Pop-Tart Mascot Becomes Instant Highlight Of Bowl Season

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 28 Pop-Tarts Bowl - NC State vs Kansas State
ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 28: the Pop-Tarts mascot Strawberry poses for a photo before the Pop-Tarts Bowl between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Kansas State Wildcats on Thursday, December 28, 2023 at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
No one will ever forget watching a human-sized Pop-Tart being consumed live on ESPN.

Fans have a new favorite part of Bowl Season. However, like Edna St. Vincent Millay's candle, the Pop-Tart Mascot cast a lovely light but did not last the night. The popular breakfast brand had been teasing the "world's first-ever edible mascot" for weeks prior to the Orlando-hosted game. Despite this, no one was quite expecting how loveable the dancing Pop-Tart was going to be. As NC State and Kansas State battled back and forth, most viewers kept having their eyes drawn to the mascot. Perhaps it's because everyone knew that its lifespan was tied to the final whistle. Perhaps it's because a dancing, human-sized Pop Tart is a once-in-a-lifetime sight.

But then came the end of the game. Kansas State claimed victory, 28-19. However, once again it was the Pop-Tart that was the center of the attention. 31,000 people in Florida, and hundreds of thousands more at home, watched as the giant Pop-Tart was lowered into an appropriately-sized toaster. If the sight was not already surreal enough, the Pop-Tart was holding a sign that read "Dreams really do come true" as he was lowered out of sight. Later, the victorious Wildcats would consume handfuls of the baked mascot. And the world loved it.

Pop-Tart Mascot Consumption Rivals Mayo Bath

However, a human-sized, pro-vore Pop-Tart being consumed on ESPN isn't the only food-related oddity of Bowl Season this week. On Wednesday night, Charlotte played host to the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Bowl game sponsors since 2020, Duke's, a southern staple of the condiment realm, have long been the kings of bizarre bowl game promotion. Duke's has readily embraced chaos and memery, especially on social media.

This culminates in the thing that the Pop-Tart Bowl was trying to one-up. Prior to Wednesday's game, a fan was seen chugging the "sandwich-elevating" condiment outside the stadium. And after West Virginia dominated North Carolina, it was time was the thing ever viewer was really there to see. Mountaineers head coach was seated in an impromptu throne before a sentient jar of mayo gave him a Gatorade cooler bath of the condiment. But as the week, and year, ends, does that really compare to watching the Mayfly life of a 6ft Pop-Tart whose only goal in life was to be eaten?

Fans Commemorate The Pop Tart

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About The Author
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.
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