Sometimes other occupants of the bakery case fashion themselves after cupcakes.
Social-media sensation Crumbl Cookies created a chocolate cupcake cookie, described as “soft and craveable—a mouthwatering vanilla cookie topped with a luscious bloom of fudge frosting and a pinch of chocolate sprinkles.”
Classic yellow cake was a weekly special at The Doughnut Project.
It bears uncanny resemblance to a Magnolia Bakery cupcake.
Sometimes other products assume the identity of a cupcake.
Take the Pizza Cupcake, a packaged snack that earned a Shark Tank investment. The savory, muffin-sized product is now available nationally in Walmart, bringing its cupcake-identified brand to the masses.
Another business to capitalize on the symbolism of cupcakes is Johnny Cupcakes, a Boston-based t-shirt designer that celebrated the grand opening of its newer and bigger flagship store in mid-September. The company achieved fame and fortune off the appeal of its “cupcake and crossbones” logo.
On the cupcake.com domain, what’s marketed isn’t baked goods but a new app that supports digital experiences at live events. By aiming at cupcake images and scanning “sprinkles,” people can acquire NFTs and conduct other transactions related to cryptocurrency, proof of event attendance, and consumer loyalty. The app introduced itself to attendees of the Tommy Hilfiger factory show at 2022 New York Fashion Week, where guests could claim a free NFT with one click, even if they had no prior experience with the technology. The icon that enables this multiversal activity is a cupcake.
These brands are finding it profitable to evoke the language and imagery of cupcakes. It pays to be cupcakey by association.
Andrea Adleman | Cupcakologist 