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Comic Con Foods – funny television skit or pop icon reality?

By Cristine Struble

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Comic Con descends on San Diego for its annual event. A recent television skit had us questioning, are there really Comic Con foods?

Last night on Midnight, the Comedy Central game show, contestants answered Comic Con Foods. The hashtag #ComicConFoods has been trending on Twitter ever since. The funny puns, cute memes and unusual pairings got us thinking. Are there really Comic Con foods?

At the annual Sweet and Snacks Expo, the National Candy Association showcases thousands upon thousands of candies and snacks. While everyone is always looking for the new or hot trend, one theme is constant year after year, superheroes. From DC Comics to Marvel, iconic characters are everywhere.

Comic Con Food – Treat Street Wonder Woman Power Bands, photo by Cristine Struble

While some of the candies may not have the cute, play on words names like the trending #ComicConFoods, the concepts are somewhat similar. For example, the Wonder Woman power bands from Treat Street are a candy version of Wonder Woman’s outfit. Some little girl will want to pretend she can have Wonder Woman’s strength by eating these gummy candy. The candy strengthens the personal connection with the fan.

But, the food and product symbolic relationship is more than just branding. Many fans are drawn to products because they see characters use or reference them. Who remembers how shawarma became a thing because Tony Stark mentioned it at the end of the first Avengers? I’m willing to bet the many movie goers hadn’t heard of or tried that Mid-Eastern dish prior to the movie mention.

From specific dishes to drinks, fans want to feel connected to the characters that they love. Having a tangible item in a fan’s daily life takes the character off the screen and into the real world. Looking at the recent Game of Thrones premier, how many fans served Game of Thrones wine? Did they serve that wine because it is the best wine or ever because it had a Game of Thrones label? I would guess that the label had a bigger influence than the love of a good California cabernet.

So while everyone may be laughing at the punny Comic Con Foods trending on the internet right now, remember the joke may not be too far from the truth. Take a walk down any super market aisle and you might have an eye opening experience.

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