So here's something mighty bizarre with which to start your Wednesday morning: A KFC chicken bucket that doubles as a printer exists. For real. I am not making this up. Because obviously the thing that you didn't know your life was missing was the ability to take and immediately print out photos of you and all your friends enjoying a giant bucket of KFC together. Or… something.
According to Foodbeast, the “Memories Bucket” (that's what it's called) was just announced as part of KFC Canada's 60th anniversary celebration. No one really knows how it works, when it will be released, or how much it will cost yet; my money is on Bluetooth technology for the "how will it work?" question, though, and according to KFC Canada's Facebook page, they'll be giving a few away shortly. Whatever the case, the lovely Canadians in the video demonstrating how it works seem to be enjoying themselves quite a bit — and even though I'll admit that I had no idea anyone still actually printed out their photos (aside from the lady from that Esurance commercial), but, well… stranger things have happened, I guess.
For the curious, here's what the Memories Bucket looks like in action:
So… yeah. Do with that what you will.
I will admit that I find it interesting that these wacky inventions almost exclusively debut at international KFC locations, rather than ones in the United States. True, Canada is relatively close by (hi, neighbor!) — but think about it: Of all the weird things we've seen come out of KFC recently, how many of them have actually set foot on American soil? Not many of them, that's for sure. Here's a small selection of the chicken-themed oddities that have been introduced to the world over the past year or so:
1. KFC Tray Typer
Released in Germany earlier in 2015, the Tray Typer is literally a paper KFC tray that doubles as a grease-proof, Bluetooth-enabled keyboard for your phone. Apparently they were a riproaring success, too, with every single person who received one opting to take them home with them.
2. Edible Coffee Cups
Given that my goal for this list was to focus mostly on functional items, rather than food offerings, I wasn't entirely sure whether or not to include this one. However, my love of coffee won out — and hey, they still fit the basic criteria, right? Consider the fact that they're edible a bonus. Anyway, these delicious coffee receptacles took KFC locations in the UK by storm back in February; made of a crunchy cookie and lined with white chocolate, they let you have your coffee and eat it, too — literally. I will freely admit that, out of all the inventions on this list, this is the one that I want to come to the U.S. Badly.
3. Fried Chicken Keyboard
And now, coming to us live from Japan, we have… the KFC Fried Chicken Keyboard! What makes it different from Germany's Tray Typer? It's an actual keyboard, not a paper one. Its keys are adorned not with letters or with Japanese characters, but with tiny, plastic pieces of fried chicken. Not going to lie: It kind of weirds me out. Apparently it was a prize for a contest KFC Japan ran back in the fall of 2014 as part of its celebration of Colonel Sanders' birthday.
4. Fried Chicken iPhone Case
This one was part of the same promotion as the Fried Chicken Keyboard. Practical? No. Stylish? Not really. Ridiculous? Yes. So much yes.
5. Chicken Corsage
Is it notable that the one crazy chicken invention I found that was actually available in the U.S. is the fried chicken corsage? Maybe. There were only 100 of them available, but if you acted fast, $20 nabbed you a corsage kit from a florist in Louisville, which came complete with a $5 KFC gift card to enable you to pick out your drumstick yourself. Nothing wows your prom date like the aroma of freshly fried chicken.
Images: kfc_canada/Instagram; KFC UK; KFC Japan (2)
