{"id":24894,"date":"2017-09-28T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-28T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=24894"},"modified":"2021-01-13T17:55:51","modified_gmt":"2021-01-14T03:55:51","slug":"waysnack-machine-pop-secret-pop-qwiz-popcorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2017\/09\/28\/waysnack-machine-pop-secret-pop-qwiz-popcorn\/","title":{"rendered":"WAYSNACK MACHINE: Pop Secret Pop Qwiz Popcorn"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pop<\/p>\n

Waysnack Machine is a series that looks back at discontinued products.<\/em><\/p>\n

I’ve always loved popcorn. One of my favorite childhood memories is my dad making it in a pan, pouring the kernels out from one of those big plastic canisters of good ol’ Orville Redenbacher.<\/p>\n

I’d stand there in the kitchen, waiting for the first pop, then listening to the following explosion of kernels, until we got down to that three-second count that meant it was ready. Then he would melt some butter in the already-hot pan and pour it over the bowl, adding generous amounts of salt.<\/p>\n

There was one point, however, where I took ownership of my own popcorn destiny. That sentence has a really inflated sense of self-importance, but what I’m getting at is that in 1991, Pop Qwiz came out, and ten-year-old me was more than ready for it.<\/p>\n

Why would a kid know or care about a very specific brand of popcorn? Well, Pop Secret (the maker of Pop Qwiz) went apeshit bonkers with their marketing. The commercial for Pop Qwiz had D-rate Zach Morris wearing a jacket I swear I owned, zany music, and a bunch of kids trying to win the \u201cqwiz\u201d (ugh) by guessing which color would \u201cpop up next.\u201d<\/p>\n

You see, the gimmick behind Pop Qwiz was that it came in small, different-colored bags, but the color of the popcorn inside the bag didn’t necessarily match the color outside. That’s right, it was popcorn that came in neon-bright colors! Red, green, blue, yellow, purple, and…orange? I think orange was the sixth color. Obviously, yellow was the dud, since buttered popcorn already came in that color. I always considered green to be the win, as it seemed to be the most vibrant of the bunch.<\/p>\n

\"Pop<\/p>\n

In addition to the color guessing, there was also a bunch of puzzles and activities on the box. The popcorn equivalent of a breakfast cereal box. Between that and the commercials, who could resist?<\/p>\n

It’s a shame the popcorn tasted like flavorless styrofoam and the bag held little more than a handful of popcorn. I’m not sure when Pop Qwiz was discontinued, because my interest soon waned, despite the novelty of colored popcorn. I guess I was just spoiled by my dad’s buttery, salty approach to making popcorn (and the copious amounts I received).<\/p>\n

Mystery flavors have made a comeback recently, so I could see Pop Qwiz becoming popular once more. If they did bring it back, they’d better work on taste and portions, though, because novelty wears off quickly.<\/p>\n