What happens when you pair Pop-Tarts with college football? You get the sweet combination of the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl meets college football’s first edible mascot.
@poptarts What day is it? #october3rd
Wait… wait? Do you mean to tell me college football players are gonna eat the Frosted Strawberry mascot and that’s totally okay? Let’s break down how this works ahead of the first-ever Pop-Tarts Bowl.
What’s The 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl?
The 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl has a unique backstory in the world of college football. Its original name was the Blockbuster Bowl, and the game was born in Miami, Florida in 1990. Game attendance dwindled over the next 11 years, and it became clear the game wouldn’t last long in Miami.
A second bowl game was brought to Orlando by Chuck Rohe, then the Florida Citrus Sports Executive Director. This game was called the Tangerine Bowl (today’s audiences know the game as the VRBO Citrus Bowl). The bowl made strides in Orlando and even experienced eight consecutive years of attendance increases at one point.
In 2023, Pop-Tarts became the new title sponsor of the game after signing a multi-year agreement with Florida Citrus Sports.
“Since we announced our title sponsorship of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, fans have been speculating on the larger-than-life game day experiences we will be tackling, and this is the first of many traditions that fans can expect Pop-Tarts to upend on game day,” said Heidi Ray, Senior Director of Marketing, Pop-Tarts.
What Role Does The Pop-Tarts Mascot Play In This Game?
As Ray added in the same quote, Pop-Tarts has sacrificed everything in the name of Crazy Good flavor for 60 years. That includes their beloved football mascot.
Here’s how it works. You’re familiar with the Agents of Crazy Good crew and their leader Frosted Strawberry, right?
How about the campaign accompanying Frosted Strawberry where the Pop-Tart speaks its mind and then quite literally flops back into its foil wrapping?
Then you’ve got a good sense of what will happen to Frosted Strawberry on Game Day. The winning team gets a Championship Trophy and plenty of bites of that sweet edible mascot. According to Pop-Tarts, the Pop-Tarts Bowl Mascot will run around the stadium interacting with fans as an IRL manifestation. Once the final whistle blows, Frosted Strawberry transforms back into a game-winning snack for the victorious team.
Once you see this picture, an edible Pop-Tarts mascot makes sense!
When Can I Watch The Pop-Tarts Bowl?
The 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl airs live on ESPN December 28 at 5:45 PM EST.
Follow Pop-Tarts on Instagram and TikTok, as well as the PopTartsBowl pages on Instagram and TikTok, for an inside look at what else is to come during the first-ever Pop-Tarts Bowl. We’ll see ya on Game Day!
