Pop Culture Themes Liven Up The Kitchen

Fred & Friends Holy Toast Bread Stamper

A long time ago, in a galley far, far away … There was a time when kitchenwares were just tools to make a meal. People slaved away over hot stoves surrounded by black cast iron, gray stainless steel, and white ceramics.

Nowadays, popular culture references in the kitchen abound, allowing home cooks to show off their personality with pride. These products are not just for children or Hello Kitty and Disney fans either. A whole segment of kitchenwares, ranging from cutlery, tools, gadgets, dinnerware and more, now reflect aspects of pop culture that recall music, film, TV shows, video games and social trends. From Star Wars knife blocks to cookie stamps that leave impressions of well-known rap artists, these kitchen products are not only functional but inspirational as well, acting as a welcoming mat for those who might normally be intimidated by the thought of baking or cooking.

The Rhode Island-based company, Fred & Friends, has taken a background in the toy industry to bring fun and whimsy into the kitchen for the last 10 years. Designing products in the giftware category, the company has collections for the home, office, party and technology as well. The products reflect the playfulness and interaction that is key to toy development while remaining completely functional in the kitchen.

Fred & Friends Undead Fred Cookie Cutters

“We decided that our products needed to be not only fun and interactive, but also functional,” says Jason Amendolara, Fred & Friends Creative Director. “Novelty alone was not enough to compel people to buy. There are plenty of products on the market whose sole purpose is to make you laugh. We strive for that secondary function to make a product people want to give as gifts, but also use. Fred & Friends is the marriage of those two concepts. We use icons from pop culture or current events to make those strong personal connections with our customers.”

Fred & Friends’ Holy Toast bread stamper is a prime example of this approach. One of first items designed by the company, the product was based directly on a current event at the time about a woman who sold on eBay a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich that bore the image of the Virgin Mary. The woman received $28,000 for the sandwich, instantly making it widely discussed and a social sensation. The Holy Toast bread stamp has remained a Fred & Friends classic ever since and is still in the product line today.

Fred & Friends Slow Brew Tea Infuser

The company discovered early on that kitchenwares was a category especially lacking in fun or whimsy. Fred’s mission was to take on this product category, and infuse it with its own brand of playfulness. “In most cases, we’re making items you already use in your daily life a little more fun or interesting,” says Amendolara. “Our line is designed to foster connections between the consumers and the products and serve as conversation pieces. Our table and kitchen items are based on play and interaction – with the items themselves, as well as interaction (between people) at the table. Our products ask to be shared with others.”

Some of Fred & Friends’ kitchen products include Undead Fred, cookie cutters with a zombie twist on the classic gingerbread man (and a favorite amongst Walking Dead fans), the Bites & Pieces sandwich cutter that leaves a sandwich in Tetris®-type pieces and the Tuff Dish Tattoo washgloves which reflect how mainstream the once-taboo tattoo culture has become. Inspired by the Internet’s newest darling, Fred’s Slow Brew is an adorable sloth tea infuser that has quickly become the company’s number one new item.

Underground Toys X-Wing Knife Block

For the fanboy or girl, Underground Toys has a variety of kitchenwares based on Star Wars and Doctor Who. The X-Wing Knife Block is a set of five high-quality kitchen knives stylized as the legendary fighter from the Star Wars trilogy. Each knife is designed for perfect weight, balance and handling and is made from carbon stainless steel for excellent strength, durability and a long-lasting cutting edge. The Vader’s Lightsaber BBQ Tongs are metal tongs featuring a heatproof plastic handle and dark red storage case. There’s even the classic lightsaber ‘vwww-ing!’ sound effects to add extra Star Wars fun to proceedings. The Doctor Who 11th Sonic Cutlery Set consists of a spoon, fork and knife modeled on the 11th and 12th Doctor’s famous Sonic Screwdriver.

At GAMAGO in San Francisco, all products are designed in-house with an eye for gift giving. In business since 2001, the company has since developed a large variety of kitchen products along the way. GAMAGO looks at trends from all over the country, in both urban and rural settings, and looks back to cultural touchstones for inspiration.

GAMAGO Bake-n-Serve Blundt Cakes

Some of the products have a nostalgic feeling to them, like the Cassette Bottle Opener or the Record Placemats that are silicone but look exactly like vinyl. Others are very of-the-moment and not something you would have seen even five years ago, like the Sriracha Sippy Cup for kids or the Bake-n-Serve Blundt Cake molds that look like leaves of the marijuana plant.

“We always have tried from day one to design gifts with character. We’re not giving you a personality; what we’re trying to do is to show that we understand your personality,” says Greg Long, GAMAGO Creative Director and Co-Founder. “ I also think there’s a place in the world for things that are a little bit more fun and a little less intimidating and are easy to get into.”

GAMAGO Baking With My Homies Cookie Stamps

The Baking With My Homies cookie stamps are a good example of a GAMAGO concept that will appeal to many bakers, especially a younger set who might just be discovering the craft. A set of three cookie stamps, they are designed to transfer the likeness of well-known rap icons Eazy-E, 2Pac, and The Notorious B.I.G.

“We really want to make products that don’t live in a drawer – that people actually use. They’re clever and they have personality, and they have a little bit of an edge sometimes,” says Long. “Say you get the Baking With My Homies Cookie Set as a gift and you don’t bake cookies, that’s totally not your thing. Well maybe it’ll be something that gets you going into that. If you bake a batch of Baking With My Homies cookies, and you give them to your friend, and your friends love them, I bet you’re going to start doing other stuff. I think it’s fun, and I think there’s a place in the market for gifts that make you smile and that have a bit of character.”

This story was originally published in the March 2015 issue of Kitchenware News, a publication of Oser Communications Group.