Back when Tears of the Kingdom released, there were several marketing promotions to get fans excited for the launch. For example, Nintendo World in New York City had a midnight release party along with a Zelda themed Switch. These various promotional initiatives did their jobs correctly and Tears of the Kingdom went on to be a massive success. However, there was another promotional item that I rarely see get talked about, which is a shame because I personally find it to be really cool. This item is the Tears of the Kingdom Lunchables!
Lunchables is a popular food item aimed towards kids. The idea is to provide kids a quick and easy meal option that comes conveniently packaged in a neat little box. The concept of a Lunchables in theory isn’t a bad idea, but you just have to ignore the horrendously unhealthy “food” items that are present. Lunchables food options include Ham and American Cracker Stackers, and Pizza with Pepperoni. You also get a drink, usually a Capri-Sun, and a treat of some sort, usually either cookies or a small candy bar.
To help boost sales for Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo partnered with Lunchables and produced a Ham and American Cracker Stackers Zelda themed food box (try saying that 5 times fast). The food items inside were typical, however, the box itself features artwork from the game. This art includes an image of Link kneeling on a sky island along with smaller decals. On the box is also a barcode because there was a sweepstakes to win a “Nintendo Switch Prize Pack”. However, when I scanned the barcode on my own box, it was instead a chance to win movie tickets for Transformers One.
I kept this Lunchables for a little while in my fridge before throwing away the food. I decided to keep the box because as a Zelda collector, anything with official Zelda artwork is fair game. I even keep Zelda themed tags! Throughout my time as a Zelda collector, I’ve come to realize that some of the hardest items to find are items that were meant to be disposable. For example, there is a Super Mario Bros. and Zelda themed Easter kit from decades ago that’s difficult to find. What do parents do with a used Easter kit? They throw it all away! The same could be said about this Tears of the Kingdom Lunchables, which is why I’m keeping mine.
Lunchables has previously had other collaborations with Nintendo properties. There was an Animal Crossing: New Horizons themed box along with a Super Princess Peach themed box. Even now, when I go grocery shopping, I see various Super Mario Bros. themed boxes. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet seen an Echoes of Wisdom themed Lunchables, which I think is a missed opportunity. Who knows, maybe in a couple weeks this will become a reality.
