Welcome to my World

"Where will you be tomorrow between 11 and 2," asked a friend out of the blue yesterday. "Will you be at your store?" (In my copious spare time, I own a little gift shop in Old Towne Orange.) As it happens, I actually was planning to work at the shop Wednesday. "Did you want to meet for lunch lunch?" "Something like that," was the reply. "It's a surprise. You'll see."

Whatever I was expecting, it was NOT to have the Knott's Berry Farm food truck show up outside my shop, there to deliver a piping-hot invitation to the 2016 Knott’s Boysenberry Festival. Behold, the Fun Bun, a Dr. Frankenstein cross between a cinnamon roll and a funnel cake. The Fun Bun is the signature item of Knott's annual food festival (and also the #1 trending hashtag on Twitter for some period Tuesday afternoon, due to a cute social media campaign that inserted the sweet confection in a variety of pop culture universes.)

The Fun Bun campaign is bold, and the marketing effort is calculated. From where I sit, Knott's is clearly targeting the Disney fan who may be looking for a different place to spend their entertainment budget. Going after the Disney-focused social media sites to help in the PR efforts is smart.

So OK Knott's, I'll bite. (Maybe just two bites - the Fun Bun is actually quite good, but way too much for one person). The Boysenberry Festival looks interesting. Is it enough to change my opinion of Knott's as a theme park? Probably not, but it has been over a decade since I was there as a visitor, so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

If you want to see photos from the special delivery, check out my Twitter feed, @MousePlanetAVP

Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is scheduled for March 19 - April 3, 2016 at Knott’s Berry Farm. Visitors can sample boysenberry-inspired foods and beverages (including the iconic Fun Bun), and watch special live performances by groups including Kirk Wall and the Hillbillies (formerly of Disneyland), who will perform each night throughout the festival. The event is free with park admission; food items have an additional cost.