Hungry for knowledge?
Pour yourself a glass of ice-cold milk and bite into some "Wonderfilled" facts about
the ever-so-delicious Oreo cookie.
"Mmmm… mom says dogs shouldn't eat biscuits, so I'm going to have to eat yours, too."
You're well-aware that these creme-filled delights are tasty… but there's a lot you
probably don't know about this beloved treat.
Listen and learn, snackhounds!
How do you enjoy your Oreos?
Do you twist and lick?
Dunk and slurp?
All of the above?
"Twist it off.
Ohhh, you did it.
Just give it a lick."
"...!"
"Now let's dunk it.
Just like a professional basketball player."
Regardless of your preferred technique, you're bound to find lots to love in this next morsel:
In 1984, Nabisco launched the Oreo Big Stuf.
Each individually-wrapped cookie was a whopping 316 calories, and it reportedly took about
twenty minutes to eat the whole thing.
By comparison, a single regular-sized Oreo contains about 53 calories.
Now that's what we call a gigantic Oreo.
Unfortunately, the Oreo Big Stuf was eventually phased out... but if you're craving a throwback
to the freewheeling, cookie-crazy '80s, you must watch the Big Stuf commercial in its
entirety… preferably while stuffing your face full of Oreos.
Let it suffice to say, we'd go to the ends of the Earth for one of these big boys.
Back in 2012, Oreo came out with Birthday Cake-flavored cookies.
Many of us were determined to get our hands on a bag before they were eaten up by people
like this lady:
"Oh, oh, oh, who's that kid with the Oreo cookie?
Licking up the creamy middle, like she did when she was little…?"
The sprinkle-laden cookies were only supposed to be available for a limited time in celebration
of the brand's 100th birthday — an event that inspired lively debate in newsrooms across
the country.
"The other important question is: Do you dunk your Oreo in milk?"
"NEVER."
"Never, really?!"
"Mm."
"Ooh."
"I have to say—"
"You do, though?"
"YES."
"You do?"
Here's another worthwhile news nugget for you: Despite the fact that they were marketed
as a limited-edition offering, you can still find Birthday Cake Oreos at many fine stores.
We encourage you to march over to your nearest food pavilion and pick up a batch this instant.
Did you ever notice that every time you turn around, there's a brand-new, totally wild
Oreo flavor to tempt your tummy?
"Firework Oreo.
This has been trending all morning.
The cookie is in stores right now, have you seen it?
It's got a Pop Rock kind of candy inside the filling."
So why does Nabisco insist on cranking out so many non-traditional flavors?
To get to the bottom of this pressing matter, GQ reached out to Cornell University behavioral
economist David Just.
He told the magazine:
"The key is they're not trying to introduce the flavors for long-term consumption.
You build in this idea of really tacky flavors, and that sort of builds this relationship
to the consumer who likes to sort of check out these kitschy Oreos."
And here's even more heavy-hitting news for you: Many younger consumers give the company
loads of free PR by posting new flavor reviews on social media.
David Just describes this approach as, quote, "building this personality behind its brand."
So even though it seems like all these wacky flavors are coming out of left field, the
brand is counting on these novelty flavors to help solidify their fan base.
Clever strategy, isn't it?
Ever taken the time to truly appreciate the beauty of an Oreo?
Talk about a great texture story.
The iconic design stamped onto each side of the sandwich cookie makes it instantly stand
out in a sea of basic, unadorned cookies.
It would be a terrible shame if you went through your entire life never knowing the backstory
behind this lovely design.
When Nabisco wanted to give the cookie's design a face-lift in 1952, they looked to a man
named William Turnier, who was reportedly first hired in 1923 and started out in the
mailroom.
According to Mental Floss, Turnier learned industrial engineering by "shadowing" other
talented folks who worked at the company.
The smart, hardworking Turnier was asked to update Oreo's design, and, as you know, he
landed on something truly inspired.
According to Bill Turnier, a law professor at the University of North Carolina and William
Turnier's son:
"That design goes back to monks who used it on the bottom of manuscripts they copied in
Medieval times.
It was a sign of craft — saying they did the best they could.
Nabisco really liked that."
Calling all Game of Thrones fans.
When winter came, so did special-edition Oreos… and they were embossed with the crests of
the four remaining houses at the time.
If you're a fan of the show, you undoubtedly went out and bought a bag before the series
finale — especially after you saw the epic promo, which featured the iconic Game of Thrones
landscape made entirely out of Oreo cookies.
"The way it works is you eat seven of them and then you have to wait three years before
you can have another."
To realize this extraordinary sequence, the folks at Oreo went to Elastic, the production
company that created the Game of Thrones main title sequence.
Kirk Shintani, the company's Head of 3D, told IndieWire:
"We wanted to make sure that we built a world of Oreos first and established this language
of Oreo.
And then we'd add our Game of Thrones influences into that.
The thing that we wanted to avoid is just taking Oreos and creme and then stuffing them
into our existing main title."
Good thinking!
Shintani and his team used Oreo's vegan creme for the geographic elements like the earth,
mountains, and snow.
Every edifice was constructed using Oreo's signature chocolate cookie.
According to Stash, the end result took about 2,750 computer-generated Oreos with 20 million
crumbs scattered throughout the Oreo-scape.
When all is said and done, the Oreo commercial might be the single most exciting thing to
have come out of season eight.
Oreos and rap music?
It may sound like an odd pairing, but a 2019 marketing campaign proved they taste absolutely
great together, just like milk and Oreos do.
In February, rapper Wiz Khalifa stepped in as a spokesperson for the cookie company and
became the face of their "Stay Playful" campaign.
Even better?
It wasn't just Khalifa hawking the cookies — his adorable 5-year-old son Sebastian
starred in the TV ads alongside him.
Together, they showed us exactly what playfulness is all about.
It's about eating Oreos, basically.
The TV spot featured an original song by Khalifa entitled "Playful 4 Life," and that's not
even the most interesting part of this whole thing.
Are you ready to officially have your mind blown?
The full-length song was released via the Oreo and Wiz Khalifa Limited-Edition Music
Box — a miniature record player literally powered by Oreo cookies.
"Releasing a song on a cookie is crazy."
To cue up this cookie-powered turntable, you simply place an Oreo on it like a record platter,
and move the record arm into place.
Mmm… sweet, sweet music.
According to the Smithsonian website, the Oreo cookie was originally created out of
a New York City biscuit plant that can be traced back to 1890.
Over time, as the company grew, the complex expanded until it covered an entire New York
City block.
They eventually moved operations to New Jersey in 1958.
According to the New York Post, the former factory was half-empty, covered in bullet
holes, and sold for less than 10 million bucks back in 1993.
How times have changed.
In 2018, Google's parent company Alphabet bought the building for a whopping $2.4 billion.
The spike in price can be largely credited to former owner Irwin Cohen, a developer who
turned the once-dubious space into the "Chelsea Market" food hall.
“A hundred years ago on this very spot, the first Oreo cookie was made.
This, of course, was the original Nabisco bakery."
If you think your Oreo addiction is out of control now, you may need an intervention
after learning this one delicious dessert hack.
We imagine you already know that cookies-and-cream ice cream is delicious.
And we're sure you know how tasty Oreos can be.
Well, according to one genius Redditor, if you dip your Oreos in milk, wait until they're
soft, and then freeze them…
"They are delicious with the consistency of Oreos in Cookies n' Cream ice cream."
But it sounds like the cookie company doesn't quite condone this bold feat of Oreo alchemy.
On their Frequently Asked Questions page, the folks at Oreo address the best way to
store cookies once the package has been opened, claiming:
"The product shelf life can be extended if the packaging is kept well sealed.
It is also best to store the cookies in a cool, dry place."
Just to be clear, the people at Oreo don't consider the freezer to be a cool, dry place,
carefully spelling out that
"We do not recommend that you freeze our products as it can affect their quality."
If you just can't control yourself and absolutely must freeze your Oreos, the website reluctantly
goes on to recommend that you:
"[Place] the product in the refrigerator for a few hours after removing it from the freezer,
then [move] it to the counter top to reach room temperature for best results."
That's kind of a mixed message, isn't it?
The only thing we know for certain is that Oreos taste absolutely delicious, frozen or
not.
Well, this is awkward.
In October 2018, Oreos made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Administrators at Byron High School in Illinois ended up suspending 10 football players for
taking part in a naked "Oreo run" on the school's football field, according to the Registrar
Star.
You're probably wondering: What's an Oreo run?
In this case, students reportedly ran across the school's football field naked, each of
them carrying a single Oreo wedged between their… you know.
This intensely odd extracurricular activity was initially suspected to be a hazing incident.
But no — it seems the participants all acted willingly.
The story went national, and even got a mention on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Evidently, Myers stays on top of all the Oreo-related news out there.
"Said one teacher, 'Who put these back in the breakroom?'"
You might consider yourself big on Oreos… but one Hollywood actress could probably give
you a run for your money.
In March 2019, Mindy Kaling took to Instagram to celebrate what looks like one of her favorite
days of the year: National Oreo Day.
As her daughter squealed happily off-camera, The Mindy Project creator said:
"It's National Oreo Day, which you may or may not have heard about.
My daughter is very excited about it."
And in case you think Kaling might have been in cahoots with Oreo, she swears she only
made the video because of her deep affinity for the cookies.
"I'm not sponsored by Oreos, but I love them, and I thought I would do a taste test, 'cuz
there's so many different kinds."
Sitting alongside her Cookie Monster mug, the self-professed "cookie head" indeed taste-tested
and rated several types of Oreos.
We imagine you're dying to know: How did she feel about Birthday Cake Oreos?
“Good.
Like an Oreo.
Good crunch.
But the cream is extra vanilla-ey and super-sweet."
Mint Oreos?
"Ooh, not bad.
This is like Thin Mint vibes.
Girl Scouts — this cookie's coming for you."
Okay, then… well, what about Most Stuf Oreos?
Sounds like Kaling found a winner with this one.
“This is so good.
Look how beautiful… it's like creme with a hint of cookie, which is exactly how I like
my cookies."
Kaling gave the Most Stuf Oreos her highest ranking: ten out of ten — which coincidentally
is the score we're giving to Mindy Kalling's Oreo taste test.
Congrats, Mindy!
Please contact this channel to collect your prize:
"Oooh…
New Oreo Snack Packs.
Perfect-sized packages of your favorites."
During a House Financial Services Committee hearing in May 2019, Democratic Representative
Katie Porter posed a question to the Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary
Ben Carson.
According to Newsweek, she asked him to, quote, "explain the disparity in REO rates."
Here's how that went.
"Do you know what an REO is?"
"An Oreo?"
"An — no, not an Oreo.
An REO."
Of course, that wasn't the correct answer.
REO stands for "real estate owned."
Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the mistake, Oreo sent out a cheeky tweet to its
nearly 1 million followers.
The since-deleted tweet read:
"REO stands for 'Really Excellent OREO (cookie).'
Everyone knows that."
After the hearing, Carson took to Twitter to post a photo of himself along with a package
of Double Stuf Oreos.
He added the caption:
"OH, REO!
Thanks, @RepKatiePorter.
Enjoying a few post-hearing snacks.
Sending some your way!"
Yeah, well not everyone thought Ben Carson's appearance was cute — particularly not Katie
Porter:
"It was disappointing and frankly it was frustrating.
Look, these are real people's lives that he is supposed to be improving."
Anyway, aren't Oreos delicious?
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