Fun Friday: National Waffle Day, Takis recycling challenge, $10K Lay's sweepstakes, Bisquick x Kid Cudi
We conduct an exploration into presidential snacks.
courtesy of Lay's
courtesy of General Mills
courtesy of Bisquick
Fun Friday is kicking off this week with a reminder that National Waffle Day is tomorrow (August 24). General Mills' Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal is offering consumers $1 off their next box of any cereal, including its new Cinnamon Toast Crunch Waffle Cereal.
The newest Cinnamon Toast Crunch variety will have consumers leaving the waffle iron and maple syrup in the pantry and reaching for a spoon instead. Each waffle-shaped bite of cereal has a natural maple flavor and is blasted with Cinnadust.
CTC fans can use this code to receive $1 off their next box of any Cinnamon Toast Crunch variety, including other fan-favorites like CTC Minis, Tres Leches, and the OG classic.
Takis, Terracycle put a twist on back-to-school season
Takis is teaming up with international recycling leader TerraCycle to launch the Takis Snacks Free Recycling Challenge just in time for back-to-school season.
This challenge encourages students, teachers, and communities to recycle their Takis Snacks packaging for free, contributing to a cleaner environment with the added bonus of a chance to win some exciting prizes.
How the challenge works:
- Duration: August 19 through November 18
- How to Participate: Sign up here, download a free shipping label, and send your Takis Snacks packaging to TerraCycle for free
- Prizes: The top 3 schools that recycle the most will receive grand prizes, including a garden bed, compost bin, flower planters all made from recycled materials, as well as Takis x TerraCycle collection boxes. Thirty individual participants will also win Takis®-branded backpacks, pencil cases, friendship bracelets, and, of course, snacks!
Follow Takis on social media and visit takis.us for updates on the recycling challenge and back-to-school sweepstakes. For more information on TerraCycle’s recycling programs, visit terracycle.com.
Lay’s + National Potato Day Sweepstakes: $10K and early access to Lay’s flavors in 2025
August 19 was National Potato Day, one of the biggest days of the year for Lay’s, and the brand is celebrating by introducing the Lay's Flavor Taster sweepstakes.
For decades, Lay’s has been turning potatoes into hundreds of unique chip flavors, ranging from unexpected creations like Southern Biscuits & Gravy to fan-favorites like Sour Cream & Onion. In honor of this spud-tacular occasion, Lay’s is celebrating potato connoisseurs around the country by asking them to share their top three potato chip flavors for the chance to be among the first to taste Lay’s newest potato chips in 2025 and get $10,000, in its Lay's Flavor Taster sweepstakes.
Read our full article here.
Over the weekend, Vice President candidate Tim Walz posted a video on X showing him and Presidential candidate Kamala Harris looking for snacks at a Sheetz store while on their "Road to Chicago" bus tour. Per MSNBC: "Harris peruses one aisle alongside her husband while asking Walz, 'Do you see corn nuts over there, Tim?' Walz then emerges from another with another snack: a big bag of Doritos. Harris gratefully grabs the bag, exclaiming “ah, yeah,” and then immediately continues to hunt for other snacks."
One of Harris's favorite snacks is reportedly Doritos. Which led us to do some digging: what snacks were other presidents fond of?
President Reagan had a fondness for jelly beans. His Foundation website has some info about it:
"The inspiration for President Reagan’s habit began just before he ran for governor of California in 1966. The future president was trying to quit smoking, and he took up eating jelly beans as a substitute. His attempt at giving up pipe smoking was successful, and jelly beans quickly became synonymous with the 40th president. Later, while in the White House, President Reagan kept a standing order for 720 bags of jelly beans from his favorite company, Jelly Belly. At his inauguration in 1981, President Reagan ordered three and a half tons of patriotic red, white, and blue beans to commemorate the event. Jelly Belly even created a special new blue flavor—blueberry—to round out the patriotic trio of Very Cherry and Coconut. Forty years later, blueberry remains among the most popular types of beans."
"President Reagan is credited for massively expanding the popularity of his favorite jelly bean brand—when word got out that Jelly Belly was the president’s preferred candy, orders skyrocketed, and the small company found itself 77 weeks behind on orders. Even today, the company keeps President Reagan memorabilia around their factory, including portraits of the fortieth president and the First Lady done in jelly beans."
In addition, M&M's are the official candy of the White House. Per Wikipedia:
"Under President John F. Kennedy, guests and members of the press who traveled on Air Force One were given packs of 20 cigarettes in a box marked with the presidential seal and the signature of the sitting president, along with a matchbook. President Ronald Reagan replaced most of the cigarettes with jars of Jelly Belly jelly beans shortly after taking office, to maintain a consistent anti-drug image. At the 1988 Moscow Summit with Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, Mars, Incorporated supplied customized M&M's for gifts, which First Lady Nancy Reagan gave to Russian children. After the summit, Nancy Reagan saw an opportunity to ban all smoking on Air Force One, replacing the few remaining cigarette supplies aboard. Thereafter, M&M's became the official candy of the White House."
"President George H. W. Bush continued Reagan's tradition of handing out M&M's to presidential guests but extended the privilege to presidential employees. President Bill Clinton altered the packaging to include the signature of the sitting president beneath the presidential seal. President Barack Obama personally handed out packs of presidential M&M's to guests. Obama also gave them out to children trick or treating at the White House on Halloween, along with dried fruits from First Lady Michelle Obama."
"On President Donald Trump's first flight aboard Air Force One, unsigned boxes of M&Ms were provided because the ones with Trump's signature were not yet available."
Bisquick x Kid Cudi release limited-edition Funnel Cake Mix and merch
Kid Cudi, the Grammy-award winning artist and cultural icon, is known for his hit songs, but before summer ends, fans will also know him for his love of funnel cakes. As a self-professed funnel cake connoisseur, Kid Cudi never misses the chance to enjoy the sticky sweet treat—and now he’s partnering with Bisquick to bring that same carnival feeling home with the limited-edition Cudi’s Funnel Cake Mix.
The exclusive fair-themed collectible box features bright and nostalgic designs with Kid Cudi and his dog Nino at the fair, with each vibrant and playful box poised to bring a smile to your loved ones faces. The same design is also available on a unique collection of merch—including T-shirts, plates and aprons, all created by Kid Cudi.
The limited-edition Cudi’s Funnel Cake Mix and merch will be available for purchase for a limited time only while supplies last exclusively on Kid Cudi’s website, shop.kidcudi.com, starting Friday, August 23 at 9 am PT.
For more information about the partnership and the launch of Cudi’s Funnel Cake Mix, follow @BettyCrocker on Instagram and TikTok.
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