X-Entertainment.com X-Entertainment.com A Proud UGO Affiliate
X-Entertainment loves Christmas and will not stop talking about it, ever.

Summer Megaparty: Micro Magic French Fries!

It's July! We still have a month of Megapartying to go! Let's start with potatoes.

As a kid, any excuse to use that wonderful thing called a "microwave" was a good one, but even without the thrill of cooking my own food like a superstar, I still would've adored "Micro Magic" fries.


There was a whole line of Micro Magic microwaveable foods available in the '80s, but the fries...there was nothing on the planet like those fries. They were kind of like the fries you'd get on the hot lunch line at school, assuming you took them home in a napkin, chilled them, and nuked them back to the appropriate level of hot, oily fun. After opening the boxes, you zapped 'em right inside the package, which served the dual purpose of making the fries taste something like cardboard and making the cardboard smell something like fries. They were crude, disgusting and absolutely delicious.

I went on a little Internet hunt that took me to the poorly translated webpages of Japan, where the Micro Magic line has evidently lived on for all of these years. I've never had much of an interest in world travel, but for these fries, I think I'd do it. From what I could gather, they're pretty common over there.

I really should credit the blog I found the picture above on, but I totally lost it. Had like fifteen tabs open in Firefox, all in Japanese, and I just got overwhelmed. Sorry, mystery blog. I owe you one.

What are some of the foods you wish you could eat one more time? Answer in the comments!

Posted by Matt on 07/01/2007. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 263 comments

those microwave bags of green popcorn. Hell, you’ve probably written about them, and they’ve probably already been mentioned 5 times in the comments, but i can’t remember their name so ignorance is bliss.

Chestnuts roasted by jdeuel @ 07/01/2007 11:06 AM


i ate micro magic french fries every single day after school for years.. God, i miss them…

Chestnuts roasted by Andrew @ 07/01/2007 11:09 AM


I’m told they still make these, but I haven’t seen them in a decade: they were like hollow koala cookies with chocolate inside. Fuckin’ delicious. Also, Dunkaroos, Squeez-Its, and PB Crisp, which were peanut butter-filled peanut shaped cookies made by Planters. Those didn’t last very long, but they were damn good. Had a great commercial, too.

Chestnuts roasted by RageTreb @ 07/01/2007 11:29 AM


RangeTreb: Wow, I’d completely forgotten about PB Crisp. Those things were so ridiculously delicious.

So, Matt, what psychotic impulse led you to introduce a topic that would make us all crave unavailable foodstuffs? I was happy this morning, damn you!

Chestnuts roasted by Jedoc @ 07/01/2007 11:33 AM


Bar None candybar by Hershey, Tootie Fruit fruit snack, Croonchy Stars cereal (the one with the Swedish Chef on the box), Magic Middles, Smurfs Cereal, McLean Deluxe (yes, i actually liked it), Sodalicious fruit snacks. and many more i cannot remember at the moment

Chestnuts roasted by phunqsauce @ 07/01/2007 11:34 AM


Good question! I would say Bonkers candy. I found a giant barrel of them in a Charleston, SC candy store. That was ten years ago and I’m sure they had been there 10 years before that.

Fruit Corners Fruit Bars: This was a supreme over kill of fruit snacks. It was like eating the bark from the funfruit tree.

Five Alive: It has to be from the concentrated frozen can.

Freakies Cereal: They have 2 minutes of immortality in the movie ‘The Burbs.

ROTJ cookies: I have found memories of these. I’m sure they were no different than any other vanilla cookies but Jabbas and Lukes taste better.

Domino Pizza gum: It came in a box like pizza!

Strawberry Jello Pudding pops

Chestnuts roasted by Bill @ 07/01/2007 11:46 AM


Greg NA country where there is no Dr. Pepper! Madness!!! You can get it in the states at any grocery/convenience/soda machine. Sounds like you need to take a trip, or order some off of the interweb! And I believe they still sell Corn Pops, maybe not. A popcorn flavored cereal… we have pops… Hmm, a quest is in order!

I want me some Dunkaroos and these teddy bear cookies, they were kind of like teddy grams except on one side there was frosting. I can’t remember if the frosting was only on one side or if two cookies were put together like an Oreo, all I can remember is that they were fuckin’ awesome!

Chestnuts roasted by Darth Poop @ 07/01/2007 12:13 PM


Ecto Cool Hi-C
Nintendo Double Boxed Mario & Legend of Zelda Cereal (even if they both tasted terrible)
Vanilla Pepsi

Everything else I eat or drink is still readily available… Especially those awesome microwavable/oven bakeable taquitos. Mmmmm…

Chestnuts roasted by Ben @ 07/01/2007 12:14 PM


so wait a minute, Matt- are micro magic fries still available over in japan? can you order them?!!? i’m sure it would cost an arm and a leg though…

Chestnuts roasted by Chris @ 07/01/2007 12:15 PM


Sorry to double post, but as soon as I hit post I remembered an old restaurant in town called the Potato Patch. Or Shack. There’s another completely different place that serves baked potatoes, but that isn’t this one. The one thing that made this place awesome (other than when I had my birthday party there a decade ago I got a PlayStation) was that there was a guy there that would throw dinner rolls at you. Think about it and realize how awesome it was. :D

Chestnuts roasted by Ben @ 07/01/2007 12:16 PM


Jello pudding pops, specifically the banana chocolate swirls.

Hostess Teenage Ninja Turtle green ooze pudding pie…delicious

Chestnuts roasted by Mad Adam @ 07/01/2007 12:19 PM


Magic Middles Magic Middles Magic Middles Magic Middles Magic Middles Magic Middles Magic Middles Magic Middles Magic Middles I know somebody already mentioned them, but not a week goes by that I don’t pine away for them. Every time I go ot Pick and Save, I check for them, despite knowing how futile it is. My kingdom for one Magic Middle or even three Mini Middles.

Chestnuts roasted by Cambot @ 07/01/2007 12:21 PM


I would love taste apple Slice again. Nothin says awesome like carbonated apple juice. C3P-O cereal and fruit snacks “fruit bars” are a close second

Chestnuts roasted by Q @ 07/01/2007 12:21 PM


And my wife misses orange Tidal Wave gum.

Chestnuts roasted by Cambot @ 07/01/2007 12:23 PM


Waffle-Os cereal

Chestnuts roasted by retina54 @ 07/01/2007 12:24 PM


yeah, i could definitely go for some magic middles right now………….

Chestnuts roasted by Andrew @ 07/01/2007 12:32 PM


I cannot believe that you brought those fries up. Unbelievable. I was ADDICTED to those as a kid and ever since have been on a quest to find the same tasting french fry. I succeeded. There is currently a line of microwavable fries made by Ore-Ida…they have “Extra Crispy Easy Fries.” These are pretty much the same greasy, best when overly salted microwaveable fries that we loved as a kid. Around 4 minutes in the microwave…awesome. Try them.

Chestnuts roasted by EtHM @ 07/01/2007 12:33 PM


:) someone mentioned Apple Slice! I can die a happy man now!

Chestnuts roasted by phunqsauce @ 07/01/2007 12:45 PM


In my quest to try and find that blog entry for Matt, I ran into the homepage of the Japanese manufacturer of Micro Magic:
http://www.otsukafoods.co.jp/product/micromagic/index.html
It’s all in Japanese, of course, but pretty easy to see. The first item is a black sesame seed-covered sweet potato fry. The next is our good old regular french fry. Next is Micro Magic edamame (boiled, salted soybean). After that are versions of the french fry and edamame that have containers you can eat out of, ostensibly to walk around and eat out of. However, in Japan, it’s rude to eat while walking, so I’m not sure why they make those. It looks like they have a pretty limited line up of these things over there. And, they’re gonna set you back between $1.25 and $1.50, roughly, kinda steep for a small box of fries…

Chestnuts roasted by terekkincaid @ 07/01/2007 12:54 PM


And here’s the Micro Magic regular website, complete with crazy flash games:
http://micromagic.jp/

Chestnuts roasted by terekkincaid @ 07/01/2007 12:57 PM


Oh My God, Micro Magic.

My sisters and I used to eat those after school all the time. I had completely forgotten about them.

I remember there was another type of microwavable french fry that was a step up from Micro Magic, because it was a lot saltier and thinner and thus tasted like McDonalds french fries.

Usually, though, Micro Magic was what we had in the freezer.

As far as foods I want to taste again, I could really go for some of the Chicken Strips they have at Disney World right now.

Chestnuts roasted by Nick @ 07/01/2007 1:03 PM


i say we start a petition to bring Micro Magic back.

i wrote Ore-Ida a letter awhile ago and they sent me a couple coupons for their new microwavable french fries.

eh, i kinda think they suck..

Chestnuts roasted by Andrew @ 07/01/2007 1:07 PM


I don’t know if I remember these specific fries, but I’ve had many different variations throughout my life. All pretty gross/delicious. :)

The one food I wish I could eat again: Carnation Breakfast Bars, hands down. If they started making them again, it could possibly be the achilles heel of my veganism… Probably a good thing they don’t make them. :D

Chestnuts roasted by Ryane @ 07/01/2007 1:14 PM


Wendy’s Daves Deluxe
Hardees fried chicken
McD’s McClub-I think I’m the only one on that had one on this planet.

It’s Pasta Anytime- Microwavable pasta that tastes like italian.

PB&J cookies

Starburst fruit twists- I usually hate licorice, but these were awesome.

Lays “The Works” potato chips- Best potato chip ever.

Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 07/01/2007 1:16 PM


I don’t remember the the name but does anyone remember the hot dogs that had the chili already in the middle of the link? This was in the early 80s (maybe 1982, 83?) I loved those things! Can anyone tell me the name of those?

Chestnuts roasted by Bundtcake @ 07/01/2007 1:18 PM


Add A New Comment!