Snap and Pop die in cereal mishap
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| This Kellog's promotional photo shows the effervescent Rice Krispies' trio of Snap! Crackle! Pop!® during happier, less fatal times. |
Snap and Pop are dead and Crackle is in critical condition after the trio fell into a bowl of cereal that was filled to the brim with milk.
The accident occurred in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Sunday night, where the popular Kellogg's Rice Krispies mascots were filming a new commercial, designed to appeal to a young, risk-taking audience.
The commercial called for Snap, Crackle and Pop to surf in a bowl of Rice Krispies and milk while juggling and yelling hip phrases, such as "far out" and "radical."
The accident occurred when Pop's miniature surf board became lodged in a rice krispie, and he was thrown into the bowl. Snap and Crackle quickly noticed Pop's spill, and immediately dove into the bowl to try and save him. Unfortunately, the pint-sized trio lack the necessary muscles to swim and were weighed down by their large novelty hats, which they had surgically attached to their heads at the beginning of their careers.
Fellow Kellogg's mascot, Tucan Sam, of the popular cereal brand Fruit Loops, heard the ruckus from afar, and flew in to make a rescue attempt. Unfortunately, Snap and Pop were already submerged in the water, and Sam was only able to save Crackle, by biting into one of his size 18 shoes and lifting him out of the water.
"Snap, Crackle and Pop were always daredevils and they never used stunt men," said Sam, visibly exhausted from carrying Crackle, who weighs in at a lean eight-and-a-half grams. "I guess this is a message to all of us in the cereal business. You have to know the line between risky and outright dangerous."
Kellogg's released a statement through their spokesperson, Tony the Tiger, who had to wipe away tears with his red personalized scarf. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Snap and Pop. They were valued members of the Kellogg's team, and they will never be forgotten. They were role models for all of us, and wonderful, caring individuals. They were grrrrrrrrreat!"
Albuquerque authorities have all but ruled out any foul play but will continue their investigation in the coming days.
Crackle, the lone survivor of the three, is in critical condition in Albuquerque General Hospital.
Snap is survived by his life partner The Trix Rabbit and their adopted son The Honey Comb Bear. Pop is survived by his wife The Eggo Waffle.
Funeral services will be held at the Kellogg's headquarters in Los Angeles next week. The service will be conducted by Count Chocula.