranks and practical jokes played at their expense.
In recent years, however, snack, bakery, and confectionery producers have joined other brand owners by announcing new products that—surprise!—turn out to be fun fakes. Here are some of the ones the Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery and Candy Industry team spotted. Did we miss any that you came across in your social media feeds? Send them to me at spinnerj@bnpmedia.com. I love a good joke.
ONE Brands: corn dog bar
Bakery bar brand ONE is known for plant-based products that come in sweet flavors like Strawberry Shortcake, Cinnamon Roll, and Chocolate Brownie. Its Coffee Shop line evokes the flavors consumers might procure from their local barista: Vanilla Latte and Caramel Macchiato. However, on April 1, the brand heralded the arrival of its newest flavor that offered a savory departure from its typical path: Corn Dog.
“Summer is right around the corner and we’re so excited to introduce our newest flavor, ONE Corn Dog!” the brand proclaimed. “With a crispy outside texture, it’s perfect for those summer BBQ festivities.” Not surprisingly, the wiener-on-a-stick bar turned out to be a good-natured hoax.
Hardee’s: biscuit cereal
The fast-food chain slings burgers for lunch and dinner hours, but in the morning, fans of the restaurants are all about the fresh-baked biscuits, which star in several sandwiches, and in biscuits and gravy. Over the April 1 weekend, Hardee’s shared a new riff on the biscuit.
“Cold cereal is so yesterday,” the post declared. Enjoy the warm embrace of our New Itty Bitty Biscuits 'N' Gravy cereal—a Made from Scratch biscuit in every bite.” What surely ended up being news to any die-hard biscuit fans, the savory biscuit cereal was another fake.
Mrs. T's: Pierogi Cereal
The pillowy pasta piles offered by frozen snack brand Mrs. T's are commonly enjoyed for lunch, dinner, or as snacks. With this recent introduction, shared on the company’s Instagram account, it announced a product intended to expand its reach into breakfast hours.
“The most important meal of the day ✔️ who wants a bowl of Pierogy Cereal?” the Insta post asked, tantalizing pierogi fans before adding the helpful hashtag, “#AprilFools.”
Lenny & Larry’s: Muscle Brownie with cannabis
The people behind Lenny & Larry’s offer health-conscious consumers brownies, cookies, and other baked treats that feature reduced sugar and boosted protein content. On April 1, though, they introduced a product that packs 250 mg per serving of a little something extra: THC.
“These are a literal dream come true for the fitness and weed lovers in your life,” the press announcement shared, before letting editors in on the April Fools’ Day joke.
OREO: Build-your-own Funfetti OREOS
The love affair between OREO and rainbow-colored sprinkles has been going on for a while. OREO has Birthday Cake cookies with sprinkles throughout the crème. Pillsbury produces offered Funfetti frosting chunks of the chocolate wafers intermingling with the sprinkles.
This weekend, Mondelēz International announced a variation on the Funfetti/OREO collaboration: a kit that consisted of a typical OREO tray, with the middle row of cookies replaced by a trough of crème in the middle. Another clever bit of fakery.
Welch's: Ranchful snacks
Welch's Fruit Snacks usually offers flavors that fit its name; the nibbles come in strawberry, orange, lemon, raspberry, and other familiar tastes. This year, however, the company's media team alerted editors at SF&WB and other industry publications that their snacks were taking a hard left turn.
"Ranchfuls are a new kind of saucy ranch snack exploding with zesty flavor," the announcement touted. "Made with pure buttermilk as the main ingredient, real fruit and veggies, and no artificial colors or flavors, Ranchfuls are great to take on-the-go, satisfying both your sweet and salty cravings." Ranchfuls, of course, turned out to be fanciful.
Little Caesars: Corn Cob Crust
Pizza chains like Little Caesar’s often try to tempt consumers to order their baked goods with promotions that offer a twist on the typical pie. This year, the company announced via a March 21 tweet (a little in advance of the actual April Fools’ commemoration) that they were debuting a particularly unique pizza crust variation.
“Introducing Corn Cob Crust, from Little Caesar’s!” the 15-second video trumpets, “made with hearty, American-grown corn, ooey-gooey cheese, and a two-liter bottle of liquefied butter. It’s the crust the world craves. You’re welcome, America!” Good news to arteries everywhere—the buttery product is not real.
American Licorice Co.: Sour Punch Pickle Roulette Pack
This one’s a real product, it turns out. However, the candy inside the Sour Punch Pickle Roulette Pack invites candy consumers to use the treat to play an April Fools’ prank on their poor, unsuspecting friends.
The brand is known for face-puckering sour candies, including straws that come in flavors like Watermelon, Lemon Lime, and Green Apple. Tucked inside this package are Pickle straws—all are the same shade of green, so when a friend pulls one out, they could get a dill-infused surprise.
