Sometime after Oreo debuted its cotton candy, fruit punch, Peeps, and the totally meta Cookies & Creme flavors, it started to seem like the cookie maker had jumped the shark, Arthur Fonzarelli-style. Coming up with the next flavor almost became its own meme — or, at the very least, a way to toy with the hearts of the chocolate sandwich-cookie obsessed — as people started posting their own Photoshopped versions of flavors, varying from only-in-our-wildest-dreams (Samoa?!) to please, please, no (uh, Spam?).
Starting today, what may be the brand's wildest creation hits stores: Firework Oreos — the rumored flavor we told you about earlier this year. Turns out, the rumblings online were accurate. What would otherwise be a normal Oreo is taken to a Willy Wonka level of OTT, thanks to a creme filling studded with popping candy. So it fizzles and crackles as you eat it. (This is in addition to the Albertsons-exclusive Waffles & Syrup flavor we told you about over the weekend.)
The new flavor's hitting stores everywhere this week, but that's not all: Oreo's also launching a contest to let people everywhere invent future flavors. That's right — the meme is becoming a reality, proving that if you joke hard enough on the internet, your dreams really can come true (just ask any YouTuber).
You have until July 14 to submit your ideas, according to the official rules, and there are three ways to enter: (1) texting your idea to 59526, (2) posting on social media using #MyOREOCreation and #contest, or (3) filling out the form on MyOREOCreation.com (though that last option isn't available until May 25).
The grand prize winner won't just get the glory of having their cookie sold in stores everywhere; he or she will also take home $500,000. Not a bad pay day for dreaming up the cookie you wish the brand would start selling.
To kick off the contest, Oreo's already enlisted a bunch of influencers, asking them to share their ideas.
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Tituss Burgess voted for a "Broadway" flavor, which would be one part red velvet, one part red carpet, and one part "glittery, golden buttercream."
His costar, Ellie Kemper, even filmed a video for them, dreaming up a coconut-mango "island getaway" flavor.
[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOsPDYHQFbA&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
Though the contest was officially announced minutes ago, ideas are already pouring in on Twitter, and most of them have been pretty serious submissions so far (shocking for Twitter, right?). Early suggestions include banana pudding, coffee, chocolate-dipped waffle cone, and funnel cake, with nary a unicorn meat, tears of my exes, or toad eyeballs in sight. Yet.
If you need any more inspiration before submitting your ideas, we've got a few suggestions you can riff off of.
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