The Bizarre History of Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can

Among the strangest food products ever sold was the short-lived Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can This bizarre canned meal caused quite a stir when it hit supermarket shelves in the 1970s Though this wet, clumpy turkey dinner was quickly discontinued, its legend lives on through pop culture references and nostalgic foodies.

The Origins of Craig’s Canned Turkey Dinner

In 1976, a Minnesota-based company called Craigs Inc rolled out a new kind of convenience food – a fully cooked Thanksgiving dinner packed into a 3-pound can

Dubbed “Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can,” this slimy mixture featured sliced turkey, cornbread stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, peas, cranberry sauce, and turkey gravy Per the ads, all you had to do was boil the unopened can for 45 minutes to an hour and serve!

This canned dinner was born out of the 1950s/60s convenience food craze. Brands were constantly looking for new ways to revolutionize home cooking with ready-to-eat meals. While strange today, Craig’s turkey dinner was seen as an ultra-convenient way for housewives to get a holiday feast on the table fast.

The Reactions to Craig’s Canned Turkey

Needless to say, Craig’s Turkey Dinner was controversial from the start. Many found the very concept unappetizing and disturbing. The mushy, wet texture and unseparated flavors when served also left much to be desired.

Among the harshest critics were newspaper food columnists who lambasted the product as a “throttle job on the Turkey” and “the dreariest way to give thanks.” One Chicago Tribune article deemed it “the worst abuse of a turkey since the Cleveland Indians.”

The public nicknamed these disturbing cans “Turkey Squash” or “Trash Can Turkey.” Despite some initial curiosity seekers, Craig’s Turkey Dinner remained widely reviled throughout its 11-year run.

How Craig’s Turkey Dinner was Marketed

Early print ads for Craig’s Turkey Dinner portrayed it as the ultimate modern convenience for holiday hosts. Taglines read “Easy and so Good!” and promised a “Complete Holiday Dinner” with minimal effort.

TV commercials took a more satirical approach. They featured confused Pilgrims being amazed when a can of turkey dinner literally falls from the sky. These silly ads tried to reframe the product as cheeky and fun rather than unnatural or lazy.

Overall, marketing efforts failed to convince the mainstream public that wet canned turkey was a good idea. Outside of some senior citizens, sales remained niche.

The Brief Heyday and Sudden Demise

Though hated by critics, Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can sold reasonably well for much of the late 1970s. It benefitted from America’s lingering postwar fascination with novelty convenience foods.

But by the health-conscious 1980s, opinions were shifting on highly processed meals. With declining sales, Craigs Inc. went bankrupt in 1982. The brand was briefly rescued by Derby Meat Products who continued making the cans through 1986.

However, after just a decade on the market, Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can was finally discontinued. For most consumers, the benefits of convenience could no longer outweigh the unappetizing reality of these slimy canned meals.

Pop Culture References to Craig’s Turkey Dinner

Though long gone, Craig’s Turkey Dinner lives on through pop culture. In a famous 1998 episode of Friends, Monica jokingly suggests making a Thanksgiving dinner in a can, a direct reference to the infamous Craig’s cans.

More recently in 2015, the Wet Hot American Summer Netflix series featured a storyline about President Reagan enjoying Craig’s Turkey Dinner on Thanksgiving. The absurd retro product even occasionally pops up in music and podcasts as a cultural touchstone representing 1970s oddities.

Can You Still Buy Canned Thanksgiving Dinner Today?

While Craig’s Turkey Dinner is extinct, some companies still produce canned holiday meals. Most are sold as novelties and not intended for actual consumption.

Every year since 2016, British retailer GAME releases a Christmas Tinner – a stackable can of scrambled eggs, turkey, gravy, potatoes, cake, and more. And U.S. brand BevMo! intermittently stocks a Grateful Turkey Day Dinner can as a gag gift.

However, these cans lack the sincerity of the original Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can. For those who recall this bizarre product, it remains one of the strangest convenience foods ever foisted upon the American public.

So this Thanksgiving as you enjoy your fresh, homemade turkey dinner, remember the ingenuity – and weirdness – that brought us Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can!