Iconic Fictional Brands on 'The Simpsons,' 'The Walking Dead' & More TV Shows
From The Simpsons' Duff Beer to Friends' Morley Cigarettes, there has been an abundance of marketing in our favorite TV shows for fictional brands and products that are parodies of things in our everyday lives and have even become memorable pop culture references. (Some products are even trademarked and sold as specialty items due to such high interest from fans.)
Below, we've compiled the most recognizable and memorable fictionalized product placement from modern television. See what knockoff brands you've spotted – or missed! – from your favorite TV shows.
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Duff Beer
The Simpsons’ Duff Beer might as well be a real brand at this point with all of the real-life adaptations of the drink sold through The Simpsons and Fox’s branding. Because of the fictional brand’s influence, you can go to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida and try the drink for yourself – from a can or a glass bottle, both having been seen on the animated show – but being that it’s simply a parody of the everyday generic beer of the real world, it’s not that special or much different than what you could get outside of the fictional town of Springfield.
Morley Cigarettes
Although this fake cigarette brand was seen on both Friends (Matthew Perry’s Chandler Bing did try to quit!) and Seinfeld, they were not subject to just New Yorkers. The Twilight Zone and The Walking Dead (pictured above), among other shows, have featured the now iconic Marlboro cigarette carton-esque knock offs. Complete with a red or gold geometric design, Morley’s from the nineties are fully influenced by Marlboro.
Pear Products
Both iCarly and Victorious featured the brand Pear. A spoof on Apple products, the iCarly and Victorious characters often referenced their Pear phones and Pear pads. Not only did they parody the company in the name, but they even featured a pear logo glowing on the back of their fictional devices to further draw attention to the similarities between the fake television brand and the immensely popular real life one.
Food and Stuff
Like Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) himself says, the store Food and Stuff “sells food and sells stuff.” Food and Stuff, a fictional store that is meant to rival the real store Whole Foods, became a Parks and Recreation staple thanks to Swanson’s adoration toward the store that was perfect for one-stop shopping with its array of items ranging from the obvious (food) to the stuff (garden supplies, guns, fish tanks).
Pee Wee Babies
Another iCarly product parody was Pee Wee Babies, which sounds just like Beanie Babies and looked even more like the infamous Ty stuffed animals that people expected to one day be valuable. In a few episodes of iCarly, one of the characters has a Pee Wee Baby collection that he works very hard to maintain because of their ridiculously over-the-top worth. Completely drawing influence from the Beanie Baby craze, Pee Wee Babies are something that was iCarly-centric, but still left fans of the show wanting to get their hands on one in real life.
Cheesy Poofs
South Park’s Cheesy Poofs are a fictional snack that have been part of the show’s plot since the first episode. From the product itself to its catchy commercial theme song (sung by Eric Cartman himself), Cheesy Poofs are seen at parties, on television screens, and even in the hands of aliens on South Park. The veteran animated program even released a line of the cheese-flavored snack in 2011 for San Diego Comic-Con in partnership with Frito-Lays (the real company).
Let's Potato Chips
Speaking of Frito-Lay and chip type snacks, Let’s Potato Chips is a popular snack prop that has made the rounds when it comes to fictional product placement. Let’s Potato Chips has been seen on Community, New Girl, Orange is New Black, Wizards of Waverly Place, and many others. With its bright yellow bag filled with far too much air, the fake chip bags are already synonymous with the real one, regardless of the name Let’s being an immensely similar and obvious nod to that of Lay’s.
Coffee Bucks
Scrubs and Cougar Town featured the Starbucks knockoff coffee chain, Coffee Bucks. The already successful franchise was at one point installed in Sacred Heart Hospital on Scrubs, due to Dr. Kelso wanting to increase profits at the medical facility, and soon became a popular hangout spot. Similarly, on Cougar Town, many of the characters were seen carrying around cups touting the coffee box logo, which in itself is reminiscent to that of Starbucks with its green, gold, and brown coloring and circular symbol.
