Kraft Dinner’s new special edition noodles will be shaped like Minions, thanks to some help from Everett Botwright of Nanaimo.
Botwright, 7, who has autism, caught attention from the media, supporters, Kraft Heinz of Canada and even actor William Shatner in February when his father, Reed, put out a call for supplies of special edition Star Wars Kraft Dinner.
Everett is a picky eater due to his condition and finding something the boy enjoys was a boon to his parents who struggle to broaden Everett’s diet.
Reed Botwright’s online shout-out for Star Wars KD brought in several hundred boxes from Canadian Superstore, Kraft Heinz, which scoured its U.S. warehouses for the product, and a man in Winnipeg, Man., who contributed 100 boxes of Star Wars KD he found in a grocery store there.
Executives at Kraft Heinz also decided to let Everett choose the shape of the company’s next special edition noodle. Tuesday it was revealed in a video on KD’s Facebook page that Everett has made a meal out of Minions.
“I actually took the video on his birthday earlier in March and kind of left it in their hands because I didn’t want to jump the gun or spill the beans before they had coordinated things or secured licensing assets or whatever they do on their corporate side of things,” Botwright said.
In the video, he presents the noodle options to Everett, shot in their home March 7, where Everett makes his preference for Minions perfectly clear.
“I delivered the video to Kraft and they wanted him to have a part in this and now they’ve officially announced it,” Botwright said, adding Everett is a big fan of Minions and tries to mimic their character voices.
“Since the first Despicable Me movie, when he first watched it, he loved the Minions,” Botwright said.
Av Maharaj, Kraft Heinz vice president of corporate and legal affairs, said it will be closer to late 2017 or early 2018 before the new noodles are available on store shelves.
“We’re still figuring out our production schedule,” Maharaj said.
Kraft Heinz Canada has also donated $10,000 to Autism Canada to help children with autism and their families.
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