Pop-Tarts Bowl Trophy Explained: Working toaster as part of the bowl game trophy

Every December, dozens of college football teams travel to a neutral site to play in the postseason and for a chance to win a bowl game trophy.

But winning the Pop-Tarts Bowl doesn’t come with any bowl game trophy.

It’s something No. 19 Iowa State will experience on Saturday when Matt Campbell and the No. 16 Cyclones defeat Miami in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl at 2:30 p.m. CT at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Required reading: Iowa State vs. Miami Pop-Tarts Bowl Game Predictions: Cyclones vs. Hurricanes matchup

Here’s what you need to know about the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy when Iowa State takes on Miami on Saturday:

Is the Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy a functional toaster?

Yes. The 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy is a fully functional toaster – a step up from last year’s trophy, which featured a decorative, non-functional toaster on top.

This will not be the trophy that the winning team of the Pop-Tarts Bowl receives. The winning team’s most valuable player gets to choose one of three flavors for the edible mascot that their team will devour in the aftermath.

2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl Trophy Statement

The Pop-Tarts Bowl announced on December 15 that it had collaborated with GE Appliances to create a unique bowl game trophy that features a working and working toaster built into the silver football.

It’s the right way to eat a Pop-Tart, after all.

“Our fans have made it clear: The Pop-Tarts Bowl is not just another game, it is an experience,” Pop-Tarts Bowl CEO Steve Hogan said in a statement. “We listened and with the help of GE Appliances we are delivering a trophy that doesn’t just sit on a trophy stand. We’re excited to share this combination of fun and functionality with college football fans around the world.”

As NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach noted, the food company and GE Appliances came up with the idea of ​​turning the Pop Tarts Bowl trophy into a working toaster in November. GE turned to FirstBuild, a co-creation and microfactory in Louisville, Kentucky, to bring the idea to life.

“The first response was, ‘Okay, come on,'” Rick Suel, director of product engineering at FirstBuild, told Auerbach and NBC Sports. “This is a real thing? Are you serious?” Then it says: “What does it have to look like? How big should it be? Should it be a normal toaster or should it be a movie magic?”

“We came up with a few designs that we thought were possible. The big goal was a really functional toaster.”

To make the Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy function as a toaster, a 10-foot power cord is attached to the bottom of the trophy base. According to Auerbach, FirstBuild created two Pop-Tarts Bowl trophies – one for the winning team and one for the show – each taking nearly 80 hours to make (60 hours to build and 16 hours to polish).

It takes about 90 seconds for the two Pop-Tarts to toast before they pop.

“At GE Appliances we believe there is always a better way. When Pop-Tarts asked us to put a working toaster inside a football trophy, we were determined to find out,” Todd Getz, brand executive director of GE Appliances, said in a statement. “We have long been part of meals in American homes with our devices, but this was an unusual task. Our engineers mocked up multiple designs, followed by 3D printed models, to create this hand-polished marvel, complete with a cable to plug it in – making toasted pastries possible even on the football field.”

How heavy is the Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy?

In short: difficult.

Auerbach mentions that the toaster portion of the Pop Tarts Bowl trophy itself weighs 27 pounds. The base weighs 50 pounds. Overall, the Pop Tarts Bowl trophy weighs approximately 80 pounds.

Pop Tarts Bowl start time

The Cyclones and Hurricanes will face off in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday, December 28th at 2:30 p.m. CT at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

This story has been updated to add video.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Pop-Tarts Bowl Trophy: Working toaster makes headlines about bowl game trophies