Four of the Most Outlandish Thanksgiving Products
Written by Erica Edman (W’26); Edited by Khwaish Lakhiani
As soon as the leaves start changing and winter coats come out of hibernation, you can feel Thanksgiving approaching. While families prepare to celebrate the holiday, companies across America try to find a way to become a part of the celebrations. As a result, companies have produced some wacky products that may have you thinking, “Who would ever buy this?” However, many companies such as Pringles and Purdue sell out their limited edition Thanksgiving products in record times. Here are four of the craziest Thanksgiving products from brands you may never expect.
1: Brach’s Turkey Dinner Candy Corn
Brach’s, a brand that creates candy for every holiday you can think of, decided to take a big swing in the fall of 2020 and launch Brach’s Turkey Dinner Candy Corn. The candy comes in a range of flavors from cranberry sauce to turkey dinner. Despite articles littered all over the internet like “I ate Brach’s Turkey Dinner Candy Corn so you don’t have to” and “Candy Corn Company Introduces New Bizarre Flavors That Sound Gross,” the candy corn sales were far greater than Brach’s expected and gained national media attention. Publications like Insider and USA Today all shared their opinions on the unique product, putting the company in the national spotlight. Brian Rinker, Walgreens’ divisional merchandise manager of candy and snacks, came up with the idea for the Thanksgiving candy corn. According to Rinker, in a year when many families would not be able to have a traditional in-person Thanksgiving dinner, he wanted a product that people “would talk about and share a moment with their family and friends.”
2: Pringles Thanksgiving Dinner
Pringle’s, with their limited-edition Thanksgiving dinner box, tries to encapsulate the whole Thanksgiving experience in eight special chip flavors. As soon as you open the box, you are hit with all the smells you associate with the holiday - mashed potatoes, green beans, and even pumpkin pie. Pringle’s has launched this limited edition product every year since 2017. In 2019, the product added a special Turducken flavor and sold out in record time. Each year the box evolves and contains new flavors, and every year Pringle’s fans flock to the limited edition product.
3: Purdue Thanksgiving
In Thanksgiving 2020, Purdue originally wanted to create a way for customers to enjoy the holiday in an unusual year where many families had to have Thanksgiving dinner virtually. The company, which typically produces chicken products, made a twist on its typical chicken nugget and created turkey nuggets shaped like turkeys and turkey wings. To Purdue’s surprise, Thanksnuggets sold out just three minutes after their online release. After the product's massive success in 2020, the company decided to offer the nuggets in stores nationwide the following year and included limited edition dipping sauces in two Thanksgiving-themed flavors: spiced apple honey mustard and CranBBQ sauce. Jon Swadly, the VP of marketing at Perdue, commented on the release of the new sauces, “We were inspired to create this fun complement to Thanksnuggets by listening to consumers’ reactions to the launch of these unique nuggets last year.”
4: Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts
Back in 2010, Pop-Tarts hoped consumers would get into the Thanksgiving spirit with their limited-edition Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tart long before Starbucks sent all of America into a pumpkin-flavored frenzy. The crust was meant to resemble the crust of the pie, while the sprinkles represented the colors of a Thanksgiving feast. The pumpkin pie flavor has a huge following behind it, and articles pop up on the internet about the product’s return every fall. Delish.com even called the product a “Breakfast of Champions.” You can even find recipes scattered throughout the internet on how to recreate the incredibly popular product.
Sources
https://www.brachs.com/products/halloween/turkey-dinner-candy-corn
https://parade.com/news/tailgate-candy-corn-flavors-brachs
https://www.masslive.com/food/2021/10/i-ate-brachs-turkey-dinner-candy-corn-so-you-dont-have-to.html
https://news.walgreens.com/our-stories/retail/turkey-dinner-candy-corn-exists-and-heres-why.htm.
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/pringles-thanksgiving-flavors
https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/pringles-thanksgiving-in-a-can/
https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/24095-perdue-farms-launches-thanksnuggets
https://corporate.perduefarms.com/news/press-releases/perdue-thanksnuggets-are-back/