If you've never used ketchup as fake blood, congrats to your parents for raising an emotionally stable child. For the rest of us, the condiment has long served as an edible blood replacement in pranks, videos, and general mayhem of all kinds. And this Halloween, even the king of ketchup, Heinz, is embracing its use as a childhood prop with special edition Heinz Tomato "Blood" Ketchup, a costume kit, and the brand's first Halloween store.
Admittedly, yes, Heinz Tomato Blood Ketchup — which is available in stores nationwide after getting a tiny 570-bottle run last year as part of a sweepstakes — is simply regular Heinz Ketchup with a limited-edition Halloween theme, but whereas previously Heinz suggested putting their ketchup on things like burgers and hot dogs, now the brand is happy to encourage customers to slather it all over their neck like a stabbing victim. "If you have Heinz, you have a costume," the new tagline states. Hey, a bottle of ketchup sold is a bottle sold no matter where the ketchup ends up.
To hammer the whole costume idea home, Heinz has launched the Tomato Blood Costume Kit — a box that, beyond containing a bottle of the Halloween-themed ketchup, also has a makeup palette, sponge, dropper, makeup brush set, rhinestone sheet, tattoo sheet, vampire teeth, and spooky eyelashes. The kit is available for $19.99 right now over at HeinzHalloween.com.
And if you're looking to splurge in the online Heinz shop, the brand is also selling costumes: pirate, mummy, mad scientist, and corpse bride outfits for both kids and adults that are clean and white… just waiting to be defaced with tons of ketchup blood.
Finally, for those who really want the Tomato Blood Ketchup experience in person, Heinz is even opening a pop-up Heinz Halloween Store in Los Angeles. Beyond grabbing the aforementioned merch, the brand explains that visitors can also "start decorating costumes at the store's interactive 'drip stations.'" As if you needed any help getting ketchup all over your new white clothes!