serving portion of some of the most popular flavors. Chicken Helper flavors were added in 2007 despite the brand being discontinued shortly thereafter. It returned in 2013 as Chicken and Chili Helper. In popular culture A 1977 book collecting material from the satirical TV show Saturday Night Live contained an unproduced sketch called "Placenta Helper," an ad for a product which “lets you stretch your placenta into a tasty casserole." The sketch was written by Tom Davis and future United States Senator Al Franken. The animated television series Family Guy, featured Lefty the mascot in one of their famous "cutaway gags" from the 2009 episode "Business Guy". The gag involved Lefty, who appears with his neurologically impaired brother, who takes the form of a right-handed glove, representing the non-existent brand "Cheeseburger Helper". Peter Griffin remarks that he could just add cheese to the meal he makes with Lefty's Hamburger helper, which Lefty's brother angrily rebukes. Lefty explains that his brother was deprived of oxygen during childbirth, that he will never be "in step with the rest of us" and this is his way of taking care of his brother asking Peter to "just let him have this one". Peter acquiesces to Lefty's brother's delight and whispers to Lefty "I'm so sorry for your burden, you're a good brother," In 1979, Scott Spiegel wrote, produced and directed a short film entitled Attack of the Helping Hand, which featured a "Hamburger Helper" oven mitt as a killer glove. On April 1, 2016, General Mills commissioned an EP as an April Fools' Day prank, titled Watch the Stove. According to a press release, the EP was produced for General Mills by a team at St. Paul, Minnesota's McNally Smith College of Music. The EP's title is a parody of the Jay-Z and Kanye West collaborative album Watch the Throne. It contains five songs, all of which are about Hamburger Helper. It instantly achieved a viral status, played over four million times on SoundCloud in less than three days, with many listeners finding value in the brand's promotion of younger artists. See also American chop suey Chili mac Makarony po-flotski References External links Pasta dishes Hamburgers (food) Products introduced in 1971 American brands