SlashBack Cinema

The Stuff (1985) You Ate It. It Ate You Back.

• Ryan Dreimiller, Shanny Luft • Season 2 • Episode 54

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Everyone's eating it. Nobody knows what it is. Nobody cares. This week on SlashBack Cinema, we're grabbing a spoon and digging into The Stuff (1985),  the cult horror where a mysterious dessert turns America into willing victims. It's a movie about capitalist consumption, addiction, and how easy it is to sell people exactly what destroys them. We get into the wild premise, the practical effects, the 80s weirdness that makes it unforgettable, and why this one hits harder now than it ever did.
You ate it. It ate you back


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Shanny Luft:

Great taste for today, tastes great every way. Can't get enough of the stuff. The stuff. Welcome back to slash back cinema. I'm Shanny and I'm Ryan. This week, the stuff from 1985 it's the dessert that eats you back,

Ryan Dreimiller:

corporate greed, consumer culture and killer marshmallow goo.

Shanny Luft:

What could go wrong? Let's dig in. I

Ryan Dreimiller:

don't know if you've seen it. It's that viral video of the CEO of McDonald's, Sam, I got burger Yes, and, and he's like, so awkward, you can tell like he's just disgusted by holding the thing and he's like, and then you have to eat the product. Kept calling it product. Somebody remixed. It was like, eat the product, the product, the product to this. Like, beat. It was funny.

Shanny Luft:

The product, eat the product, love the product. Holy cow, yes, I watched that video, and I've watched people mimic it, like people have done re recordings of them pretending to be that guy, and they're like, and now I will eat some burger. I've walked dozens of these tiktoks. They are so funny. The one that was really

Ryan Dreimiller:

good was this guy was pretending to be the director, directing the shot for and, like, giving him, like, you know, cues on, like, what? And he's like, no, no, no. Don't call it the product. No, no.

Shanny Luft:

No, don't wipe that look off your face. No one around him could say, do you think we should do a version? Would you call it a hamburger and pretend to be human? Not every corporate leader gets to also be the mascot. I'm sorry. I love the product.

Ryan Dreimiller:

And speaking of the product, let's talk about the stuff.

Shanny Luft:

Yeah, we're leaving all this in. Have you ever seen this movie before?

Ryan Dreimiller:

I honestly knew nothing about it. And I will say that I wasn't that excited to watch it. I felt like it was going to just be one that we would just have to, like, check off the list, because it's on the list, and it was an 80s movie. But, boy, I can't wait to talk about

Shanny Luft:

this movie, really. Yeah, what about you? I had also, I don't remember having ever seen it. I did. I felt like I knew the whole plot, though, so maybe I came across it late night as a teenager. And just have forgotten, we've talked about this before, that some of these horror movies, they like, seep into the culture. So even if you've never seen a night ride home street movie, you know, he's got that glove. It's like there's certain things that just are iconic. And I don't know that this movie was, I don't remember doing especially well or being that prominent. We were 13, so this would have been in our wheelhouse. If we were going to see a cheesy horror movie, I feel like we would have seen this one. It's definitely more

Ryan Dreimiller:

obscure, and there's a group of people that love it and a group of people that hate this movie. And it feels like this movie was a victim of they didn't know how to market what this movie was, right? So if you're going to it thinking, Oh, it's pure horror, you will be disappointed. But if you go into it with like, an open mind and embrace it for what it is, like, it's it is highly entertaining. I was I was I

Shanny Luft:

was surprised. So before we get into this too much, why don't we do a little plot summary.

Ryan Dreimiller:

The stuff 1985 follows the story. The story unfolds, and it's this mysterious white Guo that gets discovered. It's bubbling out of the earth, and it's quickly marketed as the stuff, a dessert that tastes incredible but becomes impossible to stop eating. So the nation gets addicted to it, and then a small group of folks realize the truth. It's not just food. It's alive and it's taking over people from the inside out, and what unfolds is equal parts corporate takedown and a full blown dessert fueled nightmare.

Shanny Luft:

Part of what I liked about this movie, and I do feel like this especially, works if you're if you're from the 80s, I'm describing it like we're from another country, is there were so many products in the 80s that were kind of rolling out new that like never existed before. Even if you were a kid, there was, like, new candies rolling out. It felt like every month of our childhood. Remember bonkers and nerds, non stoppers, exactly right? Like these things were just like, every time you go to a grocery store or 711 there'd be another crazy new candy invention. And part of what I appreciate about this movie is as a satire of corporate greed, I thought it kind of nailed it, and I thought you might like it, because basically the people who control the stuff, they kind of know it's terrible, but they've manipulated the market so that they can get you addicted to it, and they don't really care. So it's like a cross between some kind of sugary sweet and nicotine. I was also

Ryan Dreimiller:

thinking about the fact that we just watched they live, and then we're almost doing back to back, unintentionally. That's like Reagan era, corporate capitalism taking over America, and it's just about money and greed and public

Shanny Luft:

And you know what? Poltergeist, the last movie we talked about, also had that quality to it, right? It was about a company that moved the headstones, but not the graves, because they'd save money, and so they caused a haunted house to exist. All right, let's just jump right into 80s. Watch amazing. See it 80s party? Yeah. So, because we're already kind of talking about the fact that the stuff is like, it seems like a product that could have come out in the 80s, it reminds me a little bit of, do you remember Olestra? It was like this new fat substitute,

Ryan Dreimiller:

anal leakage?

Shanny Luft:

Yes, yes, it caused diarrhea. But companies were like, but if you overlook that no calories. It's incredible. Yes, I kept thinking of that

Ryan Dreimiller:

warning on the bag of chips may cause anal leakage. You're like, who is eating this?

Shanny Luft:

Yeah, exactly. So I kept thinking of how, in the 80s they I feel like they have rolling out products to just experiment on the public and see what will those fat slobs eat next? Let's see what we cannot trick them into consuming

Ryan Dreimiller:

all the fake sugars too. Was it like nutra sweet

Shanny Luft:

and but what specific things did you notice?

Ryan Dreimiller:

I mean, I was thinking that also, like, this may be the most 80s movie we've ever seen. Maybe it's tied with night of the comet just being seeped and drenched, like from the kitchen to like the clothes to the cars, but especially the way, I loved how the movie leaned in on playing it straight with the packaging, branding and commercials that were created for the stuff, the product. And there's a lot of spotlights on that. In this film, there's a scene where the was it Nicole. She's this creative director who's been leading the marketing efforts to get this all over the country. And Mo comes in and kind of interrupts the shoot, but the way they're shooting it, and it's like these, like runway models coming down, fur coats, holding the stuff, feeding each other, like it was, it was so 80s, yes,

Unknown:

okay, let's get a little movement into this step step. Let's see the bathing suit. Okay, I want wonderful smiles.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Okay, I love how they like really flushed out that aspect of the because, because it really highlights the consumerism and the product and kind of like the way that you market enough stuff, people will buy any shit in this country, like, right? You got dollars to spend. People will buy it.

Shanny Luft:

Part of what I liked about this movie is there's this kind of, I don't, can't even call it a subplot, but it's this kind of, like, in the background, idea that the stuff is actually hurting other companies, like Garrett Morris from the original Silent Night Live cast. He plays a character named chocolate chip Charlie, who I think is supposed to be inspired by, like, those Famous Amos cookies. And he plays a ridiculous character who's constantly talking about his kung fu fists and lethal weapons, yes. And he's upset because the stuff has basically destroyed the cookie market. And I think Mo, our hero is hired by, like, ice cream manufacturers, yeah, to like, find out, like, what exactly is going on here with this stuff,

Ryan Dreimiller:

right? And they want him to go in and find out what's going on and then steal the formula, so then they can start creating the stuff and selling it as something else, right?

Shanny Luft:

I love the fact that no companies are actually acting in good faith, even the companies that are losing, they're all like, well, what can we do to actually, like, steal from the stuff and actually make our brand. So the stuff comes in these tubs. It kind of looks like marshmallow fluff,

Ryan Dreimiller:

but it's like in a Ben and Jerry's kind of pint, like, it's got this really cool logo. And yeah, it looks like fluff, although I will say that as the film goes and unfolds different scenes. I would say the stuff has different consistencies, looking either very fluffy or like, kind of like Guo versus very like the viscosity is changing as the movie unfolds.

Shanny Luft:

Are we ready to say goodbye to the 80s and start to talk about our favorite scenes?

Ryan Dreimiller:

I think so. I mean, honestly, like it's just so damn 80s across the board, like the movie is 80s. Watch. Yes, all right, so scenes, scenes,

Shanny Luft:

the family unit that Jason is in. He's got a brother and he's got parents. He opened up his fridge and there's a tub of the stuff, and it moved around. So now he's, like, concerned. He's the only person in the world who sees that the stuff is actually dangerous.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Yeah, it's alive. Yeah. It was interesting to see kind of the parents in the beginning of the film, they were like, kind of jerks and like, super mean to him. Later in the film, when they show the family again, it reminded me of pleurbus, where, essentially the family's become super nice, overly nice, and because they're hooked on the stuff, and they're like, Jason, come here, sit down with us and here have some stuff and like, they're all smiley.

Shanny Luft:

I like how Jason, he is so angry about the stuff that he like goes to a grocery store.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Well, let's, let's just talk about that one, because I do feel like we were talking about the packaging and all the esthetic visuals associated with the marketing of the stuff. And so, yeah, this is a scene after there's been tension in the house. Jason's discovered that the stuff is actually alive, and he starts raging out at home. He throws it against the wall, which his mom was like, oh, it's gonna stain and then eventually they cut to her being like, look, it wipes right off. It's delicious. And does. Unstained. How could he not love this product, which felt like an 80s commercial. But anyway, so then he goes to the grocery store, and it's like, you know, this 80s grocery store, they're panning up and down the aisle, and it's just stacked with the stuff everywhere. It's in the cold case section, it's in the freezer section, it's in the middle of the store. And he just starts, like, whacking it out of people's hands that he's running down the aisle. He's like, destroying all the stuff on the shelves. And then people are chasing him around the store. And finally, he takes down this huge stack with like, a broom or something, and then they tackle him. But, uh, yeah, you know that was just enjoyable to watch the chaos unfold. I I'm gonna geek out for a second. What I loved about that scene, having worked in CPG, which is consumer packaged goods for a long time, is they have these retail strategies where, like, basically you you do these, like, sell ins to a supermarket, and you basically are paying for these premium placements. And the ultimate, like golden prize, is like when you get placements in different aisles throughout the store, which, so you were seeing it in the freezer section, you were seeing it in the dairy section. And then the ultimate is the end cap display, which those guys were building, where it was all stacked up like a pyramid, and Jason took out the end cap display. So prop props to him, that's definitely going to show up in some of our social posts. But like, yeah, the 80s script and some of those different scenes they had, like the the neon version of the logo, very cool.

Shanny Luft:

So here's a question for you, because we're talking about favorite scenes, the very opening scene of the movie. I actually thought I was watching the wrong movie when it started, because it starts before they've told you the title of the film or anything like it's like the middle of nowhere. It's late at night. He picks up the stuff, which, at that point looks like marshmallow fluff. You're right. It does change consistency. He picks it up and he eats it. And he says to his friend, you got to try this. And his friend said, I don't eat snow. And the guy says, No, it's not snow. Try it. And the guy goes, okay. And I thought you had a rule about nighting snow, but a guy holds up his hand from some white Guo that he found on the ground, and you're like, Well, yeah, that stuff snow is where I draw the line, but this random white shit you found on the ground, yeah, let me see if it's any good.

Movie clip:

I don't need snow. Come on, give it a try. That's not snow. Try it.

Shanny Luft:

What the hell is it like? That's the first one minute of this movie, and it does set the tone. Of people this movie are gonna be doing a lot of stupid things that make no sense.

Ryan Dreimiller:

I had the same thought when that started. I was like, did I download the wrong version of this film? What is going on? So that's completely, completely knocks you off kilter. And then they go into a scene where you're meeting Mo, the lead character of this movie for the first time, and he plays that character so off center. Michael Moriarty, that I was like, What is going on with this movie? His lines, the way he's acting like you're completely thrown off.

Movie clip:

You know, Mr. Rutherford. Mo, Rutherford, you know why they call me? Mo, no, why? Because every time people give me money, I always want more.

Ryan Dreimiller:

It took me. I felt like I was watching like a British show where you're like, I need to learn how to understand the accent of this film before I can understand what's going on with this movie. But I did, like, think about that opening scene a little bit more. And if you think about it, it's probably no weirder than, like, the first person that walked up to a cow and was like, huh, let me pull on this udder and just like, drink this white shit that comes out of here. Oh, it's good here. Have some. And the guy sitting next to him, like, what?

Shanny Luft:

Yeah, it does seem like you're right. Look, there's probably a lot of things like that that. Look at the first guy who ever tried Olestra, and it was like, on the one hand, no calories. On the other hand, there is a slight downside that I'm gonna need to tell you guys about before we start selling this to millions of people. But let's focus on the upside. Right? So brilliant, yeah, and then it just cuts to and now the stuff exists, and everyone's eating it, and everyone loves it, so we're still on favorite scenes. I kind of say I never got tired of when someone who had been addicted to the stuff gets killed at this movie. Their head explodes, and even if it doesn't completely make sense, one guy's legs get run over by a truck and his head explodes, which makes it it almost reminded me of like when you're rolling up toothpaste in the cat pops up. Why would his head explode when you roll, when you roll over his legs? But that's the only explanation I could come up with, and the. I mean, none of this looks good. It is entertaining. It's entertaining his like, when they when they died, their mouths open super duper wide, like, and then, like, the white Guo comes out. But it looks absurd. And that happened like, three or four times. I enjoyed it every single time.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Me too. There's a scene where Mo and shit, what's Garrett's character? Oh, chocolate chip Charlie. Chocolate Chip Charlie. They kind of meet up for the first time. They're going through that small town with all the shenanigans, and then eventually they go into that store, and it's like all these weird, creepy interactions, like with the store owner. And anyway, he goes in the back, and then the stuff gets him and does exactly as you just described. But then they're trying to get out of the store and get away from this guy and the stuff. And they've run down to the boat dock to get into the boat to get away. And then there's this gang of stuff, infected people. They're chasing him. He's just like, punching them. Their heads are popping off and, like, Goose flying everywhere. Like, Oh, it sounds gruesome than it is. It is, like, just comedic, because it's so bad, but it's highly entertaining.

Shanny Luft:

Yeah, yeah, it's it's so ridiculous looking. And so when I was watching this movie, and I saw, like, the ad campaign around the stuff. And then I saw the movie. They kept stopping the movie to play commercials for the stuff, including, did you see the where's the beef lady?

Ryan Dreimiller:

Yes, like, shit, we missed that on 80s watch. But yeah, that was peak. I'm like, Oh my God. They put the frickin where's the beef lady. And she goes, where's the stuff.

Shanny Luft:

Yes, the movie was doing the satire in 1985 when this shit was actually happening.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Yeah, it was super sharp. And I love how they played the commercial straight. It was like, yes, the rest of the movies, like, all wacky and crazy, but the commercial, commercials were shot just like a high budget commercial would have been produced, and like, catchy jingles and, you know, look and feel like it was really good.

Shanny Luft:

So you want to say anything else about the those commercials, any specific details that stood out to you

Ryan Dreimiller:

What I want to say about that, Shanny, is that about them? we're going to pause for a moment for this week's sponsor, the stuff

Movie clip:

now. Break you take sensation light and free.

Shanny Luft:

Now if you're digging this episode of slash back cinema, you can support the show by buying us some stuff. Donate at the link below. We're stoked you're here. Now. Back to the stuff. This is good stuff, delicious. The scene where Mo and Nicole are in bed together, and the stuff, like, comes shooting out of the pillow and then wraps onto Mo's head, and then the stuff, like, the whole bed is filled with the stuff, so it just pours out, like, onto the wall. And it's like attacking people. I like that sequence because genuinely, it felt like the first time you actually see the stuff go completely out of control. It's not just something in a tub. It's actually like the blob, or like a life force,

Ryan Dreimiller:

yeah, it's got it, yeah, personality

Shanny Luft:

that also then confused me, that I felt like before that point in the movie, it was not clear to me that the stuff, like, almost had like a consciousness to it. And so I felt the movie seemed inconsistent on this point, like, does the stuff, is it like an alien that has, like a some kind of my hive mind and it is trying to kill us, or is it just like a chemical that is destroying us? It seemed to me like I couldn't quite get a handle on what is this stuff, because it wasn't consistently always attacking people, and it wasn't always consistently inert. How did you What did you interpret all that?

Ryan Dreimiller:

So I think Larry Cohen gives you that answer in the second scene of the film where they go from finding the stuff with those weird yokel guys to they cut to the boy's bedroom, and he's like, scratching himself and slapping himself, and alludes to the fact that he's being eaten by mosquitoes there. It's kind of this parasitic thing where they're feeding off of you. So I feel like, right there in that scene, he's like, the stuff is this, this entity and creature that's feeding off of humans, and it's getting us to intentionally eat it so it can take us over, sort of like this parasitic entity. But they don't really reveal it's like true form till later in the film, like you're talking about, because it just shows up as this kind of inert maybe it moves a little bit thing, yeah, up until that point, I think, yeah, the thing that holds this film back a little bit is it is inconsistent, feels fragmented. It feels chopped up, like I, honestly, I was watching the film pretty closely, but I sort of missed the part where, because originally, Mo meets Nicole by interrupting her photo shoot, and he's this investigator, and he's like, he's been. Basically, like, trying to, like, get information from her, but then, like, in the next scene or two, their boyfriend and girlfriend. I'm like, when did this happen? Like, when did their relationship form? I'm guessing that was on the cutting room floor.

Shanny Luft:

Yes, I have two pieces of lore about this movie.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Lay it on me. Let's talk a little film lore.

Shanny Luft:

Yeah, yeah. So one piece is really to what you just said is I read online that 30 minutes that were cut out of this movie were found like, 10 years ago, and that doesn't I couldn't find a version of this movie that kept that in. First of all, the movie's 90 minutes, so I can't believe the original version was two hour like, how much I don't know what I didn't feel like a lot was missing, except for these side little explanations. So it's possible that in the 30 lost minutes of the Director's Cut, maybe some of that is explained. But the actual cool piece of lore is the sequence that I talked about being my favorite sequence where the stuff kind of oozes or slash jumps out of the bed and then attacks the guy and it sticks them to the wall. That room that they filmed that in was exactly the same room that Nightmare on Elm Street was filmed in. There's a yes, I'm so excited.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Johnny Depp Glenn's character gets ?

Shanny Luft:

Yes, and there's and then his girlfriend, she gets, like, thrown against the wall, and then she like, rolls around. And they filmed that in a special room where you could lock the camera down, and so the person is actually always on the floor, but the room is rotating. And that scene and the stuff was filmed in that same studio space. There you go. There's some cool film lore, nice from slash back cinema.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Well, my add to the stuff. Film lore is in certain scenes. It was this mix of different formulations to get the stuff to look like the stuff? Well, the stuff formulation that involved chasing characters or getting stuck on people was made of a foam that used blended fish bones, which apparently stank so much the second they were done shooting people were like washing themselves off in the river. I don't know why the river, but yeah, to get rid of the stink, which I'm not sure that's the way to get fish smell off of you by jumping in a river, but whatever!

Shanny Luft:

you weren't there. You don't know

Ryan Dreimiller:

who am I to judge?

Shanny Luft:

Yeah, there's, there's two things that happen at the very end of the movie that I really like. One is when Mo and Jason show up and they confront the the two wealthy business. Yep, yes. Who are like, you know, the control the company, and are, like, destroying everything, because Jason and Mo just get them to eat the stuff, and then they get addicted to it, and then, and then it closes out with them just eating it. But there's also this other moment that I think is great. The two CEOs accept the fact that the stuff is actually harmful, and so they come out with a new product. Do you remember what it's called, the taste? Yes, the taste, which only has 12% of stuff in it, and so they argue it'll, it'll still be like delicious and have the same quality stuff, but you it won't have the same negative qualities, like turning you into a husk and a zombie and becoming a violent, crazed monster

Movie clip:

for the taste, only 12% of stuff in it, just enough to make the public crave more.

Shanny Luft:

And that just seemed like, yeah, I don't want to say any real corporations, but I do feel like we opened with this now infamous Tiktok of the CEO of McDonald's eating McDonald's hamburger, and he he seems, unfortunately, a little uncomfortable eating his own food. It does make you wonder.

Ryan Dreimiller:

He doesn't call it food. It's the product.

Shanny Luft:

Yes, he might as well call it the stuff. You ready for stabby scores. Let's do stabby scores.

Ryan Dreimiller:

I felt like it was truly a gift from you to be watching this film like I fucking Luft this movie that's great. Like, it took me a while to warm up to it. Like, this first two scenes, I'm like, What is going on with this movie? But once it gets going, it's it's funny. The effects are terrible. There's some bad acting, but also some great acting. I love how people just leaned into these weird characters. And I feel like the satire is, like, super sharp, like, so on point. So I'm gonna bring this one in at three and a half stabs, wow.

Shanny Luft:

Yeah, holy cow,

Ryan Dreimiller:

mind blown. What scores one to four. You know, this is close. It's up there. It's so bad. It's it's good,

Shanny Luft:

wow. I'm very impressed. I'm extremely pleased that you liked it as much as you do, because I am torn between two and three for this movie. Okay, don't let me influence you.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Lay it on. What'd you write down in your notes there?

Shanny Luft:

So I'm going two and a half. Two and a half, because I don't a three and a four are like, movies that were are like, were pretty highly recommend. A four is a must see. This is one of the classics of cinema. A three is, if you like horror movies, you should see this movie. A two is, there's a couple scenes that are worth watching, but you know, this is really just for hardcore fans. And then one is, don't waste your time. You'll thank us that you don't have to watch this movie. What I find hard about ranking this movie is, if you were rating it as a satire, I think it's a four. I think the satire on. What corporations feed us and how they control us and how they think is, like, spot on. But then, as a movie, some of the characters are a little weaker, inexperienced, and some of the line readings are a little bit like, yikes. And so I'm stuck between a two and a three.

Ryan Dreimiller:

So I'm going two and a half. You know, I will say, of the recent set we've watched, film wise, like, I feel like Chud and they live have this iconic status, and a lot of people remember those films, but I would argue that this is a much better film than both of those films. Yeah, and I'm, I'm gonna build the case that more people should watch this stuff, but you have to have a taste for this type of movie, but yeah, from the satire lens, it's gold.

Shanny Luft:

Before we wrap up, Ryan, I have somewhat a surprise for you, and perhaps a surprise to our listeners, what's on what's on your plate there, so you and I have been digging into the data of who listens to our podcast. Yeah, and we discovered that we have an unusual high number of listeners in Bristol in the UK. As I was thinking about the quiz today, I was thinking, I always ask you questions about the 1970s and 1980s in American pop culture, and I thought maybe I should do one that honors our international listeners. Okay, I love it. So all of my questions today are about Cadbury cream eggs, which also check several other boxes. A, it's right around Easter, so this is the right time to be talking about Cadbury eggs and B, the crap that's in them, very similar to the stuff, if you think about it. Yeah. So Ryan, I only have one question for you, yeah. What's up, man, shall we play a game

Ryan Dreimiller:

I would love to

Shanny Luft:

so I gotta tell you, I went down quite a rabbit hole with Cadbury cream eggs. The first Cadbury egg, like we think of it today, was launched in 1963 but they were called fries cream eggs. And then in 1971 they were rebate. They were rebranded Cadbury cream eggs. Okay? Today, there are over 500 million eggs made every year. I just want to acknowledge and show a little respect for a candy that is made of pure type two diabetes, and which comes back every Easter to, of course, celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I So question number one, in 2015 Cadbury made a controversial choice to the cream eggs in the UK. And so my question to you is, what controversial decision they make that has been upsetting people in the UK ever since you got four options A they added more sugar to the fondant filling. B, they replaced the dairy milk chocolate shell with a different milk chocolate. C, they increased the ratio of white fondant and the yellow oak the yellow yolk. Or D, they reduced the amount of fondant inside each egg so that there's less of that and more of the thick, crunchy shell. So let me go through your four choices again. They made a controversial change in 2015 what's the change? Here are your options. They made the fondant sweeter by adding more sugar. They replaced the dairy milk chocolate shell with a different kind of chocolate. They increased the ratio of white fondant, or they decreased the ratio of fondant and made the actual chocolate shell thicker. What controversial change did they make in 2015 Ryan, that still is upsetting people to this day. Okay?

Ryan Dreimiller:

Well, shout out to our Bristol listeners and our UK friends so excited to be digging into this product. Yeah, near and dear to my heart, out of that answer set, I'm gonna go with B. B was they replaced the dairy milk chocolate shell with a different chocolate.

Shanny Luft:

You are 100% correct, because chocolate got more expensive. So companies started like watering down the chocolate.

Ryan Dreimiller:

It's a little bit of a blend. Yeah. In CPG corporate world, they call it DTV, which is designed to value, which basically means, make your product shittier for the public, but it's cheaper to make, and now you make more money. Yeah, all right,

Shanny Luft:

did you know the answer, or do you just figure it out? Because you know the industry.

Ryan Dreimiller:

I know the industry, yeah.

Shanny Luft:

Oh, that is very impressive. I'm really impressed that you got that right question. Number two, so around the world, Cadbury has sold these eggs with some unusual fillings, and so I'm going to tell you four fillings that have been used to fill Cadbury eggs. Only one of them is fake. So which one of these four has never been a filling for Cadbury eggs? One, peppermint, two, salted caramel, three, pineapple or four, strawberry, peppermint, salted caramel, pineapple and strawberry, what has never been an actual filling to Cadbury eggs.

Ryan Dreimiller:

There's probably a brand guidelines document somewhere that outlines the principles and values of Cadbury as a company and product. And one of those. Flavors, probably colors outside the lines. So that's my framework for assessing this one smart I feel like you're setting up a trap for me. I'm leaning towards pineapple. I feel like it could be strawberry or peppermint. I'm just, I'm just rolling pineapple

Shanny Luft:

All right, so that one is real. That's how made me think of this question, because in Australia and in New Zealand, they are rolling with flavors of Cadbury egg that are like shocking, and it actually took me so long to find a flavor that wasn't real.

Ryan Dreimiller:

Is it? Is it peppermint?

Shanny Luft:

It is actually strawberry. Okay, which I couldn't believe I could not find any evidence that anyone has ever made a strawberry cream. I googled it. I asked AI if they could find any evidence of this. I can't imagine what the hell is pineapple Cadbury egg tastes like.

Ryan Dreimiller:

I feel sorry for that country that received that egg, that child that received it on Easter call me.

Shanny Luft:

Why didn't you think the parents are like, You better eat this pineapple Cadbury egg.

Ryan Dreimiller:

I'll give you some 80s parenting.

Shanny Luft:

All right. Well, so you're one for one. Here's your here's your last question. Ready to redeem yourself? All right, in the United States, which company has the right to produce Cadbury cream eggs? This is heartbreaking to me that we are not getting the Cadbury egg quality that they're getting in the UK. We've never tasted if you live in the US, a true Cadbury egg,

Ryan Dreimiller:

unless you go to Europe, then you can get the real thing. And I've done it. It's delicious, yeah?

Shanny Luft:

So that's what I'm concerned about, is, yeah, we have to go overseas, to the UK or to Europe, in order to get a true Cadbury egg. So my question is, in the US, what company has the right to produce and sell Cadbury eggs? Is it Nestle? Is it Mars? Is it Hershey, or is it Monsanto? Which company has the right in the United States solely to produce Cadbury eggs, Nestle, Mars, Hershey or Monsanto?

Ryan Dreimiller:

Well, Nestle is this big international corporation. But wait, that would be a blend Monsanto. I don't think so. No, Monsanto was it? Mars was the other one.

Shanny Luft:

So it's Nestle, Mars, Hershey. Monsanto,

Ryan Dreimiller:

all right, boy, I'm just gonna go Mars.

Shanny Luft:

It's actually Hershey, really, damn. So we're getting knock off Cadbury eggs. We're getting their like, crappier version of Cadbury eggs. When we aren't getting the real thing, we have to meet a fan who will mail us Cadbury eggs so we can actually taste and but you've actually traveled overseas and gotten the

Ryan Dreimiller:

Yeah, we were in Italy and yeah, had the real deal. It was good.

Shanny Luft:

What would you how would you describe the difference? Is there sweet?

Ryan Dreimiller:

Like, you know, you go to Europe and the food actually tastes like real food over here. They're like, Oh, that's some some pine shavings in your in your wine and whatever fillers like, yeah. So it's the chitification of of all the food in America.

Shanny Luft:

So hopefully our Bristol listeners and our overseas listeners enjoyed that quiz. That wraps up another trip down memory lane. Hopefully you enjoyed revisiting the stuff as much as we did.

Ryan Dreimiller:

If you're also a Gen X survivor, tell your friends about the show and rate and review us on Apple and Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you're a super fan, donate at the link below in

Shanny Luft:

And we want to hear from you. If you have a favorite the show notes. memory watching this masterpiece or a classic horror movie you'd like us to dissect. Drop us a line at slash back cinema.com, if you want our address to mail us some Cadbury eggs that actually taste good. That's the place to reach us. And the reason we want you to reach out to us is because your suggestions keep the conversation alive. If you're digging this episode of Of Shashback? if you're

Ryan Dreimiller:

corporate creed consumer culture and killer marshmallow goo,

Shanny Luft:

What could go wrong. Apparently that could go wrong.