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Monday, July 8, 2013

From the Canned Goods Aisle: Sir Chomps A Lot Cheese Ravioli

Product: Sir Chomps A Lot Mini Cheese Ravioli
Company: Chef Boyardee (American Home Foods)
Years: 1991-?

Here's a fun one that I don't remember (look, I was in Highschool in the early 90's....I was a bit too cool to be eating pasta from a can, alright? I was cool, right? Anyone? Mom?). It's called Sir Chomps A Lot, and it was a mini ravioli in a can made by Chef Boyardee. Nothing about this product stands out from the millions of other pasta based meals Chef Boyardee has ever or will ever put on the shelves. Everything, except for this:

1992 Chef Boyardee Sir Chomps-A-Lot Cheese Ravioli Can Bank
Image by Gregg Koenig
Yep, a presumably British Alligator by the name of Sir Chomps A Lot. Which seems like an odd choice of a mascot to me. I mean, look at him. He looks rather unexcited about the whole thing. "Mini Ravioli? Eh.....Seems a bit boring for a sophisticated reptile as myself....I fancy myself as more of a Fettuccine with Fresh Mushrooms, Tarragon and a mild Goad Cheese Sauce kind of person, er, Reptile."  - Say that in your best British Accent. Preferably outloud. Make your co-workers and/or family members wonder what's wrong with you, or give them another thing to add to the list.

So is he a Crocodile or an Alligator anyway? Can you tell? I sure can't.

On the back of the can, it says (which sounds nothing like something a British person, er, reptile would say. Even adding an accent to it still sounds wrong:

"Hello, I'm Sir Chomps-A-Lot and I've lost control for these little Bite Size ravioli from Chef Boyardee. They're so delicious you'll want to romp, and stomp and do a dance called "The Chomp".

Wait, what? We're introducing a new dance now too? You expect me to believe this butler looking person, er, reptile actually dances??? Is the Chomp even a real dance? Anyone? Wikipedia? Mom?

Well now, would you look at this...HE DOES DANCE!:

Still, seems like an odd mascot to me. You know the marketing group came up with the name first, which forced it to be a British person, er, crocodile/Alligator, and from there the whole concept just fell apart quickly.

There were also other Sir Chomps A Lot products like Spaghetti and meatballs, but you get the idea.

Fun for kids on the early 90's, but completely invisible to me, a cool high school kid listening to my grunge music and smoking my Camel Lights.

Still, as one of the many Chef Boyardee offerings to come our way in the last 40 years, it has to be noted in the pages of products that are no more, so we will give it it's place here at Gone but Not Forgotten Groceries.






4 comments:

  1. I concur, good sir...I too was in high school at the time and was too busy (and cool, no doubt) listening to Nevermind and Use Your Illusion I & II, smoking Salems and smoking other stuff, to bother with these. Although, now that I ponder it, I did not have any qualms about eating roller-coasters straight out of the can...musta been that other stuff I was smokin'...damn...

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  2. I miss these so much! The cheese ones I'd eat all the time...

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  3. I was about 10 when those came out. I tell my kids about them all the time. Please bring them back!!!

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  4. I have kindergarten memories that tell me the cheese chomps were delicious and I often wish they would bring these back. However, I am sure my kindergarten mind remembers them as something more amazing than they actually were.

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