WTF? Pop-Tart Bowl Concludes With On-Air Sacrifice Of Lovable (And Delicious) Mascot, 'Strawberry'

One of the fun things about college bowl season is the weird names that so many of the bowls have, due to their sponsors. There is the Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl in 2023, the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in the late 2010s, and -- one of our all-time favorites -- the Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl back in the late 90s. Weird bowl names pre-date sponsors though. Back in the 1940s and 50s, we had the Salad Bowl (clever), the Glass Bowl, the Raisin Bowl, and the Refrigerator Bowl. All things considered, having the Pop-Tart Bowl in 2023 seems pretty tame by comparison. But that's before we got a hold of the mascot ... and what they did to that mascot at the end of the game. It all started out pretty harmless. The game, featuring Kansas State vs. N.C. State (if anyone cares about that), was accompanied by a fun mascot dressed up as ... well, as a Pop-Tart obviously. Like most mascots, its job was to dance around and keep people entertained during the game and in between plays.

It soon became clear that this mascot was determined to party and entertain like it was its last day on earth (cue the chilling foreshadowing). It began with the mascot -- aptly named 'Strawberry' -- emerging to fireworks and huge fanfare from a giant toaster at the beginning of the game. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Strawberry wasn't about to let a toaster keep it down. Strawberry proceeded to dance around with the Kansas State and N.C. State mascots … and, frankly, completely outshine them with its fantastic spin moves. Strawberry was so good, it even had the police and the referees cracking up throughout the game. Strawberry went beyond dancing though and soon took it upon itself to help out by catching missed field goals with a giant fishing net. https://twitter.com/i/status/1740539082563006937 -- Long live PopTart. -- Yeah, this was our sign: it was not going to end well for Strawberry.

Finally, the game was over. Kansas State beat N.C. State 28-19 and it was time for Strawberry to lead the celebration. Fun times, right? More like a Lovecraftian nightmare about to unfold before our very eyes. Welcome to Pop-Tart Sacrifice 2023. WHAT THE HELL DID WE JUST SEE? It got even worse, as images began to emerge of post-sacrifice Strawberry (warning: graphic content ahead). https://twitter.com/nocontextcfb/status/1740558280517452087 -- No… No… NOOOO! Look how they massacred my boy https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GCfBYM3WoAARQqt?format=jpg&name=900x900 -- The savagery, the brutality, the pure, unbridled bloodlust (or strawberry jamlust, as the case may be). It was all just too much for this writer to take. Even the players at Florida State, who weren't even playing in the Pop-Tart Bowl, had to look away in horror.

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https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2023/12/29/pop-tart-bowl-mascot-n2391225