Baskin-Robbins' New Menu Is Inspired By A John Krasinski Movie
The 2024 film "IF" tells the story of a girl who can see imaginary friends forgotten by the adults who dreamt them up. Written and directed by John Krasinski, the kid-friendly movie hits theaters on May 17. In anticipation of its release, Paramount Pictures teamed up with Baskin-Robbins to fashion a dreamy "IF"-inspired menu.
Baskin-Robbins is rolling out the limited-edition menu — featuring two new ice cream flavors — nationwide on May 1, according to an email sent to Mashed. Blue's Boardwalk Bash pays homage to Blue, the monstrous, fuzzy character voiced by Steve Carell. (Blue could be a close cousin of McDonald's Grimace in terms of looks.) With blue raspberry-flavored ice cream, bits of Oreo cookie, and cotton candy swirls, the ice cream retailer calls the treat "a carnival in a cup."
Also on offer is Blossom's Berry Twirl, a mixture of strawberry and sweet cream ice creams packed with rainbow sprinkles and pink sugar cookie dough flowers. It's designed to embody Blossom, a half-bug, half-ballerina character voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The flavor is also featured in the What IF? Sundae, which puts two scoops of the ice cream atop a slice of confetti cake. The ensemble is then covered with strawberry topping and rainbow sprinkles, plus whipped cream and a cherry. Alternatively, any scoop can get the "IF" treatment with a character-inspired cup and a Blue- or Blossom-shaped white chocolate ice cream topper.
The brand is helping bring imagination to life
Anything involving ice cream, Steve Carell, and John Krasinski will likely give "The Office" fans flashbacks to the memorable episode in which Jim Halpert (Krasinski) catches Michael Scott (Carell) eating ice cream at work, only to discover that it's actually mayonnaise and black olives. Fortunately, we ranked 25 Baskin-Robbins flavors from worst to best, and not a single one had olives in it. Ice cream enthusiasts also seem confident that the new movie-inspired flavors are going to be a hit. "I'll be taking a double scoop of both please," one commenter wrote on Baskin-Robbins' Instagram post announcing the new flavors.
Since your own imaginary friend should feel seen, too, Baskin-Robbins and Paramount also developed the Imagination Station, an AI generator that turns a sketch of your imaginary buddy into a movie-ready animation. After your design session, you'll also receive a coupon to buy one scoop of ice cream and get a second at half price. Additionally, a May 18 pop-up experience at California's Santa Monica Pier will allow attendees to try the new flavors and experience the immersive Coney Island-inspired Treat Your Imagination 4D Photo Booth. One lucky pop-up goer could win free ice cream for a year.
While filming ice cream for a movie is kind of a nightmare due to its meltiness, eating movie-inspired ice cream actually sounds pretty cool. The limited-edition "IF" menu can only be ordered in-store or through the Baskin-Robbins app while supplies last.