MoonPie drops limited-edition 'solar eclipse survival kits' for April 8 astronomical event with an 'Outta This World' solar eclipse campaign

'Official sponsor' of eclipse offers 'blackout boxes' of mini MoonPies

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- MoonPie, the original marshmallow sandwich and self-proclaimed "official sponsor" of the total solar eclipse on April 8, is going all-out to celebrate "the day the moon wins" with a special, limited-edition drop of "Solar Eclipse Survival Kits." The limited supply of custom "blackout boxes" of chocolate, vanilla or banana mini MoonPies are must-haves for eclipse watch parties, especially in the path of totality—locations where the moon's shadow completely covers the sun. MoonPie famously flexed on rival snack cake Hostess during the 2017 eclipse with a two-word tweet that went viral, sending MoonPie sales through the stratosphere. 

"The solar eclipse of 2017 was massive for us, but we knew we had to go even bigger this time," said Tory Johnston, vice president of sales and marketing at Chattanooga Bakery, Inc. "It's the day the moon wins, and the sun goes down! So we wanted to make something that got people as excited about the eclipse as we are."

To promote the importance of working MoonPie into eclipse-viewing plans, MoonPie has launched a social video campaign featuring the Sun versus the Moon in a spoofed professional wrestling match billed as "Sun vs. Moon '24: Brutality in the Totality." In the video, shot in the style of a pro wrestling trailer, two wrestlers portray the Sun and Moon. The brand is pitting the celestial bodies against each other in a cosmic rematch billions of years in the making.

MoonPie's "Brutality vs. Totality" promotion comes on the heels of its "Alien Acquisition" campaign in which MoonPie became the first brand to advertise directly to aliens in order to corner the market on a new customer base. After months of research and collaboration with experts, MoonPie's advertising agency of record Tombras created a global outdoor campaign exclusively for non-human entities, in a language only aliens can understand.

The total solar eclipse will cross North America on Monday, April 8, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between Earth and the sun, totally blocking the sun's face. The next such event visible from the contiguous United States won't happen until Aug. 23, 2044.

The limited-edition MoonPie solar eclipse survival kits are available at all Dollar Tree locations and at participating Walmart stores, as well as in select grocery stores and at moonpie.com while supplies last.

About MoonPie
Chattanooga Bakery was founded in 1902 as a subsidiary of the Mountain City Flour Mill. A fourth generation, family-owned business, the company made nearly 100 snack cake and cookie items under the Lookout™ trademark, named after the popular residential and tourist community near Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain. In 1917, after a brainstorming conversation between a bakery salesman and some Appalachian coal miners, the MoonPie® was born, and by the late 1930s was the bakery's #1 seller, a spot it still occupies today. For more information, visit moonpie.com.

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SOURCE MoonPie