Whatever Happened To Taco Bell's Eyeball Straws?
Throughout the decades, fast-food restaurants have used different marketing strategies to get customers to come back. Of course, switching out and updating the food menu does the trick for many, but there's something about receiving a limited-edition toy that has stuck with a lot of chains. From McDonald's, Sonic, Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's, and more, fast food chains have offered special promotional toys, often partnering with what's popular in modern-day pop culture. Star Wars, Minions, Star Trek, Cinderella, Finding Nemo, and even Beanie Babies have all had their spotlight in children's food meals. According to Eater, McDonald's Teenie Beanie Babies even helped spark the collectible crazy of stuffed animal toys and have become collector's items that are now sold on eBay.
Toys were also rotated out depending on the time of year, with fast food restaurants promoting seasonal toy offerings for summer, fall, winter, and spring. Halloween can be one of the most creative times of the year when it comes to promotional offerings in food, and in the '90s, Taco Bell really hit the nail on the head (via Reddit).
A '90s collector's item
Time to cue the nostalgia. In a recent Reddit post, users are remembering their faint memories of Taco Bell's eyeball straws. Posted with a photo of several multi-colored crazy swirl straws topped with plastic eyeballs, users are reminiscing on the taco chain's fun drink addition during their '90s Halloween era. "Core Memory Unlocked," said one user. "Oh man I had one of these! No idea it was from Taco Bell," said another user. "Now that's something I haven't seen in a long time," another person said.
The eyeball straws were originally part of a Taco Bell promotional campaign in 1996. Officially deemed "Taco Bell Monster Eye Straws," they appeared in many marketing assets, including a Halloween commercial (via YouTube). While all good things must come to an end and they were eventually discontinued after several years, people have started to make them collector's items, with several up for sale on eBay.