INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
Doughnuts created in honor of Taylor Swift, Bugs Bunny and the Minions are vying for top honors this week in Bashas’ 9th Annual Donut Flavor Craze Contest.
Pop culture is the theme of the 2024 competition in recognition of National Donut Day on June 7.
Five young people and five adults are one step closer to seeing their doughnut featured in Bashas’ bakery cases in June. In addition, the winners in each category will be named Bashas’ 2024 Donut Ambassadors and receive $500 in prizes, including a Bashas’ gift card, baking/cooking gadgets and a dozen doughnuts every month for a year, according to a Bashas’ release.
“From Taylor Swift, Prince and Jimmy Buffett to Star Wars, Pac-Man, Purple Rain and more, the creative doughnut flavors that Arizonans submitted represented pop culture from today and years past,” Ashley Shick, Bashas’ director of communications and public affairs, said.
“There are iconic representations of games, characters and music that have stood the test of pop culture time. After nine years of this contest, we are still blown away by the creativity and vision of Arizonans young and old.”
Judges weighed creativity, flavor combination and individuality to choose 10 finalists from two categories (youth ages 8-17 and adults 18 and older) based on a 100-word description of their best doughnut flavor idea, including the proposed name, description and key ingredients.
Youth division finalists:
Pot of Honey Donut: Inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh, the doughnut has crumbled Nilla wafers and a drizzle of honey on top, with two Nilla cookies placed on the top of the doughnut for ears. (Elizabeth B., age 17, Gilbert)
Chew-Donut: A Star-Wars-inspired Chewbacca doughnut with coconut flakes as his fur and a stripe of chocolate for his belt. (Florence W., age 10, Thatcher)
Bluey-Blueberry Donut: Inspired by the animated children’s TV series, this blueberry treat has white icing and ears sticking out. (Matilda W. age 8, Thatcher)
The Inheritance Games Donut: Based off the series, this doughnut has peppermint/mint-flavored cream and cookie crumbles on top of chocolate frosting. (Isabella L., age 16, Buckeye)
Pac-Man Donut: A strawberry-cream-filled doughnut with yellow frosting and Oreo cookie on top. (Owen R., age 17, Phoenix)
Bashas’ also named the following five adults as Donut Flavor Craze finalists for their submissions:
The Swiftie Donut: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s popular song, “Karma,” it is filled with strawberry glitter buttercream, dipped in hot pink icing and topped with a turquoise drizzle. (Danny H., Mesa)
The Jimmy Buffett Donut: This powdered-sugar treat is filled with coconut crème and chopped pineapple. (Mark K., Peoria)
Purple Rain Donut: This June marks the 40-year anniversary of Prince’s 1984 pop/rock album “Purple Rain,” and it is reflected in this blueberry-filled doughnut topped with purple icing and white sprinkles. (Heather H., Phoenix)
What’s Up Doc Donut: In honor of Bugs Bunny, this is a carrot-cake doughnut with light cream cheese frosting. (Brian V., Mesa)
Despicable Donut: Inspired by the Minions, this doughnut has banana-cream filling and a yellow, banana-flavored frosting. Black goggles and a smile on top complete the look. (Keyana H., Mesa)
We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
