Was it only last week that Mr. Tidbit muttered about not seeing the usual rate of new kinds of Oreos recently? (It was.) Indeed, this week there's only one -- Berry Burst Ice Cream flavor Oreos: There's no ice cream involved, and Mr. Tidbit is pretty sure there was something very much like this (Strawberry Milkshake Oreos?) (Very Berry Sundae Oreos?) (Mixed Berry Medley Oreos?) a year or two ago.
Surprisingly to Mr. Tidbit, this week's non-Oreo entries from Nabisco arrived under the Snackwell's label, which until now was used for artificially sweetened and low-fat cookies. The new Snackwell's entries don't belong in either of those categories. There are two kinds of popcorn clusters -- fudge drizzled and white fudge drizzled -- in boxes of five 130-calorie packs; and two flavors of Brownie Bites, chocolatey brownie-cookies shaped like tiny fig Newtons -- filled with "rich vanilla creme" or "fudge creme" -- in boxes of five 150-calorie packs.
Mr. Tidbit was so shocked that the Snackwell's Brownie Bites aren't called Oreo Brownie Bites that he did a little digging. He learned that the Snackwell's brand is being reshaped, and promoted to appeal to "women who want to live their lives to the fullest and enjoy perfectly portioned, indulgent snacks." (Mr. Tidbit eagerly awaits the Nabisco products for men who want to live their lives to the fullest and enjoy perfectly portioned, indulgent snacks, as well as those for men and women like himself who want to live their lives, oh, about three-quarters full, but enjoy snacks that are disproportionately gooey.)
The new Snackwell's brand will also include several transfers from Nabisco's 100-Calorie Packs line.
Blueberry happiness Mr. Tidbit loves blueberries, and he has noted, sadly, the disappearance of the blueberry version of Hostess Fruit Pies. So he was perhaps disproportionately happy to see Little Debbie's new Blueberry Creme Rolls, in boxes of six. (Each has 240 calories and 8 grams of fat -- 3 of them saturated fat -- so Mr. Tidbit is holding himself down to one at a time.)
AL SICHERMAN
