There are many cross-marketing moves in the world of entertainment. Sometimes they are genius, like making PEZ dispensers of comic book characters. Other times they miss the mark, like putting an image of a character on one of those wash cloths that grow underwater (unless you are a fan of those growing wash clothes, then I’ll get my apologies out now).
For anyone who read American comic books from the 70s into the 90s, one thing that always sticks out to many are the amount of advertisements that are one-page comic book mini-adventures which tie into a marketed product. The most notorious for these ads was the snack company Hostess. From the 70s into the 90s (specifically between 1975 to 1982), Hostess tied every comic character imaginable into not just saving the day, but saving the day by eating a Snackpie, Twinkie, Ho-Ho, Ding-Dong, cupcake or other delicious mass-produced confectionery.
These fondly remembered advertisements have been referenced, parodied and reproduced over and over again. Yes it’s advertising with comic characters but still art itself, always entertaining or staggeringly amusing. Most of them were worked on by the same artists who were drawing the spotlighted comic book characters at the time. So, we here at ComicAttack.net take a moment to look back at these wonderful moments when our favorite superheroes met snackpies.
And these are just some examples of the greatness that lies out there for you to find and enjoy the magic. Now I’m off to go eat some snackpies!
Drew McCabe
drew@comicattack.net
HILARIOUS!!
I think I ruined my insides by eating a crap ton of the TMNT ones.
I read every single one of these as a kid lol They were the perfect “commercial” while reading a comic back then, great stuff Drew!
I scarfed down my fair share of green pies with vanilla puddin’ power, as well!
So after writing this article, I had an uncontrollable hunger and taste to hunt down a hostess snack pie. Even in Buffalo, NY, crap food capital of the world, it was surprisingly tough to find one. I put out a message to my current cast of actors for a play I directed, that whoever brought me one, I would recast. Needless to say, the snackpies were brought! Getting home and eating that snackpie, I suddenly remembered why they are hard to find now-in-days, simply they are only tasty until you get half way through the snack pie, then it hits you: what the hell am I eating.
On a side note, a Chinese Buffet here in Buffalo serves hostess twinkies at their snack bar part of the buffet. There is nothing that is more mind boggling then seeing a pile of about 50-60 unwrapped twinkies piled atop of each other.
Comicattack.net rules guys!
Love this! Thanks for the nostalgia!
I remember those pies. Very cool article Drew.
Oh no! I remembered that Turtles snack brand at the top. I don’t think I was allowed to eat it (for very good reason).
It has always been interesting looking back at advertisements in older comic books.
Pingback: From Friendly Ghosts To Gamma Rays: Superman and Yo Gabba Gabba!