This month, a dozen 7-Eleven stores around the U.S. and Canada have transformed into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience store featured in “The Simpsons” TV show. The exteriors of these stores were given new signs and decorations over the weekend to make them look like the Kwik-E-Mart stores from the TV show. They, along with most of the 6,000 other 7-Elevens throughout North America will sell items featured in the TV show as well including Buzz Cola, KrustyO’s cereal, and the Slurpee-inspired Squishees. This month-long campaign is being done to celebrate and promote “The Simpsons Movie” which is set to open on July 27.

The featured U.S. stores are located in New York City; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Burbank, California; Los Angeles, California; Henderson, Nevada; Orlando, Florida; Mountain View, California; Seattle, Washington; and Bladensburg, Maryland. The film’s advertisers are not responsible for the costs of this promotion. Instead, 7-Eleven is paying for the entire project, which was difficultly kept a secret until early Sunday morning. Malt-O-Meal, a cereal maker based in Northfield, Minnesota has produced the KrustyO’s and other existing products will just be renamed, including the Slurpee which will be called “WooHoo! Blue Vanilla” Squishee as the flavor of the month. The chain store offered to take part in this campaign due to the fact that their customers fit the same demographics as the fans of the TV show, young males, making it a win-win situation for everyone involved.

For related articles visit http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/ and http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/02/7.eleven.kwik.e.mart.ap/index.html.

Have you been to one of the Kwik-E-Marts? Leave a comment.