[Photograph: Brand Eating]
Happy Halloween! For parents (and let's admit it, any among us with a craving for the sweet stuff), managing the highs—and especially the lows—of this sweetest of holidays can be a battle. One way to try and stave off those post-candy-binge crashes? Chow down on some pizza first...preferably of the ghoulish variety.
One mass market option is Papa Murphy's Pizza, with their Jack O'Lantern pizza. Whether you love or hate Papa Murphy's take-and-bake style, there's no denying the brilliance of their new ad this year. Covered over on AdAge, the spot stars a bunch of costumed kids running around, doing their All Hallows thing...only to OD on their sacks of candy and transform into a rampaging horde of mini-monsters (to be prevented, of course, by filling up on the aforementioned Jack O'Lantern pie).
Ad agency copywriter Jennie Moore is familiar with the issue: "...hungry kids get cranky and cranky kids melt down...the pizza solves all those problems because it's good, easy and fun and kids will eat it." Inspiration came from Ms. Moore's own daughter, Cassidy, who four years ago had her own sugar-induced-rage-out. See both Ms. Moore's home video of that original meltdown and the ad (featuring Cassidy's original costume that year - purple princess bunny) in full, at Advertising Age.
Not a pizza, but still pretty awesome [Photograph: Pee Wee Herman/Facebook]
If you're more interested in making your own (which I have to admit, I am), get ready for some killer inspiration—pun fully intended. Pee Wee Herman, that most beloved of bow tie wearers, pulled together a gallery of Halloween pies that run the gamut, from sweetly scary to downright ghastly.
[Photograph: Pee Wee Herman/Facebook]
If you end up eating (or making!) any fun pizza tonight, or just have some great ideas, let us know about it! Pictures, descriptions—whatever you got, we want it.
About the author:Kate Andersen is a Contributing Editor for Slice.