Like Pocky, but less fun and cheaper!

Forgive me for this not being entirely Japanese blog newsworthy news, but it is quite close.

Pringle Brand Snacks has unveiled something that is definitely supposed to be like Pocky, if Pocky was more concerned about your weight...

Let me introduce...

Stix!

Okay. It's basically the standard Pocky biscuit stick...
And that's it. No chocolate... no magical, dipped flavor goodness.
All of the taste is in the stick.

The sweet flavors include vanilla and honey butter, which match the taste of the Pocky stick well enough to have a fondue party with them.
And the only current savory Stix flavor is pizza. Reminiscent of Pretz, but not quite.

The biggest reasons to buy: Cheap and calorie-effective. Ten packs come to a box and each pack has fifteen sticks, that's 150 sticks in all, without the chocolate, that's still more than I get in a regular Pocky box. On top of that, no matter the flavor, each ten pack is less than one hundred calories. I find myself nibbling on them between meals, or for an extra energy boost at night.

If it bothers you that much, heat up a double boiler on your stove with some chocolate inside, and you can make homemade Pocky. For added fun, buy a really, really milky chocolate and add flavorings to the mix to create your own wacky Pocky, er, Stix.
Just dip, cool, and go! Hopefully Pringles will figure it out and make more Pocky-like versions. Now to get Pepsi to start making Ramune...

You can find Stix... somewhere. I see them from store to store (outside US... I dunno, maybe). Go find them.
Note: Not a potato chip!