I may not be one of the kids that Universal Studios Florida’s DreamWorks Land is targeted to please, but I’m still a kid at heart. I’m still going to marvel at a good fireworks show, feel like I’m a kid watching Back to the Future when I meet Doc Brown in the park, and I still value my light up souvenir cup from 2024’s Universal Mardi Gras festival. However, as an adult, I have some serious questions. And with that in mind, could someone please explain to me what a “Shrekzel” is?
I know it's based off of one of the best 2000s movies, because as you’d correctly guess, that snack is part of the Shrek-based section of the land that’s replacing Woody Woodpecker’s Kid Zone. Set to open this summer, EW got its hands on some more advanced details, which highlighted the presence of the Swamp Snacks stand. Here’s what you can expect from that food stand’s offerings:
Families can feast like an ogre at this new kiosk, which will serve scrumptious snacks inspired by Shrek, including Shrekzel, Far Far A Waffle, Frozen Ogre, and more.
“Shrekzel.” It’s a word that’s designed to stand out in your mind’s eye, but there are no pictures or further details available beyond what you've read above. Now my educated guess on what this treat might entail is a simple one: I think it’ll be a green pretzel, with little Shrek ears on the top, and an awesome dip of some sort. That sounds awesome, doesn't it? Or at least it would, if we had a clue if what I’ve just described is right.
I'm not trying to sound ungrateful, but that’s what grinds my gumdrop buttons about all of this. It’s not that I don’t trust Universal Orlando Resort with its cuisine, as quite the contrary is true. My rave about Universal’s 2024 Mardi Gras food offerings is proof to that point, and I still highly recommend you grab an Oblea from the Colombia stand as soon as possible. But with a snack named so simply, yet so mysteriously as a “Shrekzel,” it’s easy to dream one thing up, only to be met by something totally different.
What if the pretzel isn’t green, and it’s just a simple brown pretzel? What if it doesn’t have the little nubby Shrek ears on the top? What if the hypothetical dip is anything other than a pitch perfect replica of the “Blastin’ Green” variant to Heinz EZ Squirt ketchup, released in conjunction with the promotion of the original Shrek? Without answers to those questions, I truly wonder what are we doing in his swamp?
On the plus side, it’s exciting to see that Swamp Snacks will also offer DreamWorks Land patrons the “Far Far A Waffle.” If I’m being completely honest, if there wasn’t at least some sort of reference to one of Shrek’s most memorable gags involving Eddie Murphy’s Donkey, that would have been a true disappointment.
Plus a “Frozen Ogre” sounds like it’d be a lot of fun being mixed up as an adult beverage, but also seems like it’d be pleasantly pleasing as a simple green Icee. All of this mystery is probably nothing a Shrekzel can’t fix…but I’d be able to take a better guess if I knew more about what it actually is.
I guess we’ll all have to wait until this summer, when DreamWorks Land officially opens at Universal Studios Florida. In the meantime, I’m going to go use my Peacock subscription to scrub the first two Shrek movies streaming, and see if I can’t find potential clues as to what a “Shrekzel” is. Make no mistake, like the great detectives of history, I always get my man! Or in this case, my snack.
