Still only existing in concept, this whiteboard/toaster could become the wave of the breakfast future someday soon. Need to leave a note for your partner, but you leave for work before they do? Just scrawl it on the toaster. If they don't see that note, then they'll surely notice it when it appears on their toast (provided they aren't following a low carb diet). I do see a couple flaws in the plan though, like the fact that the writing surface seems awful close to where the heating element would be. So you'd have to wait quite a while between toasts to write a message if you wanted to avoid burning your hand.

This isn't the first time that someone has designed a toaster that leaves an imprint on the toast. This very pink and white Hello Kitty toaster creates toast that has Kitty's image baked in and has the added bonus of being available now.

Thanks KF!

When a well-established brand looks to reinvent themselves to appeal to a new group of consumers, usually a younger and hipper group, they automatically go for something a little offbeat. Class is not usually a consideration in this type of marketing strategy, which makes it seem like an odd choice for the new campaign for Perrier, a sparkling water that has long been associated with good taste.

In an effort to bring in younger drinkers, Perrier is trying to make its water "sexier", "flirtier", "riskier", "sassier", etc. than before. Bottles of the water will be accompanied by contortionists ("crazier") in LA nightclubs and beach umbrellas ("sunnier") in Miami. They are hoping that their $10 million marketing campaign will turn the water into a trend again.

The problem with such a campaign is that it risks the brand's long-term identity in favor of some short-term effervescence. Even if the campaign works and the water becomes a trendy item, it is only a matter of time before the trend fades out, which could leave the brand a little flatter than before.

Earlier this month, we saw "Snakes on a Cake." Now a man in Wellington, Florida, has burned the Snakes on a Plane insignia into a piece of toast, according to the Sun-Sentinel. One can't help but be reminded of the Ft. Lauderdale woman who found the Virgin Mary burned into her grilled cheese sandwich several years ago. Like her, snake toast artist Gregg Prior is going the same route and listing his toast on eBay. So far there have been 31 bids and the current price is $160. "Snakes on a Plane, I thought what better a way to show the world what I can put on toast," Prior told local NewsChannel 5. Indeed, a noble medium for a noble subject.

McDonald's is looking to improve its image - literally. The company has recently rolled out a plan to overhaul and update all of its 30,000 global locations. The goal of this makeover is to refresh the look of the brand, which company officials say seems dated, not having  had a makeover since the early 1990s. The company will keep its signature red and gold colors, but will tone them down and add olive and sage greens to their color scheme.  The stores' roofs will now be flat and slanting, with a leaner, more modern look and a lot of the bright plastic features will be replaced with brick and wood but the golden arches will still be prominently featured

The biggest changes will be seen in the appearance of the restaurants, inside and out. Dining areas will be divided into "three sections with distinct personalities." One will be a "linger" area, with plush chairs and WiFi, similar to Starbucks cafes. The "grab and go" area will have tall counters and stools, as well as plasma TVs with news and weather reports.  Finally, the "flexible" area will have booths for families and other groups who are dining in.

Would a makeover make you more likely to eat in McDonald's restaurants? To "hang out" there as you might in a Starbucks?

 

In Colombia, the image of Jesus has been seen on the side of a mug of hot chocolate. Specifically, the face appeared on the side of the mug in a pattern of drips. Because this week, the week before Easter, is known as "holy week" by the Catholic Church, the are rumored to be investigating the appearance. In the meantime, a shrine has been set up for visitors to view the cup in the kitchen where it was discovered.

This isn't the first, nor probably the last, time that religious icons have been found in food.

[Image WKYC]

Early Christmas morning, the Bongo Java coffee shop in Nashville, Tennessee, suffered a break-in. While the shop and register appeared to be undamaged, it's famous NunBun was missing. The cinnamon bun, discovered by the store manager in the 1996, was said to have the likeness of Mother Teresa in its cinnamon-glazed layers of pastry. The bun was preserved in the freezer until a local crew made a short film about it, after which the story was picked up by the city paper and propelled into the national spotlight. After having received so much attention, the bun was coated in shellac and put on display in the shop, where it has enjoyed attention as a local novelty for 9 years.

The shop owner fears that the Immaculate Confection may have been destroyed, since it was so clearly the target of this crime.

[Thanks to Tracy for the tip]