Mixed Messages

Some things are a no-brainer.  We take a lot for granted these days so what seems obvious in hindsight can sometimes be the result of years if research and experimentation.  On the other hand, there is such a thing as the "happy accident."  These can happen to anybody when they least expect it and that type of scenario was the basis of a famous ad campaign for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

It was the "go-go 80s" (and late 70s) and people wanted what they wanted...and they wanted it now!  This applied to snacks as much as it applied to junk bonds.  Reese's adopted this spirit of accidental ingenuity with a series of ads showcasing everyday folks inadvertently creating the great taste of chocolate and peanut butter. 

 Here we have two typical 80s young folks on their way somewhere, probably the arcade, when suddenly the unthinkable happens: a corner collision thrusts the guy's generic chocolate bar into the gal's crock of peanut butter (I'm only now picking up on the subtext).  Instead of noticing how weird it is that she was eating peanut butter out of the jar with her hands, the guy pulls his walkman to the side so they could both experience the brand new treat their clumsiness created.  Also they're married now (I just made that last part up).

Next up is another meet cute between a young couple, this time at the movies.  As was common at the time, the young lady is eating peanut butter with a spoon directly from the jar.  I have to assume she brought it from home because I don't recall movie theater concessions selling whole jars in the 80s but perhaps my experience is limited.  Regardless, a jump scare brings our couple together just as it brings their chocolate and peanut butter together.  They celebrate their new love by picking up some Reese's for a less messy movie snack alternative.

And now, some culture.  A night at the opera leads to a new taste sensation.  I assume that the actual opera is about the two ingredients because the singer starts the show by praising his beloved peanut butter.  Whether or not the pratfall is a part of the story or the fault of bad stage management is unclear.  But the results are undeniable: a tasty treat.  

The legacy of these commercials remains to this day as it's not uncommon to hear the old "You got chocolate in my peanut butter" joke whenever somebody gets something into something else.  I still hold out hope that they're due for a comeback.  Maybe if we all started eating peanut butter directly out of the jar in public then it would seem more natural to bring it back.

Got Time For a Quik Story?

 Previously:

Fish Story  - -  Flash Fried  - -  About a Boy  - -  Burn Notice

 Some team-ups are inevitable.   They just seem like a perfectly natural pairing that the universe itself could not slow down the natural synergy between a like minded pair.  But some team-ups...are a little more head scratchingly arbitrary.  They may not seem like a natural fit and yet great things are accomplished.  This brings us to the 1987 comic book "Superman Meets the Quik Bunny"!

The story begins with a quick tease of Superman running afoul of a member of the Flash's rogue's gallery.  The Weather Wizard is using his magic weather wand to make things go straight up bonkers in Metropolis.

Meanwhile, we get a "quik" introduction to the members of the "Quik Qlub" as they finish building their tree house while the Quik Bunny supervises.

Of course they celebrate with a round of chocolate milks and in the process we get a good look inside the tree house they built.  It seems to have a surprising amount of sophisticated computer equipment.  But before we can wonder how or why, we get a quik expedited introduction of each of the Qlub members and their specialties:

Seems like some or all of this information might become relevant at some point.  You may notice in the back of that panel that Superman is on the news on their high tech homemade tree house entertainment system.

Well, the gang sees the trouble going on in Metropolis and decided that four kids and a chocolate craving rabbit were exactly what the situation needed.  So they unleashed the first of many of the secrets they built into their tree house:

Yes, the tree house these kids just built is also a helicopter.  It's almost enough to make you forget about the talking bunny...and possibly Superman.  But the Man of Steel, the Quik Bunny and the Quik Qlub kids finally all converge in Metropolis in time for the kids to assume they saved Superman and for Superman to tell them that they didn't.

One of the aspects of the comic is puzzles and brain teasers that pop up every couple of pages.  They're a part of the story and are meant for the reader as well as the Qlub kids to solve.  The answers are typically the location for where the Weather Wizard has gone.  That's why one of the kids is so cocky to Supes in the last panel.

Each puzzle plays into one of the aforementioned strengths/interests of the club members so even if the reader isn't able (or willing) to decipher the clues, the Chocolate Milk Brigade will take care of it.  And that's how they found out the Weather Wizard next target was...

This comic is surprisingly long with multiple altercations in multiple locations.  To save time let's just say they face both puzzles and the Weather Wizard in Washington D.C. and at the pyramids of Egypt before having a final confrontation at the Great Wall of China.  (Also the Qlub House turned into a blimp and boat and all kinds of other stuff.)

In addition to being able to change into various vehicles and containing state of the art computer equipment, the Quik Qlub tree house also has the ability to manufacture a facsimile of the Quik Bunny to use as a decoy to trick weather controlling villains.

And it's just that easy.  After the clean up and dropping off the Weather Wizard at the local loony bin, the only thing left to do is enjoy some of that sweet, sweet Nestle Quik flavored chocolate milk.