After Getting to Eat an Edible Mascot Last Year, 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl Winners Will Get a Trophy with a Functioning Toaster

Dreams really do come true at the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

The Pop-Tarts Bowl and GE Appliances announced on Monday, Dec. 16 that the trophy for the 2024 bowl game will feature a full-operational toaster. The popular college football matchup is known for its innovative elements — like last year's edible mascot that was, in fact, eaten by the champions at the end of the 2023 game.

“Our fans have made it clear: The Pop-Tarts Bowl isn’t just another game, it’s an experience,” Pop-Tarts Bowl CEO Steve Hogan said in statement shared by GE. “We listened, and with the help of GE Appliances, we’re delivering a trophy that doesn’t just sit on a trophy stand. We’re excited to share this fusion of fun and functionality with college football fans everywhere.”

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The trophy was revealed on Dec. 15 in Orlando, Fla., where guests of honor from Pop-Tarts and GE Appliances "christen[ed] the trophy" by toasting pastries in it and then eating them.

Following the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl, when the Kansas State Wildcats defeated the North Carolina State Wolfpack, the winning team was rewarded by getting to feast on giant Pop-Tarts mascot, affectionately named Strawberry.

Before the pastry was lowered into a giant toaster on the field, Strawberry held a sign that read, "Dreams really do come true."

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The elaborate performance — that ended in a gigantic edible Pop-Tart coming out of the toaster for the Wildcats to eat — took the internet by storm. Hundreds of memes and tributes appeared across multiple social media platforms to honor the Pop-Tart who died doing what it loved.

“Live every day like the pop-tart lived its last one,” The Athletic senior writer Nicole Auerbach posted on X (formerly Twitter) at the time.

Related: https://x.com/PopTartsBowl/status/1740585682639425814

After the game, the Pop-Tarts Bowl posted a photo on social media of what appeared to be the aftermath of Strawberry's demise. The pastry only had one eye left and was otherwise unrecognizable.

"Leave no crumbs," the post read.

The 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl will air live from the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday, Dec. 28 starting at 3:30 p.m. ET only on ABC. After the game, the toaster trophy will go to the winning team's campus.

Read the original article on People