Hello pleasure seekers,
Here’s a quick look at some dollops of goodness we’re serving up for you this week:
Condiments are leading some of the wildest experiments in comfort, surprise, and self-expression — and the lessons reach far beyond the plate.
Ghostly hologram cops, AI that nags you in your own voice, and even a pen that can diagnose Parkinson’s.
From Carnival’s basslines to a slogan reborn and a sci-fi world rebuilt, these stories show how culture loops over time.
From chocolate revivals to Y2K throwbacks, these campaigns prove nostalgia still packs a punch when reimagined for today.
How Cracker Barrel went from nostalgic to minimal - and caused mass panic.
Enjoy your read. And please do reply if you’d like to tell us what you think.
Angelique
The Rise of Cultural Joybombs
Condiments aren’t staying in their lane. Once humble flavour sidekicks, they’ve become cultural joybombs - leaping into self-care, altered states, and even high-end fashion. They’re not just shaping what we eat but how we play, comfort ourselves, and signal identity.
What stands out is the breadth of innovation: sauces becoming self-care rituals, flavour profiles turned inside out, indulgence with added benefits, and condiments reimagined as art or couture. Together, they show that the next wave of pleasure is multi-sensory, theatrical, and provocative.
Garlic-Scented Soak
Papa John’s transforms its iconic garlic sauce into a bath bomb, turning indulgence into a multi-sensory ritual.
Savoury Gravy Gelato
KFC and Hackney Gelato introduce a limited-edition gravy-flavoured ice cream in the UK.
Tangy Instant Noodles
Cup Noodles’ latest Dill Pickle flavour delivers bold, tangy zest, tapping into viral pickle trends.
Ketchup on Ice
French’s launches the Frenchsicle - a frozen ketchup popsicle for adventurous summer snacking.
THC-Infused Sauce
Cresco Labs teams up with The Fifty/50 to launch a THC-infused buffalo wing sauce for the Super Bowl.
Pickled Cannabis
Cannabis-infused giardiniera marries the iconic spicy pickled relish with THC.
Condiment Couture
Hellmann’s brings mayo to the runway by collaborating with Chopova Lowena for London Fashion Week.
Ketchup Chocolate
KitKat and Heinz’s viral pairing creates a buzz on social media.
The condiment boom shines a light on a really fun playbook:
Stretch comfort into ritual. Garlic bath bombs and gravy ice cream prove familiar tastes can morph into multi-sensory rituals that soothe and surprise.
Harness surprise and provocation. Pickle noodles and ketchup popsicles are engineered to divide opinion—and in doing so, they win attention and cultural heat.
Experiment with altered states. Cannabis-infused point to a future where sauces become recreational escape.
Make play the strategy. Mayo on the runway and ketchup chocolate show that audacity and humour can rival heritage and luxury as brand power moves.
These bold condiment moves remind us: the ordinary becomes extraordinary when brands stretch beyond the plate—into joyful rituals, escapes, and cultural spectacle.
Now you’ve got all those condiments buzzing around your head — why not try this quick ice breaker at your next team meeting? Warning: It’s not easy, so might not actually be that quick!
The signals you’re seeing?
They come straight from Future Possible®, the world's only innovation tool that combines consumer foresights, actionable opportunities, and thousands of inspiring signals. It’s a sweet bundle of everything we’re seeing that gets updated weekly, so you can stay inspired and map your next moves for only £95/year.
Wait, What?!: Sci-fi Tech Hitting the Real World
Seoul’s trialling life-size hologram cops that appear in parks at night, warning people they’re on CCTV and backup is nearby. Crime reportedly dropped 22%. It’s less RoboCop, more ghostly neighbourhood watch.
Researchers have built a wearable that watches your surroundings, listens, and delivers context-aware nudges in your own voice. It might say, “Hold up, want that second doughnut?” Dystopia or accountability? Depends on how much you love your own nagging.
Penn State scientists have cracked sound that only you can hear in a crowd, no headphones, no one else disturbed. Using ultrasound and metasurfaces, they bend audio into your ear like a secret whisper. For now, it works a few feet away, but soon you could be streaming private playlists in public.
UCLA scientists have built a pen that doesn’t write; it listens. By picking up tiny hand tremors, it can spot Parkinson’s early, giving doctors a heads-up before you even know. Who knew your messy handwriting could actually be useful for once?
The Cata-Lyst:
3 Mind-Expanding Finds We’re Tuning Into
Three cultural icons that evolve by remixing the past, shaping the present, and projecting us into the future.
TheGuardian / Ollie Tikare
Remixing Heritage
Even as its survival is questioned, Notting Hill Carnival showcases how it keeps tradition alive. It continually expands how we see culture today; rooting us in heritage while reinventing itself year after year, one dubplate and full plate at a time.
IndieWire / Patrick Brown
From War to Meme Machine
It started as a dusty WW2 poster but became a 21st-century icon; loved, mocked, remixed and memed. This deep dive into Keep Calm shows how the past keeps finding new life in British culture, shaping how we deal with today and tomorrow.
IndieWire / Patrick Brown
Making Aliens Scary Again
Alien: Earth reimagines flickering consoles, brutalist concrete, and shadows that stretch just out of sight, as the Alien franchise evolves once more. And I have to say that I love it, the control room (see image) is especially wonderful, as it’s always interesting to see how people reimagine a new generation’s idea of the future.
3 Great Marketing Moves
This week, we spotlight brands leaning into nostalgia, reviving chocolate classics, denim icons, and legendary slogans. By giving familiar favourites a fresh twist, these campaigns show how memory can become momentum.
Chocolate Comfort
Cadbury revived Bournville with its first campaign in almost 50 years. “Made to Be Enjoyed, Not Endured” pushes back against dark chocolate snobbery, framing Bournville as smooth, indulgent, and made for everyone.
Scottish Girders Revival
Irn-Bru returned to its legendary slogan, “Made in Scotland from Girders,” with a cheeky new spot. The comeback blends national pride with tongue-in-cheek humour, proving the brand’s heritage is still a cultural lightning rod.
Y2K Denim Vibe
Gap tapped KATSEYE for its “Better in Denim” campaign, remixing early-2000s fashion with choreography to Milkshake. Nostalgic styling meets inclusive casting, bringing retro energy to a new generation.
From Rocking Chairs to Rocking Value
Dezeen
Cracker Barrel thought it was time for a glow-up. Out went Uncle Herschel leaning on his trusty barrel. In came a sleek, simplified design meant to signal freshness and relevance. Instead, the internet went feral. Twitter/X declared it the end of an era; critics, from conservatives decrying “wokification” to mock‑tweeters likening it to Velveeta packaging, accused the chain of betraying its roots.
The fallout became more than social snark. Shares tumbled, wiping $90-100 million off the company’s value almost overnight. Management admitted they “could’ve done better” and rushed to reassure fans: the rocking chairs, peg games, and yes, even Uncle Herschel himself, aren’t going anywhere.
For brand owners, it’s a reminder that a logo is so much more than a logo. It’s shorthand for comfort, memory, and fried apples on a Sunday afternoon. Evolve it too fast, and suddenly you’ve redesigned someone’s childhood.
Moral of the story? When modernising nostalgia, tread carefully… or risk turning your “rebrand” into the week’s biggest internet punchline.
See you next week for some more dollops, squeezes & slurps of pleasure! 🔮 👽 🎩 🪄