The Machines Are Here. And They Bring Cupcakes.
When you think of the intense, bloody, testosterone-fueled Terminator franchise, only one thing comes to mind: cupcakes. It’s a pairing as old as time itself. Well, banking on that classic robot-cupcake association, Fox is promoting its new series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles by giving away free cupcakes at venerable Los Angeles cupcake institution, Sprinkles. To some it might seem like a strange tie-in, but when I first read the notice in Eater LA, I was out the door so quickly you would have thought a T-1000 was charging down the hallway after me.
Photos of this adventure after the jump.
First, a little background for non-Angelenos. Sprinkles is the Skynet-esque bakery which has revolutionized cupcake consumption in Los Angeles. The boutique opened about two years ago and has subsequently kick-started a designer cupcake craze in Los Angeles, which, as competitors sprouted up, eventually led to a full-on cupcake war (not unlike the one experienced by The Machines). To this day, it’s not uncommon to find long lines of people standing outside the Sprinkles storefront, waiting sometimes upwards of twenty minutes for just one ($3!!) cupcake.
Given that Sprinkles is prone to attracting flocks of hungry gluttons, I raced over to Beverly Hills, hoping that the advertised inventory of 1,000 free cupcakes had not been depleted. It may seem like a lot of effort for one small snack, but when you’re a writer in strike-time Los Angeles, free food does not go unheeded. Nevertheless, much like a robotic drone following the orders of the Fox marketing gurus, I found myself on a singular mission to obtain a free cupcake, and no Los Angeles traffic or clogged parking structure or Linda Hamilton was going to stop me.
Success.
Shockingly, there’s absolutely no line. I guess robotic cupcakes aren’t the draw they used to be.
Just in case we thought the glaring eyes in the storefront window belonged to the specter of carbohydrates and fat, the sign on the door reminds us that this is, in fact, merely a tie-in for The Terminator.
I swiftly nab one of the free “Red Eye Red Velvet” cupcakes, careful not to accidentally salivate on the other customers. When I leave, I find a friendly girl handing out flyers.
It appears to be the standard-issue publicity handout, but then a closer look reveals Fox’s tenuous Sprinkles link.
Seriously.
Other taglines Fox considered: “Hasta La Vista, CUPCAKE,” “I’ll be back, FOR FREE CUPCAKES,” and, of course, “It’s not a TUMOR!”
Anyway, on to the bounty.
Let’s see how Sprinkles turns this bloodthirsty, menacing robot into a cupcake.
Awww…
Robot cupcake, I could just EAT YOU UP!
As you can imagine, the cupcake was delicious. The perfect way to start the day. I couldn’t help wondering though how the movies would have been different had Sprinkles been in charge…
For those of you interested in picking up your own free Sprinkles cupcake, they’re only available at the Beverly Hills location: 9635 S. Santa Monica Blvd. (a.k.a. Little Santa Monica). Store’s open until 7 PM!