Black, White, and Bloody Read All Over

The countdown begins October 1st. Sorry if your hands get inky.

Halloween Packaging Day 31 -- Casper Popping Candy

Happy Halloween!  Time to end this countdown with one last treat and it's a throwback that seemed a bit out-of-time when I found it at a dollar store back in 2012.  It's a bag of Casper Popping Candy!  Do kids even know who Casper is? Regardless it was fun seeing an old friend show up on a bag of Halloween candy. 

Okay, that's it...I made it to the end and it was fun!  I didn't realize how much I missed blogging and especially the Halloween countdown.  Have a keen Halloween everyone and thanks for stopping by!! 

 

Halloween Packaging Day 30 -- Mountain Dew VooDew

Mountain Dew's mystery flavor soda known as VooDew has been a Halloween tradition since 2019 and I've had fun tasting and admiring the creative campaign from the beginning.  Sadly there's a rumor that this year 2024 will be the last year for VooDew. 

Of course it was the artwork on the cans and boxes that caught my interest.  The style reminds of old pre-code horror comic books from the 1950's.  Just like Tales from the Crypt this soda has a mascot and his name is VooDEWgrim and each year he beckons unsuspected consumers to buy his product and guess the candy flavor of the clear soda.  Check out all the boxes from 2019 to 2024.  Supposedly there's little clues and easter eggs in the artwork hinting at the flavor.

A few years ago they re-released the first three flavors in a "Ghosts of VooDew Past" box online.  This was great because I held on to a few cans so I could taste test all five flavors and rank them.  As I type this out I'm enjoying a can VooDew 6 so I can add to my ranking from best to worst.  The mystery flavors are announced every Halloween. 

My ranking -- 

2023 - Cherry Airheads

2024 - ? Taste like Strawberry Pixy Stix to me

2019 - Candy Corn

2021 - Fruit Candy Chews

2020 - Fruit Candy Explosion 

2022 - Sour Candy

  

And yes, if you're wondering, I did mix all of the first five flavors and it was very very sweet.  Thankfully I survived!  

The marketing on VooDew was fun especially on social media but I was surprised by the lack of in-store displays.  At least I never saw anything at my local supermarkets.  Oh well...to close out today's post, here are some photos of the product in the wild.

My shopping cart full of Halloween goodness!

Halloween Packaging Day 29 -- The Reaper Hot Sauce

I'm bending the rules for today's post because this awesome bottle is not really intended for Halloween and is/was available year-round.  But it's just too cool not to post!  I'm not into hot sauces but when I spotted this at World Market a few years ago I had to add it to the collection.  Just look at it with it's cheap plastic skull lid wrapped in a black felt cloak and an illustrated skinny skeleton body on the label.  It's pure perfection! 

Such a nice big toothy grin on Grim!

Here's a pic of it in the wild.  You'll notice they spiced up the label a bit from the time I bought mine to the time I snapped this pic.  The back of the label says it's a product of Colombia so I guess this would be the perfect sauce for your Day of the Dead celebration.

Halloween Packaging Day 28 -- Crunch 'n Munch

This boo-tifully designed Halloween themed Crunch 'n Munch box was on store shelves during the spooky season of 2006.  It has everything going for it to grab the attention of a potential buyer.  The name of the product is large and eye catching.  The skeleton barker peeks out from the top basically telling you to buy a box.  Another skeleton gets the attention of all ages that it has a free a glow-in-the-dark light switch cover on the back.  A subtle and mysterious haunted house beckons any hesitant buyer.  Finally, the food product itself is wrapped in a swirling triangle of tasty goodness.    

The front of the box alone should make you buy it!  But even if you pick it up and are not sure if you should spend the few dollars, you then see the side panel.  You're hypnotized by the spooky Goblin Party Favors recipe and it's now in your shopping cart.  

Of course you're now a hero to your kids because of that nifty glow-in-the-dark light switch cover and you owe whoever designed this box a big thanks of gratitude!!  Hopefully in a house somewhere one of these light switch covers is still hanging up after almost 20yrs. 

Halloween Packaging Day 27 -- Betty Crocker Frosted Brownie Mix

One of my favorite Halloween packages is this Betty Crocker Frosted Brownie Mix box from 2012.  It's simple and it feels like it could be from the 1960's or 1970's.  Below is the back of the box and side if anyone would like to replicate the monster brownie on the box.

Halloween Packaging Day 26 -- Hostess Scary Cakes

In 2004, Hostess designed one of their best Halloween themed boxes.  The characters on this Scary Cakes box could have walked out of an episode of Groovie Ghoulies.  I wonder who the artist was?  I'd love to see their prelim character designs.  It's a shame Hostess didn't create an animated commercial with these ghouls.  

Vampy

Boris

Grim

Wolfie

There! Now they have names. You're welcome. 

The back isn't as interesting as the front but here it is in case anyone was wondering.

Halloween Packaging Day 25 -- Halloween Big League Chew

In honor of today's first game of the World Series here are two packages of Halloween Big League Chew that were a home run for a couple of years during the Halloween season.  I believe they debuted in 2013.  How cool are these?  I bet that was an epic baseball battle with Wolfman pitching to the Mummy.

Play a game of I-Spy and you'll find these BLC pouches hiding in this Target candy display from 2014.  I'll buy that for a dollar!!

Halloween Packaging Day 24 -- Fright Bites Tortilla Chips

From 2014 comes Fright Bites Tortilla Chips by Snak King.  I feel like the artwork on this bag has a story like it's from some strange Halloween themed child's storybook.    

 

Halloween Packaging Day 23 -- Kid Cuisine Haunted Halloween Meals

Kid Cuisine, the TV dinner that 90's kids and Double O kids grew up with.  I'm sure the nostalgia of these frozen boxed meals is finally hitting that generation.  The boxes I'm showcasing here are from 2005.

That's KC Penguin dressed as Frankenstein and the Mummy! 

 

For your viewing pleasure I painstakingly and probably foolishly put that puzzle to together. I spent way too much time digitally cutting up the box.

 

Back then the normal everyday Kid Cuisine tray was blue but for Halloween they went with the classic orange and black, the official colors of Halloween.

I'm not sure how many Halloween boxes Kid Cuisine did.  I have a few other ones that came out a few years after these but it looks like their first Halloween box was in 2002 according to this commercial.

Now here's a 2003 commercial for the two boxes from today's post.  Looks my box in 2005 changed a bit and the slime apple sauce was replaced with spooky mac & cheese.  

Halloween Packaging Day 22 -- Nestle Coffin Crisp

Have you ever tried a Coffee Crisp bar?  It's a Canadian chocolate bar and it's really tasty!  For a few years, Coffee Crisp would turn into Coffin Crisp during the Halloween season.  Just look at this striking wrapper from 2012.  It's perfect!  I'm not sure when but Coffee Crisp now stays regular old Coffee Crisp all year and the Coffin version was discontinued.    

Halloween Packaging Day 21 -- Tombstone Pizza

Tombstone Pizza is the official pizza of Halloween!  Yes, it's true because it says it right on the package.  I believe it was in 2009 when they started this clever slogan.  With a name like Tombstone it makes perfect sense.  You know why Tombstone is called Tombstone?  Back in the early 1960's, two brothers owned a tavern named Tombstone Tavern where they made their signature pizza pie.  Naturally, it was across the street from a cemetery.  Now to these pizza hungry monsters!  I think I was able to snag all the monster label/inserts from 2009 to 2016.   

Now if only they would have invited the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Invisible Man.  At least we got wild eyed Grim Reaper devouring a 4 meat pizza!

Now for some pics of 'em in the wild!

Here's the commercial for the Halloween pizzas!

In 2017 they changed the design with some great artwork by Nathan Shelton of Ant Creations.  Unfortunately I only found two of the three designs and missed out on the zombie one. 

The next few years Tombstone connected with some licensed properties like Hotel Transylvania 3 and The Addams Family 2.  This year it looks like they're sitting Halloween out.  Hopefully they're planning on something fun and exciting for next year.