This Candy Is Not As Sexy As Some People Think

By JRT April 23, 2012 2:57 pm Posted in Cool Stuff, Dating & Sex, culture, Lifestyle, Television, Video JRT g+ page

This whole Mike & Ike thing seems to be getting out of hand. For those coming in late, Mike & Ike is a chewy and fruity candy that has more of a retro appeal. It hasn’t exactly been cutting-edge candy lately. So the marketing geniuses put together a promotion about Mike & Ike splitting up, with really hip kids talking about the big event on newfangled things like Youtube. Then a food writer at the Huffington Post ran with the story while coming up with a clever headline: “Mike & Ike Head for Gay Divorce In New Ad Campaign.” That was funny. A few other media outlets also called it a divorce. Again, pretty funny. But it’s all fun and games until you get the Family Research Council stirred up.

We usually enjoy the FRC as a handy outlet for knowing what television shows might have sexy content that we might be missing. Professional moralist (and FRC president) Tony Perkins, however, has been suckered into another hissy fit about nothing in particular. Listen here as Perkins proclaims that Mike & Ike’s corporate parents are spending $15 million dollars on “staging a gay divorce as part of a new ad campaign.” That’s doubly stupid. In addition to falling for the fake gay angle, Perkins is also ranting about the company “chipping away at the value of marriage” by using divorce to appeal to kids–not to mention wanting to”sexualize candy.”

Politics aside, Perkins is just wrong about the poor candy company ever bringing up divorce or homosexuality as part of the promotion. Now let us put aside these petty politics. We’re not worrying about gay people in candy colors. We prefer to use that Youtube thingy to look back at another kiddie-themed rivalry. We can only hope this Mike & Ike hype turns out to be half as entertaining as the epic battle that was Quisp vs. Quake: