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Why Do Pop Tarts Come In Twos?
Jul 7, 2025
Today on Weird History Food, we delve deep into the tart world of Pop Tarts! Whether they are the first thing you scarf down in the AM, or the last thing you eat late a night, these warm toasty wonders have been a staple favorite for decades! Exactly who made them?
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0:00
Today, we're unwrapping the reason why Pop-Tarts come in twos
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In September of 1964, Kellogg's tried Pop-Tarts out in test markets around the Cleveland area
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They sent them out with a stern admonition to store managers, stating that in no way should Pop-Tarts be sold as a substitute for cereal
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While Kellogg's hoped their new brainchild would find success, they wanted it to be thought of as a separate product and avoid stepping on Tony the Tiger's toes
0:28
Kellogg's could not hold back the coming breakfast time revolution, though. And these initial Pop-Tarts flew off their Cleveland store shelves
0:35
faster than that strawberry filling burns the roof of your mouth. Kellogg's knew right away that they had a head on their hands
0:41
These original Pop-Tarts had a diagonal perforation that cut straight from corner to corner
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indicating that they were meant to be cut in half. Yes, sure, buddy. Whatever you say
0:51
They also, from the start, came in pairs. Apparently, the reason for this was twofold
0:56
By packing Pop-Tarts in pairs, Kellogg's could not only cut back on packaging costs, but they could also tempt customers into eating two Pop-Tarts in one sitting, at once increasing consumption and bringing in more dough
1:08
Over the years, Pop-Tarts have come out with a seemingly endless supply of new and innovative flavors
1:14
The original strawberry, brown sugar, cinnamon, and blueberry flavors are still among Pop-Tarts' biggest sellers
1:20
But other mainstays have come to include cherry raspberry wild berry cookies and cream s and chocolate fudge Back in 1993 a Washington Post expose revealed that should a toaster fail to eject a strawberry Pop
1:36
the overheated pastry will eventually catch fire, shooting three-foot flames into the surrounding kitchen
1:41
To some, this was a serious issue. According to investigator Don Dunphy
1:45
with the Dover, Ohio Fire Department, it took only 5 minutes and 55 seconds for combustion
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and when compared to trials using off-brand tarts, Nothing came close to the flames created by name brand Pop-Tarts
1:58
Naturally, lawsuits quickly followed. And as a result, Pop-Tarts boxes still today carry a warning concerning the product's risk of catching fire
2:06
Pop-Tarts then blasted their way into the 21st century with the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
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At the war's start, the U.S. military airdropped 2.4 million Pop-Tarts into the country as a gesture of humanitarian aid
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Many at the time argued that these airdrops were ineffective, especially since their packaging was the same yellow color as the U.S. military's feared anti-personnel cluster bomblets
2:27
And these airdrops eventually gave way to land deliveries as the Taliban was pushed into hiding
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Shortly thereafter, in 2002, Kellogg's issued a public statement telling consumers that eggs were a previously undeclared ingredient within their frosted brown sugar cinnamon pop-tarts
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And just four years later, they had to issue a similar announcement when it was revealed that frosted blueberry Pop-Tarts contained milk as an undeclared ingredient
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Eggs and milk can cause severe and potentially life-threatening reactions in people who are allergic
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The early ups were a weird couple of years for Pop-Tarts
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