After 20 Years, Ore Ida—the Inventor of Tater Tots—Comes to Napoleon Dynamite’s Rescue with First Ever, Tater Tot Protecting Pants

After 20 Years, Ore Ida—the Inventor of Tater Tots—Comes to #Napoleon Dynamite’s Rescue with First Ever, Tater Tot Protecting Pants

• Two decades after the world watched Randy crush Napoleon’s Tater Tots, Ore Ida is offering a one of a kind solution to this “tot tastrophe”

Pittsburgh, Chicacgo, Monday, June 17th, 2024

In 2004, the world first met one of the 2000s’ most iconic characters, Napoleon Dynamite, known for his love of Tater Tots. Fans watched as Napoleon snuck Tater Tots into class, only to have the school bully, Randy, yell the unforgettable line, “Gimme some of your tots”, and kick Napoleon’s pocket—crushing the crispy and fluffy snack. Now, 20 years later, the Ore Ida brand—the inventor of Tater Tots—comes to Napoleon’s rescue with a first of its kind solution: pants specifically designed to protect Tater Tots. Created in partnership with the film by Searchlight Pictures, the “Ore Ida Tot Protecting Pants” are now available nationwide for a limited time only.

The innovative solution to safeguard Tater Tots pays homage to the joggers Napoleon wears in the film, now with a unique “tot pocket”—answering on real requests from lovers of the film. Inspired by Uncle Rico’s Nupont Fiber, each pair of pants boasts a stylish, dark gray, crocodile print pattern and durable, food safe pocket specially designed to protect Ore Ida Tater Tots. Now everyone—even Napoleon himself—can indulge in delicious Ore Ida Tater Tots at any time, without fear of crushing them.

“For over 70 years, Ore Ida has prided itself on delivering crispy and fluffy potatoes every time,” says Jackie Britva, Senior Brand Manager for Ore Ida at The Kraft Heinz Company. “With June marking the film’s 20th anniversary, we knew it was the perfect time for Ore Ida to solve Napoleon’s tot tastrophe in a way only the inventor of Tater Tots could.”

To launch the Tot Protecting Pants, Ore Ida partnered with Searchlight and tapped Napoleon Dynamite himself—Jon Heder—to reprise his character. Modeling the pants in a new short film inspired by the original movie and directed by Aaron Ruell, who plays Kip Dynamite in the movie, Napoleon wistfully shares that he is still haunted by crushed Tater Tots—flashing back to the film’s iconic scene. Spoofing several beloved lines from the film, Napoleon goes on to tell the world that, lucky for him, Ore Ida is coming to his (and his Tots’) rescue 20 years later.

“The character of Napoleon and myself share a lot of similar characteristics, such as drawing skills and mouth breathing proficiency, but none so strong as our love of Tots”, says Jon Heder, actor and star of Napoleon Dynamite. “But when my Tots get crushed, a little part of my soul gets crushed as well. And that’s why I’m excited and proud to be a part of Ore Ida’s movement to stop tot crushing in its tracks—hopefully these pants keep everyone’s favorite potato nuggets safe, warm and flippin’ crispy.”

The limited edition Ore Ida Tot Protecting Pants are available starting today at www.ProtectYourTaterTots.com, while supplies last. For more information, follow @Oreida on Instagram, and those sporting their new Tot Protecting Pants are encouraged to flaunt their style by tagging @OreIda and @SearchlightPics on Instagram and Facebook using hashtag(s) #ProtectYourTots #NapoleonDynamite #OreIda.

Napoleon Dynamite is currently available to stream on Hulu.

About Searchlight Pictures

#Searchlight #Pictures is a global specialty film and television company that develops, produces, finances and acquires motion pictures and series for both worldwide theatrical and streaming releases. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and is part of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, the company’s titles have grossed over $5 billion worldwide, amassing 51 Academy Awards including five Best Picture winners since 2009: Slumdog Millionaire, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman, The Shape of Water, and Nomadland; 62 BAFTA Awards, 34 Golden Globe Awards, and 10 Grammy Awards. Searchlight Television, the division which develops and produces series for streaming, network, and cable partners, earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress and an additional 5 nominations for its first production “The Dropout'' from Elizabeth Meriwether, in partnership with Hulu and 20th Studios. Searchlight recently released Yorgos Lanthimos’ Golden Lion and 4 time Academy Award winner Poor Things, starring and produced by Emma Stone; Ned Benson’s The Greatest Hits starring Lucy Boynton, Justin H. Min, and Austin Crute; Laura Chinn’s Suncoast, which stars Laura Linney, Nico Parker, and Woody Harrelson, and won U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance at Sundance; Andrew Haigh’s critically acclaimed romantic drama All of Us Strangers; Taika Waititi’s underdog comedy Next Goal Wins; Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s award winning Sundance debut feature comedy Theater Camp; and Eva Longoria’s Academy Award nominated Flamin’ Hot. Upcoming releases include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe; Tina Mabry’s The Supreme’s at Earl’s All You Can Eat starring Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis Taylor and Sanaa Lathan; A Real Pain, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic at Sundance; and Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch starring Amy Adams.

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