The Signature South Park Snack You Could Buy In Real Life For A Limited Time
"South Park" is one of the most prolific and lasting shows in the history of cable television. Created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the Comedy Central show has spanned 25 seasons, one theatrically-released movie, and several Paramount+ movies. Fans have obsessed over every detail of the show over the years from how the show was created to the significance of characters' hair and even which locations in the show they could visit in real life.
Its enduring legacy has led to action figures, video games, and a wide variety of branded merchandise. In 2022, Deadline even reported about several pop-ups that offered exclusive merch, original memorabilia from the show, and even photo ops. Over the years, die-hard fans have been able to get their hands on all the exclusive collectables that come their way. But there's one signature item from the show you could only buy for a limited time.
In 2011, you could buy Cheesy Poofs in real life
According to The New York Times, in 2011, you could actually buy a bag of Cartman's favorite snack, Cheesy Poofs. Created by Frito-Lay, the branded snacks were first available at the San Diego Comic-Con that year before being made available at Walmart stores nationwide at the affordable price of $2.99 a bag. "South Park" was celebrating its 15th season that year, and the puffed-Cheeto-like snacks were available as part of Comedy Central's celebration of the show, which lasted the entire year.
In a Comedy Central press release, archived by PR Newswire, the network dubbed 2011 "The Year of the Fan" for "South Park" enthusiasts. Besides the release of the aforementioned snack, fanatics were treated to the "Ultimate 'South Park' Fan Experience" at San Diego Comic-Con, which included such sights as a museum of art inspired by the show, historical artifacts from the show's early days including storyboards and animation cutouts, and a karaoke stage where fans could sing their favorite songs from the show. Fans who couldn't attend the convention could vote on South Park Studios' website for the top 15 episodes of the show. These picks were then featured throughout the year.
In a 2011 interview with Esquire, Matt Stone, sarcastically stated, "We won the Tonys. Did anything else happen this year?" Besides celebrating 15 seasons of "South Park" that year, the duo of Stone and Trey Parker won nine Tony Awards, including best musical, for their work on the Broadway show, "The Book of Mormon." With so much to celebrate that year, we can only hope they celebrated with a big bag of Cheesy Poofs.