Universal Orlando has the edge in big, fake, food fight
Without ceremony, a giant cupcake has been plopped onto a building at Universal Studios. The little yellow character peering from the top, we probably agree, is a good sign that it’s tied to Universal Orlando’s future plans that include a Minion Cafe in a Minion Land. The theme park is opening an attraction named Villain-Con Minion Blast this summer. (Soon after the cupcake popped up, more decor was added to the area.)
The mega pastry is eye-catching and got me wondering why Orlando parks don’t have more way-oversized foods that direct us toward goodies. How can this town not have an enormous turkey leg tribute statue or a jumbo churro that runs the length of a building?
I took a mental tour of Universal, Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Orlando, looking for big-time edibles, and came to this conclusion: Universal takes the cake. (I might have said “understood the assignment,” but most of the examples predate that current catchphrase.)
At Islands of Adventure, an extra-large sandwich towers over Blondie’s, a restaurant in Toon Lagoon. The structure features layers of cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, hot dog, pasta and what appears to be lobster on a triple-triple-triple-decker sandwich. It’s an homage to Dagwood Bumstead, the bumbling husband in the “Blondie” comic strip, which originated in 1930. Dag was known for making Jenga-esque snacks and complex sammies.
The stack is kind of a big deal for such a little store, and somehow it is overshadowed
by the sideways Marmaduke photo op and the cartoonish bomb nearby.
Toon Lagoon also gets into ice cream big time with a rooftop sundae tied to the “Cathy” comic strip character. Cathy’s Ice Cream shop is topped by several scoops and a spoon-wielding, swimsuit-wearing Cathy. The strip was drawn by Cathy Guisewite from 1976 to 2010.
Next door at Universal Studios theme park, Lard Lad stands tall, lifting a big doughnut into the air and casting a shadow on an actual store that sells doughnuts in the Springfield area. The mascot has a history with “The Simpsons” animated TV show, where he also hawks doughnuts, and in the nearby Simpsons ride.
Smaller but significant is an ice-cream cone on the second-level corner of Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, which dwarfs a precariously placed table and chairs in Wizarding World of Harry
Potter – Diagon Alley. That would make a cool yet cumbersome photo opportunity.
Further food follies
We’ll give a runner-up shout-out to Disney Springs, specifically the
West Side neighborhood. There one can see another big doughnut, perched on the roof ’s edge of Everglazed, a funky ice cream cone along the Salt & Straw shop and a big red 3D M&M that looms over the door of the M&M’s Store.