On Thursday, December 28th, Kansas State defeated North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, 28-19, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Founded in 1990, this bowl has served as a meeting between the ACC and the Big 12. It has also seen numerous name changes in that time period, most recently being the Russell Athletic Bowl (2012-2016), the Camping World Bowl (2017-2019), and the Cheez-It Bowl (2020-2022) before becoming the Pop-Tarts Bowl for the 2023 iteration.
The 2023 version may have been the most memorable out of the previous 33 iterations, and it wasn’t because of the game. It was because of this mascot:
The mascot of the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl was a giant strawberry Pop-Tart covered in white frosting with giant eyes and an open mouth with what seemed to look like the strawberry filling leaking out.
Being cut to on television numerous times before, throughout, and even after the game, social media was buzzing about the mascot.
But why was this mascot the standout of what was a rather lackluster college bowl season? Here are some reasons:
The Entrance
The theatrics of the Pop-Tart’s unveiling was unmatched by any other bowl mascot in at least the last decade, if not longer. It started with the giant toaster on the 50-yard line. I can only imagine what a person who went to this bowl game must have thought when the giant toaster was first wheeled out to midfield. Next, there was the booming voice with upbeat pop music playing in the background telling the crowd to “make some noise” to set the tone for the introduction. Suddenly, as if it was ascending to the heavens, the Pop-Tart rose from the toaster. With one final leap out of the slot onto the platform, fog machines began shooting out of the corners of the toaster along with sparklers rivaled only by a Goldberg entrance (shoutout to the pro wrestling readers). The performance concluded with the Pop-Tart, still playing to the crowd, surfing off the field as the giant toaster motored off.
There is Tony Award-winning theatrics, and then there is this performance.
The Gimmick
Whoever was in this mascot costume deserves either a bonus or a pay raise because they played the Pop-Tart perfectly. First, they delivered the coin for the coin toss at the beginning of the game:
Following that, they continued with the top-notch antics during the game by getting a hold of stadium personnel, officials for the game, and sideline reporters:
The Bittersweet Conclusion
Throughout the broadcast, we were warned of this outcome. Yet, were any of us really prepared? Even our morbid curiosities could not have made us ready for this conclusion. It was said from the beginning that the winning team would devour the Pop-Tart mascot. When the clock hit zero, that team was Kansas State. Wearing their Pop-Tarts Bowl champions hats and t-shirts, the Wildcats surrounded the giant toaster, into which the mascot slowly lowered holding a sign saying, “DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE” (which is equal parts hysterical and morbid). The anthropomorphic Pop-Tart with a death wish then popped out at the bottom of the toaster with the victors being able to pick at it.
Social media was sad to see our new friend go, but we all understood this sacrifice had to be made:
The “Meme-ability”
When a meme-worthy moment occurs, it cannot be artificially created; It must organically happen. There must be a perfect storm situation for such an event to occur.
For the Pop-Tart mascot, it was not just a storm: It was a tsunami.
Up to that point, die-hard college football fans had been frustrated with the lackluster play in the bowl games due to the substantial amount of star players not playing either because of the upcoming NFL Draft or the transfer portal. With the lull in play, fans were looking for any sorts of entertainment out of the remaining bowl matchups.
Next, the Pop-Tart mascot can be initially seen as a weird and quirky idea. However, weird and quirky is exactly what the internet likes. For the Pop-Tart mascot to have worked to its full potential, the marketing team had to go all-in on the quirkiness, as only going half-in would not work. The marketing team, the sponsors, and the person behind the mascot suit rolled the dice on the weirdness, and the gamble paid off.
Finally, Pop-Tarts is a recognizable brand by both football fans and non-fans alike. So, for those that were only watching because they had family and friends that wanted to watch could still enjoy the mascot saga.
This perfect storm had led to some of the best moments on social media in quite some time:
Congratulations to the Pop-Tarts mascot on being posthumously awarded the Odd Sports Stories 2023 College Bowl Season MVP. RIP In Peace Sweet Prince.
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