‘Unfrosted’ Film Prompts Release of Real-Life Trat-Pop

Unauthorized bios or portrayals usually mean someone’s going to get less-than flattering treatment.

What happens when the fictional portrayal is a movie parody around a brand owner’s iconic product, for example, Kellanova's Pop-Tarts?

You'll find out in the Netflix movie, Unfrosted, written by Jerry Seinfeld, when it debuts May 3. The summary is as follows “Michigan, 1963. Kellogg's and Post, sworn cereal rivals, race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast. A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen, Unfrosted stars Jerry Seinfeld in his directorial debut.”

Seinfeld knows a thing or two about Pop-Tarts, having referenced it several times in his stand-up routines.

Coincidentally, Unfrosted's release is timed to celebrate Pop-Tarts' 60th anniversary this year.

There’s been quite a marketing campaign around the flick, but let’s get to the packaging heart of it…Kellanova went with the set-up and ran with it by creativity leveraging the one-of-a-kind opportunity: it's introducing a chance to win limited-edition "Trat-Pops" boxes, the official box of the movie.

"Trat-Pops" origination? A typo.

According to the release, "featuring packaging from the film — the product name is a charming typo that will be explained when the movie is released — the box offers both a tasty movie snack and cinematic collectable that perfectly complements the delicious whimsy of Unfrosted."

We editors can certainly appreciate the occasional typo, though we’d wish ours would be seen as more the charming kind, too.

And there's the familiar face of Seinfeld himself as the front-and-center product pitch man.

"’Unfrosted’ is the ultimate flattery, and the biggest fanfiction ever," says Heidi Ray, senior director of brand marketing, Pop-Tarts. "At every level of fandom, Pop-Tarts continues to spark creativity — from the user-generated Edible Mascot memes at the Pop-Tarts Bowl to a homemade recipe from arguably the world's biggest pop star, and now to Jerry Seinfeld's Unfrosted film. We've been at the heart of culture for 60 years, and look forward to inspiring it for many, many more."

Additionally, Pop-Tarts offers multiple in-aisle and online activations at retailers across the country, encouraging fans to "Stream It. Eat It. We got you either way."

There's also social content and media partnerships that demonstrate the best way to stream the film while enjoying Pop-Tarts and “more surprises and Crazy Good antics throughout the film's press tour.”

Among those is Pop-Tarts' own parody...

Sign up is found on poptarts.com/Unfrosted starting today, April 29.

Don’t wait for the book, see the movie! And we can all find out about that darn “charming” typo.