News? Yes!
2025-02-18: New shit has come to light
Way back in July of 2023, Adam Savage's Tested (YouTube) did a series on the Earl Hayes Press, and you KNOW what was featured. Plus, I learned some stuff.
2024-11-14: Get your own!
Today I discovered that you can finally purchase a label straight from the source.
2024-11-12: Happy Birthday
Today this domain is twenty-five (25) years and nine (9) days old! To celebrate, I thought I'd make things slightly less neglected. Maybe for the 30th anniversary, I'll finally do a wordpress install.
Sightings
Below are the sightings I know of. If you know of others, or have any leads, tell it to the Sky! Or you can always send e-lectronic correspondence to rcm at this very domain. In most cases, it's been readers like you who have alerted me to these sightings.
MasterChef Memory Lane - Mystery Box
A new one from the readers like you! These cooking shows go to great lengths to avoid using or mentioning real products.
Adam Savage's Tested What's Wrong With These Products?
Whoa, daddy! I found this a year and a half after the fact, via this blog post, and now I Know Things about Smeat.
Marvel's The Punisher One Bad Day
I caught this on my own. I have no idea how; it's in the background and not even in focus. Hooray for pattern recognition.
Feeding America Apples and Bananas (feat. Scarlett Johannson)
A few different readers like you have let me know of this one in the past, but I was either lazy or it wasn't as readily available. Luckily, another reader like you sent me an archived link recently!
Crystal Geyser Cashier
Thanks again, readers like you! According to The Twitters, this ad aired during the Supernatural season finale, so it's almost kind of like another Supernatural sighting. Almost. Kind of.
The Walking Dead Seed
Where's Carl? He's in the kitchen with Smeat, and he's a badass now!
Being Human All Out of Blood
Another one brought to my attention by readers like you. It was in the kitchen, and I bet there are a lot of kitchen scenes on this show. Does this mean I'm going to have to watch every episode? (No.)
The Walking Dead Cherokee Rose
For the second time ever, The Facebooks have been useful for something. I totally did not catch this when I watched it the first time. I guess I needed to pay closer attention to all the non-zombie scenes in this show.
Days of Our Lives The one from January 17
One of my many Smeatectives let me know of this one, via the Facebook page. Another one where it's mentioned by name. You can also (barely) see that it has a new style of label, along with the round can.
Supernatural Changing Channels
The Smeat is still getting around! I discovered this while checking the wikipedia page on Spam (back when it used to have a Smeat subsection). I accidentally started liking this show. A lot.
Burn Notice Wanted Man
Another one sent in by a faithful reader, since I didn't have a TV at the time. Thanks, stranger!
A Smeat can in my possession
It has been my life's quest to get a real live prop can of Smeat. On March 30, 2007, that quest came to an end when the Waterworld prop I won off ebay was delivered unto me. Mega props to my pal Angel, for pointing out the auction to me (since I gave up looking on ebay a long time ago).
Threshold Alienville
Someone emailed me this one from the final episode. Thanks, reader! I like that it shows up on the shelf with its name-brand brethren.
Dawn of the Dead
This is it. I thought there'd be more, and I thought what little there was would actually be in focus, but I guess not. Do note, however, that the can is round this time. Also, the original Dawn of the Dead had a scene with original Spam. That has to mean something.
Buddy Boy
Why doesn't Smeat ever show up in good or well lit movies? But hey, Aiden Gillen! Before 9/27/05 you could only get this DVD in Japan.
Beck Sexx Laws
All manner of wackiness transpires in the house of Beck. Cut to the pantry, where even the groceries (including some cans of Smeat) are getting down. In late 2009, Beck put all the Midnite Vultures videos up on Vimeo, so I finally have a good capture. Thanx, Beck!
Beverly Hills 90210 The End of the World as We Know It
In a "ripped from the headlines" sub-plot, Steve gets the Y2K bug and stocks up on Smeat (part panic, part to exploit the post-apocalyptic masses). Thanks to eternal patience, I was finally able to get screencaps. Also of note: when this aired, it was only the second time I know of where Smeat was acknowledged by name (the other being "Children of the Corn V").
Children of the Corn V
The (soon to be dead) teens seek shelter in an abandoned house. Hungry, they search the cabinets for food. "Mmmmmmm, Smeat!" (This is a stubby can variation.)
Millennium The Thin White Line
The first time I saw Smeat! Frank Black is looking for a killer in an abandoned house. He comes across a pile of garbage and picks up and examines a can of Smeat. He is disgusted.
Waterworld
OVER 9000 sightings—Smeat was created for this movie and they made a ton of it! 1: The Deacon's ship is filled with filled with crates of vodka and Smeat. 2: Another storage area. 3: Behind the head of some greasy guy Jack Black. 4–6: The Deacon feeds his angry horde by throwing them Smeat. 7: An empty box (I'm going to count this one).
What did I just get done looking at?
Smeat is a "cleared" product used when you need that potted meat, but not the hassles that come with "name" brands. It comes from The Earl Hayes Press, whom you may know from such items as "The Recurring Prop Newspaper", Morley cigarettes, and just about every other fake product ever.
I'm tired of doing footers.