Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Movers and Shakers

I was recently flipping through the June 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living and was pleasantly surprised to find this article on collecting vintage fruit and vegetable-shaped salt and pepper shakers:


Although only the first page features anthropomorphic shakers, this is still a step in the right direction. One thing I feel has been really lacking in the magazine is food with eyes. I always enjoy the collecting articles, especially when someone's unique collection is profiled. As I have not seen a food with eyes collection profiled yet, I would be happy to volunteer my collection, Martha.

Incidentally, these great shakers come from the the New York antique store Mood Indigo, which has a fantastic array of 1930s-50s kitchen and bar ware.


Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Happy National Watermelon Day!

Yes indeed, it's National Watermelon Day! There's still time to celebrate with the National Watermelon Promotion Board's cool mascot J. Slice:


It's worth a visit to the Board's Games and Activities page to see the fantastic coloring books available for download:

J. Slice Saves Princess Cupcake from the Downhill Sugar Slide I wish those guests came to my birthday party!

J. Slice Rescues his Friends from the Clutches of Layzee I love their TV-mesmerised eyes!

J. Slice Saves the Planet from Professor Junk Food I'm offended by the stereotypical presentation of scientists as evil in this one. I, for one, have  never tried to take over the word or even held fruits and vegetables captive over a vat of boiling chocolate (well, maybe fruits, but not vegetables).

You can also download instructions for how to grow your own watermelon. However, they are quick to point out that you'll probably only get a vine, not an actual watermelon, and if you somehow do manage to get a watermelon, it probably won't taste as good as one you would buy in a store!

So enjoy National Watermelon Day with your store bought watermelon!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Yankee Doodle Dandies

For those of you celebrating Independence Day today, here are some cookout favorites to get you in the mood:

Patriotic Hamburger and Hot Dog found at Trader Joe's

Some National Deli mustard for the hot dogs

Campfire Marshmallows for the S'mores

Note the original Campy mascot

De La Rosa Extra Giant Marshmallows

Close-up of a marshmallow roasting a smaller version of itself

Two little marshmallows frolic, unaware of imminent roasting...

A complete s'mores kit (found at Kmart)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

They Call Me MISTER Shivers!

Once again, my sister Maria of Curly-Wurly has outdone herself in the anthropomorphic food gift department! On a recent visit, she presented me with the most wonderful refrigerator magnet: Mister Shivers!


At 14 inches tall, Mister Shivers is not your ordinary refrigerator magnet. He looks to be strawberry (?) soft serve, and in a common but disturbing food with eyes theme, he is about to eat a smaller version of himself. He is made by Accoutrements and has a few companions pictured on the back of his package:


Upon bringing Mister Shivers home, I had to carefully weigh the options of the best place for him to reside. We sadly have a trendy, non-magnetic stainless steel refrigerator, so he could not have the place of honor in the kitchen. I then thought about having him adorn my car:


Although I liked both the door and hood locations, I was too concerned that someone would steal him to chance it. After all, If I had seen a car with Mister Shivers on it, I would have been awfully tempted to take him. So in the end I decided he would fit best on the washing machine in my retro-themed laundry room:

Now he sits there happily among other food-themed magnets, poised to lick his chocolate cone.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Eye Candy

Here's a new crop of gumball/candy machines featuring food with eyes!

First, a variation on Nitwitz, this time with Kooky Bananas:

Next, the ominously-named Sweet Revenge Secret Flavored Candy:
Perhaps red is orange-flavored, yellow is grape, blue is lemon. Or perhaps its something much more insidious than that...

And last, this cool Limeade bubble gum guy:

I found the first two candy machines in the entryway of Best Buy. As I was taking the pictures, a big dumb guy started making fun of me! Is is really remarkable to see a 39-year-old woman taking pictures of anthropomorphic characters on gumball machines with an iPhone?? I ignored him, but later wished I had the presence of mind to offer him a Sweet Revenge Secret Flavored Candy (with the hope that it turned out to be manure, vomit, mold, rotting flesh or the like).

Sunday, April 24, 2011

National Sticker Month 2011

Although April is rapidly drawing to a close, I didn't want to let National Sticker Month pass us by without highlighting a few food with eyes stickers. This shiny beauties came from my favorite down-market dollar store, the Yankee One Dollar Store.

Here we have a sheet of some cheerful fruits. But look closer... that banana is eating a banana!


Here is another sheet of more fruit, but without the cannibalism:


And the third sheet is a bit more unusual. While I can identify a cherry, tomato, and corn, there are 4 other fruits (?) that are more obscure. I think there are two varieties of melons plus a seductive papaya in the middle. But the real mystery is the prickly fruit on the bottom left. I think it is a breadfruit or a jackfruit?

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Happy Birthday, Curly Wurly!

Please join me in wishing a very special Happy Birthday to Maria of Curly Wurly!


Head on over to Maria's blogs, Flickr, Twitter, or Tumblr and say hello!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Wee Willie Wafer

I've seen these Voortman Wafer Cookie guys on packaging for years. Here's a sample of the available sugar-free flavors:





Head over to Voortman's Kid's Stuff for some great wafer guy coloring pages to print!

Recently I came across a competing wafer with eyes: Willie Wafer found on packages of Original Gourmet wafer cookies at discount grocery store Price Rite:


For a discount mascot, Willie's got real style!


Thursday, February 3, 2011

I Say To-may-to

Heinz Tomato ketchup, that is! It's time for another installment of the Heinz Tomato Ketchup Creativity Contest winners! Anthropomorphic food continues to be a favorite theme. Here are a few of the 2010 winners:

The Red Carpet takes on a new meaning with this great design from 8th grader Albert M.:

Go on a Surfin' Safari with this Fry Guy from 11th grader Synclaire K.:

Hang on with this Roller Coaster design from 10th grader Jasmyne D.:

Be sure to check out the Winner's Gallery for more great designs! I think the one of a ketchup bottle and hot dog at a diner is my favorite. And there's still time to enter this year's contest (provided you are in grades 1-12)!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

You Say To-mah-to

Whether you say to-may-to or to-mah-to, everyone can agree that packages of tomatoes are much more appealing when emblazoned with a cheery mascot. There seems to be something about grape tomatoes in particular that calls out for a spokes-tomato. I've previously posted two other examples of grape tomato mascots, and now I've come across three more:

Mr. Tasty Grape Tomato looks like a regular Yankee Doodle Dandy!


Old King Grape looks like a merry old soul.

And who wouldn't pick Tom, Matt, and Otto when authentic grape tomatoes are required?

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Veg Side Story

One thing I like as much as anthropomorphic food is a good Broadway or movie musical. Sadly, few musicals incorporate singing food. And why not? Broadway couldn't get any worse than it is today. Leave it to Sesame Street to remedy the situation. Here is their production of Veg Side Story:


Courtesy of Sesame Street on YouTube.

I would pay good money to see the rest of this show on Broadway!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Resolution Solutions

Happy New Year 2011 and welcome to the fifth year of Food with Eyes! The beginning of a new year is traditionally the time to make resolutions to improve one's life, but those resolutions often go by the wayside in just a few days or weeks. So here are a few items featuring food with eyes that just might help you stick to those resolutions:

For those of you who have vowed improved oral hygiene for 2011, I have two suggestions. First is an adorable cup from Paperchase. It would be perfect for your Lavoris or Listerine.





Next, for good oral hygiene on the go, try these Ranch Flavored Toothpicks from Accoutrements:


Or perhaps your resolution is to "Go Green" this year. Your fellow shoppers at the Piggly Wiggly will be green with envy when they see you packing your groceries into this Mr. Bacon and Mr. Egg bag (also from Accoutrements): 


For those of you who have been unlucky in love, you may have resolved to find Mr./Ms. Right in 2011. When getting ready for a night on the town, be sure to stash your cosmetics in this food-filled bag from Paperchase:


And when you need to set just the right ambiance for a date with a potential mate, it's best to have a Mr. Bacon Air Freshener (Accoutrements) close by. Who can resist the smell of frying bacon?


Of course, the most common resolution is to eat better and lose weight. Even though most people really do know which foods to eat and which to avoid to achieve this goal, it is still the most difficult of resolutions to keep. So the next time you're facing an inner struggle between eating a corndog or a bunch of steamed broccoli, don't keep it all inside. Work out your conflict with these Captain Corndog and Baron Von Broccoli bendable figures (Accoutrements):


Here they are, ready to do battle. I can't help rooting for that dashing scamp, Captain Corndog, even though I know the dastardly-looking, yet antioxidant-rich, Baron Von Broccoli should be the favorite. I don't think the Baron stands a chance.


But wait, the Baron has mustered his phytochemical-filled friends to help him out. Things don't look so good for Captain Corndog now.


Whatever your resolution for 2011, I hope you achieve it (preferably with the use of anthropomorphic food). What is my resolution, you ask? To post more often to this blog, of course! And where did these wonderful resolution-helpers all come from? From that noted blogger and pop culture historian, Maria of Curly Wurly, who has an uncanny ability to find the perfect gift for every occasion!