6 Times the Worlds of 'The Simpsons' and C-Stores Collided
By Greg Lindenberg on Aug. 17, 2018MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- A real Kwik-E-Mart convenience store straight out of "The Simpsons" TV show is set to open in Myrtle Beach, S.C., as part of a new attraction, The Simpsons in 4D, at the Broadway at the Beach shopping and entertainment complex.
This all-new experience will feature the show’s Kwik-E-Mart and Aztec Theater.
But this is not the first time the worlds of "The Simpsons" and c-stores have collided. …
1. Kwik-E-Mart 4D
The Simpsons in 4D Kwik-E-Mart in Myrtle Beach opened on Aug. 17. It is an “immersive, fully themed, iconic convenience store” that will sell show-inspired products, including Buzz Cola, Heat-Lamp Hot Dogs and Lard Lad Donuts as well as a selection of Squishee frozen beverage flavors and unique "Simpsons" merchandise. The store will also offer a variety of other actual food and beverage options.
The Aztec Theater is set to open later this year. This ticketed attraction includes a fully themed lobby and theater experience. Visitors will “will rub elbows" with Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson and other residents of the fictional Springfield town, said SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment, Toronto.
After visiting the theater, ticketholders will be able to explore the Kwik-E-Mart and make purchases.
SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment created The Simpsons in 4D in partnership with FoxNext Destinations and Gracie Films. "The Simpsons" is the longest-running prime-time scripted TV series and one of the most recognized brands in the world. It is entering its 30th season with more than 600 episodes.
2. 'The problem With Apu'
"The Simpsons" introduced the character of Indian convenience-store owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in 1990, voiced by actor Hank Azaria using a stereotypical Indian accent. Many consider the character and the portrayal of the c-store industry to be offensive.
The ongoing controversy came to a head in 2017 with the release of comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary "The Problem With Apu." The film explores Indian immigrants’ reactions to and experiences surrounding the character.
"The Simpsons," frequently politically incorrect, dealt with the controversy, with mixed results, by working it into an episode that dismissed the criticism with the show's traditional catchphrase “Don’t have a cow!” The episode also said, "Some things will be dealt with at a later date. ... If at all.”
3. Life imitates Bart
In July 2007, 7-Eleven Inc. transformed 12 convenience stores into Kwik-E-Marts to tie into the promotion of Twentieth Century Fox's "The Simpsons Movie." The Kwik-E-Mart stores were in Manhattan; Bladensburg, Md.; Orlando, Fla.; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Henderson, Nev.; Los Angeles; Burbank, Calif.; Mountain View, Calif.; Seattle; and Vancouver, B.C.
The company redressed the 7-Eleven c-stores as Kwik-E-Marts. These stores, as well as other U.S. and Canadian 7-Elevens, carried "Simpsons" products such as KrustyO's cereal, Buzz Cola, Squishee frozen drinks and Sprinklicious doughnuts. A special edition of a Radioactive Man comic book also was produced for 7-Eleven. And life-size characters from the show appeared in the stores.
Following the promotion, 7-Eleven donated all of the sets it used to transform the real c-stores into Kwik-E-Marts to Children's Miracle Network-affiliated hospitals for them to raise funds and entertain patients.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
4. Lego my Kwik-E-Mart
In 2015, The Lego Group, Billund, Denmark, introduced a Lego version of the Kwik-E-Mart. "Welcome to the Kwik-E-Mart—your one-stop shop for convenience foods at inconvenient prices,” the company said, perpetuating more convenience-store stereotypes.
"This highly detailed and iconic Lego version of The Simpsons store is packed with more rich, colorful details than a Mr. Burns birthday cake has candles,” it said. “Walk under the huge Kwik-E-Mart sign and join Homer, Marge and Bart as they browse the aisles filled with beauty products, diapers, dog food, pastries, fruits, vegetables and more—including KrustyO's and Chef Lonelyheart's Soup for One. Then head over to the refrigerated cases where you'll find Buzz Cola, chocolate milk, various other drinks and snacks … and frozen Jasper! There's also a Buzz Cola soda fountain, juice dispensers, coffee machine, arcade games, ATM and stacks of Powersauce boxes. At the counter, Apu is ready to tempt you with a variety of printed magazines, comic books, cards, tofu hot dogs, freshly expired doughnuts and his ever-popular hallucination-inducing Squishees."
The company priced the kit, since discontinued, at $199.99 in the United States.
5. Kwik-E-Mart keeps on truckin’
Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products declared 2015 "The Year of the Kwik-E-Mart" and hosted a series of activations "true to the playful spirit of the longest-running scripted show in television."
It transformed a food truck into a Kwik-E-Mart on wheels to engage Simpsons fans around the country. The first stop on the Kwik-E-Mart Truck Tour was at the 2015 South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and festival in Austin, Texas.
The Kwik-E-Mart Truck did not actually offer food, although it offered free Squishee frozen drinks in two exclusive flavors—Not So Very Cherry and Give 'Em The Razz. It also offered "Simpsons World" experience demos, all of the show’s episodes and a Kwik-E-Photo Booth interactive social experience with the official hashtag #KwikETruck.
6. Who spells "quick" with a "Q"?
The entire run of "The Simpsons" is loaded with jabs at the convenience-store industry—too many to name. In 2016, for example, "The Simpsons" took aim at one of the convenience-store industry’s favorite tropes: the next-generation c-store.
In the episode, the local Kwik-E-Mart has burned to the ground, and second-generation co-owner Jamshed (Jay), nephew of Apu, has rebuilt it, bringing “Kwik-E-Mart into the 21st century."
One of the more palatable jokes from the episode: “Who spells ‘quick’ with a ‘Q’?”
The new store, dubbed “Quick & Fresh” was a thinly veiled swipe at the then recently bankrupt Fresh & Easy, a small-format chain launched in the United States by U.K.-based Tesco, which closed all of the locations in 2015 after the concept did not gain traction in America.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.