In recent years, Disney’s limited edition popcorn buckets have been a source of rabid consumerism, and while they may not have directly inspired the growing trend of themed snack containers accompanying blockbuster movies, it does seem mildly connected. At least, without all the NSFW suggestiveness. It more or less started with Dune’s sex toy-esque bucket, which inspired many warm feelings during the winter season, with Deadpool and Wolverine’s popcorn tub set to take that baton right in the mouth. Which means The Boys couldn’t logically be that far away.
If you’re talking dong-related references in pop culture these days, you’re in a conversation that will almost necessarily revolve around The Boys’ fictional universe. From Rob Benedict’s clone Supe Splinter fighting in the nude to Gen V’s giant prosthetic penis prop to the exploding dong from Season 3’s “Herogasm” premiere, the darkly comedic comic book saga goes hard for full-frontal male nudity. So it should surprise — [thoroughly checks notes] — exactly zero fans to learn that Erik Kripke’s twisted satire utilized the penile glans for its bucket tie-in for Episode 6, as seen below in one of the show's Instagram posts.
No one ever said The Boys is a show worthy of award based on subtlety and the mocked-up snack vessel seen above is pretty clear-cut proof. (Yes, that was probably a circumcision joke.) Perhaps had the bucket featured lettering that alluded to genitalia, such as ”the “O”s in “Popcorn” being made to look like testicles, then it might have seemed like an amusing eccentricity, as opposed to something that might traumatize a kid hoping to get the Despicable Me 4 drink container.
I mean, the faux penile glans topper is bigger than the bucket itself. If you turned it upside down, you could hypothetically fit more popcorn into the hollowed out dong than the bucket itself, though it would be impossible to put down without spilling all over the place. Of course, that’s assuming the top IS empty inside, and that it’s not a sandbag that weighs upwards of 7-10 lbs. Which might crush the bucket, but still.
Beyond generally appreciating the craftsmanship that went into designing this popcorn tub and its popper topper, I also love that it’s used as a callback to one of The Boys’ most fantastically WTF moments that also happened to involve a giant unpredictable penis: the hilarious Love Sausage scenes back in Season 2, which nearly ended with Frenchie taking a bite out of the extended wang.
Granted, if that truly was a Love Sausage homage, then there wouldn’t be any room for popcorn in the bucket, since that’d be where some of the rest of the sausage was. Has anyone tried sausage popcorn yet, either literal or figurative?
Even though Episode 406, “Dirty Business,” didn’t actually showcase any penises, it was still quite the fitting episode for a perverse popcorn bucket, considering it introduced viewers to Tek Knight’s Batman-spoofing sex cave. (I feel like Mother’s Milk injecting Web Weaver’s web-hole also counts here, because ew.) Alas, the billionaire pervert was killed off in the end (by his own butler no less), so he won’t be enjoying any popcorn anymore, regardless of whether or not he has to remove NSFW bits first.
The Boys streams new episodes on Thursdays for fans with Amazon Prime subscriptions, so don’t miss the last two installments of the fourth season!.
