Happy Hour Specials No. 4 || What a Joke!
A roundup of this year's April Fool's CPG pranks, a rant about Erewhon x Merci, a look back at AW25 runway collections that are Cakewalk coded, and just catching up with news that eats!
Dear Readers & Cake Eaters,
I’m back! Apologies for the absence (not that you even noticed lolz). I took a 2-week trip to visit Vietnam for the first time with several friends and while I planned on sending out a NL for y’all prior to, well, you know how things go. But I’ll make it up to you with a Vietnam Issue/Guide I’m currently working on!
Spring is in the air here in Paris with flowers in bloom everywhere, the presence of ramps is well, rampant (or l’ail des ours for the Frenchies), and overall, everyone seems to be in a better mood with more appearances from the sun. It’s all fun and games. . . until my allergies start anyway, lol.
This year, April Fool’s pranks felt anticlimactic and well, just kinda lame considering 1) The excessive AI renderings of CPG snacks that people already dream up and post about almost on a daily basis 2) At this point, we’re primed as a society to expect unhinged product releases and collabs in this era of marketing - Totino’s Pizza x Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal anyone? 3) Because of normalcy associated with unhinged releases, we assume that everything is real and there will inevitably be a chance to procure it (or rather, “collect” it) at some point so teasing your audience with a product that won’t actually go into production (no matter how wild) seems more like a backfire in this day and age and LASTLY. . . look at the state our world is in - everyday already feels like a joke.
My round up of the pranks is mixed with “real” news down below (“real” being in quotations because referring to the release of something like breast milk ice cream as real news is. . . well, what a joke!) and for my friends who like to just scroll through the pictures only, you’ve been warned! BUCKLE UP though, this is by far the most dense happy hour I’ve sent out, especially since I went on a huge rant (long enough to merit its own newsletter lolz) about the Erewhon x Merci collab.
Also, SAN FRANCISCO - I’ll be back all of August so let’s link up and make things happen!
Now let’s dig in!
xo Khuyen
HAPPY HOUR MENU
Thursday, April 3rd 2025
Moschino’s AW25 Accessory collection seemed to be the shots heard around the fashion world this past month - most notably, the Spaghetti Clutch Bag and the Milano turned Moschino Bag. Honestly, there were too many iconic pieces to count - the pasta jewelry in gold hardware? The MoscVINO wine clutch? No notes. I just wish that I had a bank account that could afford me all of this. The collection was available for pre-order back in March for about a week or two and for those that were dying to know the price of the Spaghetti Clutch - she was available for $3250.
EasyJet presents “Getlato” - a limited edition collection of 5 different “adventurous” flavors each of which are inspired by EasyJet destinations. Flavors include: Escargot (France), Spicy Tagine (Morocco), Cacio e Pepe (Italy), Chocolate & Sangria (Spain), & Pastel de Nata (Portugal).
EasyJet had the media fooled with this one, making everyone think it was an April Fool’s prank when really, it was their publicity stunt in celebrating the opening of their new London base in Southend. “Garry Wilson, easyJet holidays CEO, said: “Southend is synonymous with ice-cream, and what better way to celebrate our newest base than with something that for many also represents the joy of holidays, by offering customers a literal taste of their next trip.” Not gonna lie, I wanna try ‘em.
Frida announces Breast Milk Ice Cream. This is not an April Fool’s joke. With product releases like this, how can any other brand prank compete? If you’re “pumped to try it” (their pun, not mine), you can SIGN UP HERE “to stay abreast” (again, their pun, not mine lolz). Who’s excited for the product review videos? Lolz.
Hot off the news of Frida’s Breast Milk Ice Cream, Molly Baz announced a new Breast Milk Areoli & Mayo from her mayo brand, Ayoh. . . except this one WAS indeed an April Fool’s booby trap. Baz is no stranger to news related to her breasts - here’s a quick recap ICYMI so why not be in on the joke this time? You know it’s a weird time when this “announcement” didn’t phase me either way, real or fake. Y’all know I love a good pun though and Areoli kinda slaps lolz.
VESO announced an Anchovy Vermouth collab with Fishwife on April Fool’s, only to double down the next day to confirm that it is, in fact, a real product drop happening TODAY (April 3rd) at 9AM PST. Now that’s some clever marketing - give the people what they want! Find the Veso x Fishwife Anchovy Vermouth drop at drinkveso.com with a limited release of only 400 bottles. Having personally purchased some bottles from them, I can tell you that 1) They know the art of flavors and umami because their Olive Vermouth is one of my favorite purchases and 2) When they say it’s gonna sell out, it’s gonna sell out. I was one of the lucky few who got their hands on their now sold out Tomato Vermouth over the summer and no regrets!
Doms Proteinon by Protein Works - I can only assume this is an elaborate prank but in the age of protein-maxxing and alternative beverage/NA drink experimenting, who the f*ck knows lolz. Here’s a write up straight from their page:
“Bubbles with benefits: a healthier way to celebrate. The need for an alternative celebratory drink with benefits has never been in greater demand. Not only has the UK search demand for “alcohol-free champagne” surged by +147% in the past quarter, but demand for “protein champagne” specifically has skyrocketed by +580%.
That’s why we’ve created Doms Proteinon – for people who want a nutritious and luxurious way to celebrate life’s wins.
This gold-standard protein is infused with clear whey protein, essential amino acids, and electrolytes, refined with a sparkling finish. With protein also being an essential building block for dopamine, enjoying a refreshing glass or two will only enhance your mood, making your celebration even sweeter. We’ll cheers to that!”
YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN GUYS? It’s too real. Everything is too “possible”. And not in a good way. Make it NOT make sense! As dumb as “Doms Proteinon” is, it fits too well into the current landscape of things. Maybe it’s time to add in a little french touch to new product conception as in, time to have a little more of the “ce n’est pas possible” mentality . . .
Olipop x Hidden Valley Ranch teamed up to bring us a limited edition 4-pack of flavors including Ranch, Garlic Ranch, Jalapeno Ranch, and Hot Honey Ranch. Except not really, lolz.
Subway presents Subwhey Protein Shakes with flavors including Meatball Marinara, Big Breakwich, & Classic B.M.T. . . JK lolz.
Kikkoman presents Spritz of Soy Eau de Parfum
FAUX, but again, NOT improbable. Reminder that Auntie Anne’s came out with Knead: Eau de Pretzel, and KFC came out with No. 11 Eau de BBQ.
Speaking of KFC (a company that’s no stranger to viral and questionable product moments - see perfume, lickable wrapping paper, Crocs collab), the colonel recently collaborated with oral care brand, Hi Smile for an April Fool’s announcement that’s 100% real and available for purchase - we’re talking fried chicken flavored toothpaste - insert sobbing emoji here. BUT WAIT, there’s more! Why settle for only the toothpaste when you can order the full meal with the KFC electric toothbrush that’s ALSO available for purchase! Toothpaste goes for $13 and toothbrush for $59 - missed opportunity here not giving us a combo meal price for both, no? Also, thanks to my trusty VPN, I can confirm that while Hi Smile is international, this KFC special is only available on the US site.
Raising Cane’s teamed up with beauty brand Ipsy to bring us a "Moisturizing Sauce” modeled after Raising Cane’s famous dipping sauce. While they went as far as to get Cardi B in on the joke, for now, it remains as such, a joke.
Erewhon brought us the $19 strawberry so that Welch’s could bring us the $19 fruit snack (if only just for April 1st). You know, I think Welch’s is the only one on this roster that understood the assignment. Finally, a joke is a joke is a joke. 10 points to Welch’s. No notes.
Speaking of the devil that wears Erewhon x Merci (Paris), we have yet another collab that we absolutely diddly oodly didn’t fucking need. I want to know which sun-deficient, Los Angeles obsessed, wannabe hypebeast Parisian pitched this idea. And before you come for me, let me be clear - I’m a brand collab whore. I love branded things & collabs so much that I even sometimes buy weird releases where I don’t normally support the respective brand - but that’s only when they’re interesting and this one was anything but.
Erewhon’s recent collab with Merci promised so much even in just the joining of the two names alone: Erewhon x Merci and yet, it gave so little.
& for their podcast, The Clashists, I found that the whole thing was more of a flop than I imagined and consequently went to investigate for myself.
Love or hate Erewhon, they’re good at staying relevant even if it just means being talked about. And as for their collabs, love or hate them - they’re usually (pop culture) “newsworthy” whether it be just for the sake of documenting yet another exorbitantly priced item, putting another celebrity notch in their belt by way of smoothies, or partnering up with the likes of Balenciaga. As for Merci, (a beloved Parisian concept store open since 2009 that recently opened their 2nd Parisian storefront in central Paris) well, they’ve been around for about 16 pretty unproblematic years and they remain a solid shopping experience for both visitors and locals alike complete with relevant & interesting collabs (usually) as well as fun store displays. So what went wrong?
Well, a collab between a popular Parisian brand and Erewhon must mean more than a 160 EURO basic tote bag right? Maybe even a little smoothie in the mix? Some sea moss gel for the road? Maybe an Erewhon branded mason jar even? Some sort of in-store exclusivity?! WRONG. But just how wrong was I? Well, thanks to some hilarious coverage of the boner-killer in store activation from my friends
picture by moi Upon arrival, you see a stack of crates set up to mirror the ones holding produce in a grocery store. Inside some crates are rows of granola-laden, Erewhon-labeled mason jars, where others held pouches of Erewhon branded “Artisan Popcorn”, interspersed with collab beanies, hoodies, and several other Erewhon stamped snacks. Checks out right? Except, *insert record scratch sound* all the snacks and branded treats are “NOT FOR SALE, DISPLAY ONLY”. Talk about blue balls. To say this is a missed opportunity is a huge understatement. Why tease the people with branded treats that they’ve been primed to desire only to wag your finger in their face? (Was this a cruel way of implementing the French touch on this collab? Lolz.) In fact, why even go to the trouble of shipping these real Erewhon goods all the way to Paris simply so that they could be a part of a very fake and dumb display? While I would have never bought any of the clothing or accessories from this collab anyway, I would have at least considered purchasing a small Erewhon bottle/jar (empty or not) even if only as a gag gift.
pictures by me, all of the Erewhon branded snacks and jars that were only display pieces and not for sale Had the collab been a strictly digital experience specifying a focus on merch only - beanies, hoodies, totes, etc. I would have just written it off as a desperate and boring grab at a piece of the Erewhon publicity pie. And look, I get that monochromatic, plainly branded, overpriced collab merch was never meant for a maximalist like me. But with both stores celebrating a minimalist aesthetic (one of which posesses the French touch), I still expected something better, something more chic. Maybe I’m just not seeing it, but even with the joke of a store display set aside, I still find that the Erewhon x Merci pieces come off as ridiculously contrived and unnecessary no matter how you want to spin it.
There was definitely a way to go about this collab that would have driven as much interest as it would have sales. There is not THAT much legwork involved when “Erewhon” is slapped on a product. But somehow, they still managed to miss the mark. Are Parisians so desperate to cop a slice of “LA coolness” that they’ll settle for a 165 euro zip polo with logos emblazoned as if they were an afterthought? Am I just a hater that should have skipped the caffeine today or do you agree with me here? Lolz.
Haribo x Crocs - Real. And cute. Sold out in the US (but not some other countries like France).
Mrs. T’s Pierogies presents a Premium Pampering Set complete with Eye Patches, Lip Oil, and Face Cream. Alas, not this time folks but anyone else getting Vacation brand vibes from it??
“Lidl orchestrated an unforgettable evening that blurred the lines between runway and reality—one fresh ingredient at a time. Celebrating its unprecedented eighth win as the champion of freshness with the prestigious Retail Award for Freshness in the Fruit & Vegetable category, Lidl served up an avant-garde showcase at Wilhelm Studios, marking a new high for Berlin’s fashion calendar.” - HighSnobiety.com
Monocle welcomes a new Café/Boutique in the heart of Paris with coffee by Parisian favorite, Ten Belles, morning pastries from Terroirs d’Avenir (one of my favs) and Japanese sandwiches from Yabaï Sando. Other cities that have a Monocle Café or Shop include London, Tokyo, Toronto, Hong Kong, Zurich, & Merano.
Are you tired of scrolling through news yet - fake or real? Me too! :)
FIN!
My next issue is already cooking but if you’d like to split the calorie intake, please share with friends! Instagram: @lecakewalk
Thank for the pod shout out <3 still kinda mad we couldn't try that smoothie haha
Some of these are truly unhinged. Who knew April fools would be such a great occasion for cakewalk!