Would you like toothpaste with your Hot Chicken Flavored Ramen? If your answer was a resounding, “YES!” Then, you’re in luck today, because boy, do I have one insane product to introduce to you…
Samyang’s Haek Buldalk Toothpaste Set (literally: Nuclear Hot Chicken Flavored Toothpaste) is the collaborative brainchild between the well-known 2080 brand of dental care products in South Korea and the infamous spicy ramen company, Samyang. I don’t know whose idea it was to team up, but I’m happy they did. Also, I hope this isn’t the last time we see these two companies working together in the future, because just the mere conception of this idea was borderline insanity. And, I LOVE IT!
Now… There’s a bit of a catch. Conceptually speaking, this idea was so certifiably mad that it was bound to sell millions of tubes of toothpaste, even if most of them instantly ended up in a landfill near you. That is, if they actually followed through on the plan…
Well, Samyang and 2080 ended up NOT following their deranged and demented plan, which is unfortunate. This is not the product you were hoping for and I feel duped into buying a toothpaste set that wasn’t nearly as exciting as I was hoping for…
The Packaging
Let’s start with the packaging. Everything in the package is a radiant red color, which really drills the point home just how fiery Samyang’s Buldalk series of instant noodles is, in terms of spiciness. They brought the chicken character from the packaging to the forefront of the artwork and even added the Korean word, “Haek,” which means nuclear in English in giant script. The chili peppers were a nice touch as well!
So, in this zip-lockable packaging, there is: a red toothbrush with red bristles, a red cover (to avoid dousing your bristles with fecal matter after flushing the toilet), and a single tube of Samyang’s Buldalk Toothpaste. The quality of each of these items is good enough for your bathroom, but nothing fancy here. The tube of toothpaste is also very small, so don’t expect to be getting a month’s worth of brushes out of it. It might be better suited for travel, which is probably why they added the convenient zip-lockable carrying case. That way, you can always impress your friends with your ramen branded dental care accessories.
Flavor
Now, this is where things get crazy. And, I mean REALLY CRAZY…
Just kidding!
There’s absolutely nothing crazy, wild, groundbreaking, or any other adjective you would like to insert here. If you thought this toothpaste was going to taste anything like Buldalk Bokkeum Myeon (Hot Chicken Flavored Ramen), like I did, then you were sorely mistaken.
Guys… I can’t even describe to you how upset I was and still am about this product. I feel seriously letdown by Samyang with their deceptive marketing practices with this one. Everything that I described and can be easily seen on the packaging leads you to believe that this toothpaste is flavored with fiery, Buldalk sauce. And if I may speak for everyone, we are all, so, so… disappointed.
Now that I’ve finally gotten the bad news out of the way, allow me to describe to you the flavor of this toothpaste. First of all, it’s not spicy in the way that you’re thinking, so just get that out of your head, right now. This toothpaste tastes entirely of menthol. The menthol has been dialed up quite a bit, but its not going to bring you to your knees. Although, you might not want to drink a cold glass of water right after using this…
Honestly, the best way to describe the flavor is to probably use an analogous… flavor? And, that flavor is Tiger Balm. I’m not the only one who’s tasted Tiger Balm before, right? Well, it tastes like this toothpaste and I’m not happy about it.
Everyday Usage
Believe it or not, Samyang’s Buldalk Toothpaste is perfectly fine for everyday use. There’s absolutely nothing flaming hot about this toothpaste, which of course is a bit of a downer. However, if you’re a fan of Samyang’s ramen, then I can’t see any reason why this toothpaste shouldn’t be your companion to freshen your breath after going to war with their spicy ramen. Unless you like to keep your breath smelling Hot Chicken Flavored Ramen fresh!
Final Thoughts
So, here are my final thoughts about Samyang’s Haek Buldalk Toothpaste Set. I really think there were some serious missteps that happened with the marketing. I’m far from being a marketing genius, but a much more logical approach would have been to spin the Buldalk branding for this product to be icy cool to soothe your flaming mouth after a bowl of Samyang’s Hot Chicken Flavored Ramen, while freshening your breath. And, my suggested packaging would have been B-L-U-E. How’s that for genius?
And to everyone who purchased this or will purchase this product in the future, I’m sorry for breaking the terrible news, but it had to be done. We are all heartbroken about being mislead by our loving Samyang this time, but I have high hopes that we will be heard and finally get the scorching hot Buldalk toothpaste that we deserve!
So, what do you think about my marketing idea? Do you have any better ideas than my genius one? Also, how do you feel about the release of this product and its depressing flavor? Let me know down in the comments! I really want to know what you guys think.
If you’re interested in hearing more about instant ramen, check out my on-going series, Noodle Story: An Exploration of Korean Instant Noodles, here on Medium.
