"It Does Bring a Smile To My Plate" ("Avengers: Infinity War")
Infinity Gauntlet (c) Marvel
A few months before the release of the film, Marvel partnered with Loot Crate to produce a special one-of-a-kind item for their February pop culture offering. They had offered Marvel themed items in the past, but this was the first time the partnership was going to promote a specific property. And nothing was more anticipated in 2018 than "Avengers: Infinity War:; the culmination of 19 films spanning the course of a decade leading up the grand finale.
Given what the film is about, the item obviously had to center around the Infinity Gauntlet. There was no other object in the film more important than the accessory Thanos wore while acquiring the six cosmic singularities concentrated into vastly powerful stones able to reshape the entire universe with a snap of his fingers. After what I can only assume was months of planning and research, Marvel and Loot Crate settled on manufacturing the perfect unique collectable: an Infinity Gauntlet oven mitt!
On paper it sounded badass. When it was produced it looked badass. And I can only imagine when people slipped it on for the first time it felt badass. The oven mitt should have been the baddest oven mitt ever created; worthy to carry the Infinity Gauntlet name and giving its bearer a sense of vast unlimited baking power!
Except there was one small problem.
It wasn't meant to be used as an oven mitt.
In fact, it wasn't meant to touch anything hot or otherwise the paint would chip off. Owners also quickly learned one size did not fit all, you had to gently insert or your remove your hand in order for the stitching to remain intact, and it was highly recommended not to attempt cleaning it with any form of liquid. Oh, and it might be a good idea to keep it out of direct sunlight to prevent warping.
How did this ever come to pass? Who knows. Maybe someone in R&D figured geeks and nerds don't bake so they would never use it. Needless to say, there was a massive recall and the company generously offered an apology along with a substitute item of equal (and some might say greater) value: a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mini Tiki mug!
Yeah, that sound you just heard was me slapping my forehead - Jake