Tyson Looney Tunes Meals

Looney Tunes Meals were a line of frozen dinners released by Tyson Foods in 1990. They were based on the characters from the eponymous Warner Bros. cartoons[1][2] and targeted primarily at children. The meals were discontinued in late 1993 because of declining sales.

History

Released to coincide with Bugs Bunny's 50th birthday, the meals came in boxes that featured a Looney Tunes character on the front, and were marketed as coming with small prizes, including comic books, trading cards, and stickers.[3] They came in a tray divided into three sections; a main course, a side dish, and a dessert.[4] The dinners were to be heated in the microwave for 2 minutes, rotated, heated for another 1-2 minutes, then given an additional 2-3 minutes to cool off, making for 5-7 minutes of preparation.[5] These meals were similar to Kid's Kitchen and Kid Cuisine, other popular frozen dinner brands from the time.[6]

The meals were introduced with a fifteen million dollar advertising campaign.[7] With mixed reception from children, there were concerns from parents regarding the nutritional value of the meals. They received criticism for using excessive fat and salt, going against their claims of providing a healthy meal.[8] Likely as a result of this and the '90s economic recession, sales began to decline, and production on the meals ceased in 1993.[9]

Varieties

The meals were originally released with eight variations, with several other entries being introduced in later years. There would also be a pasta sub-variety in the line, introduced around 1992.

  • Bugs Bunny Chicken Chunks – chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and carrots[10]
  • Bugs Bunny and Tasmanian Devil Pasta – beef ravioli in tomato sauce
  • Daffy Duck Spaghetti and Meatballs – spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce, corn, and oatmeal cookies[11]
  • Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd Pasta – pasta in pizza sauce with pepperoni
  • Elmer Fudd Turkey and Dressing – turkey breast with dressing and gravy, green beans, and fudge cookies[12]
  • Foghorn Leghorn Pepperoni Pizza – pepperoni pizza, corn, and fudge brownie
  • Foghorn Leghorn and Henery Hawk Pasta – pasta in spaghetti sauce with meat
  • Henery Hawk Hot Dog – hot dog, tater tots, and corn
  • Porky Pig Patty Deluxe – sausage patty on a bun with cheese, tater tots, and cherry cobbler[12]
  • Road Runner Chicken Sandwich – chicken sandwich, potato wedges, and applesauce[13]
  • Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote Pasta – pasta in pizza sauce with Italian sausage
  • Speedy Gonzales Beef Enchiladas – beef enchiladas in salsa, Spanish rice, and corn[14]
  • Sylvester Fish Sticks – fish sticks, tater tots, and green beans[10]
  • Sylvester and Tweety Pasta – pasta in cheesy pizza sauce
  • Tasmanian Devil Chicken Drumsticks - chicken drumsticks, mashed potatoes, and corn
  • Tweety Macaroni and Cheese – macaroni and cheese, green beans, and applesauce[10]
  • Wile E. Coyote Hamburger Pizza – hamburger pizza, green beans, and oatmeal cookies[11]
  • Yosemite Sam BBQ Glazed Chicken – chicken wings in barbecue sauce, mashed potatoes, and corn nuggets

In later releases for some of these meals, the side dishes would be changed or altered.

References
  1. Yasuda, Gene, Companies See Cold Cash in Courting Young Taste Buds, Los Angeles Times, San Diego County Edition, July 17, 1990, Business section, Part D, page 2A. Retrieved February 15, 2011
  2. Grodner, Terri, How nutritious are TV dinners for tots?, Environmental Nutrition, October 1, 1990. Retrieved February 15, 2011
  3. Blonz, Edward R., Ph.D., Kids' TV meals require scrutiny, The Baltimore Sun, September 25, 1991, page 1C. Archived September 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  4. Petkofsky, Andy, Zap-a-meal, Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 18, 1990, page 27. Retrieved February 15, 2011
  5. Tipton, Tom, KIDS IN THE KITCHEN : Time-Saving Meals Children Can Make : Trends: Frozen dinners are being marketed to young children in busy households, Los Angeles Times, June 28, 1990. Retrieved February 15, 2011
  6. Webb, Densie, Eating well, The New York Times, February 14, 1990. Retrieved February 15, 2011
  7. Selling America's kids: Commercial pressures on kids of the 90's. Licensing and cross-selling, Consumers Union. Archived January 18, 2000, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  8. Sagon, Carol, Frozen far for the crayon crowd, St. Louis Post Dispatch, March 2, 1992. Retrieved February 15, 2011 Archived October 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Dyslin, John Kids meal meltdown – demand for kid's frozen meals drops, Prepared Foods, October, 1993. Retrieved February 15, 2011 Archived April 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Stoneback, Diane and Kraft, Irene, Miniature Meals Packaged Dinners For Children Feed Growing Hunger For Convenience Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, The Morning Call, McCalls Magazine, April 17, 1991. Retrieved February 15, 2011
  11. Schantz, Donna M., Beep Beep! Here come microwave meals for kids, Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 19, 1990, page E1. Retrieved February 15, 2011
  12. Tennison, Patricia, A taste test of Looney Tunes, other kids meals Chicago Tribune, March 14, 1991. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  13. New foods have kid appeal The Associated Press, published in The Tuscaloosa News, May 9, 1990. Retrieved February 15, 2011
  14. Adweek, 1990, Volume 31, Issues 10-18, page 61.
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