Canadian grocer No Frills goes bananas with fruitful video game controller
A Canadian discount grocery chain has lent a new lease of life to the humble Macintosh computer after retrofitting Apple’s historic device to accept inputs from three wired bananas.
No Frills has launched its own video game with bananas as the controller
No Frills commissioned the unconventional controller as a play on the brand’s use of the staple fruit on its branding, and is the perfect way to interact with the chain’s grocery shopping video game No Frills Aisles of Glory: Legends of the Haul.
In transplanting the exotic crop from the fruit aisle to the electronics section, No Frills called on the services of agency John St, which partnered with WonderMakr to utilize capacitive touch technology to transform regular fruit into a limited-edition Frill Blaster Pro.
Jess Willis, creative director at John St, said: “We’ve made some legendary changes to the game itself, so we needed a legendary way to play it. And as a brand that lives in the cultural zeitgeist, why not launch this year’s Aisles of Glory expansion in a way that stays true to gaming with a controller all our own?”
Randi Casey, director of marketing, Loblaw Companies Limited, added: “From Haulin’ State of Mind, the #1 discount album, co-created with some of Canada’s best artists, to Haulerverse, which saw us pay homage to the world of anime, being authentic to the spaces we’re playing in is important. It’s what gives us that Hauler swagger.”
The Frill Blaster Pro has been released to invited gaming influencers on Twitch and TikTok, with gamers encouraged to play along until September 16, with the promise of points, additional levels and character modes for the highest scorers. They each recieved a set of three bananas branded with custom 8-bit-style packaging, as well as stickers to label each of the ‘buttons’ and instructions on how to wire the bananas.
As a bonus, the controllers can be consumed after play and are biodegradable.
@ansonwng #ad If you think you can get a higher score than me then check it out at aislesofglory.nofrills.ca
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