Sorry cupcake fanatics, but I’m kinda over trawling through what seems like infinite articles on bacon and cupcakes.

I’m ready for a new food fads!

Well, apparently “artisan marshmallows” are forecasted to be the sweet food craze of 2012. Recently featured by ABC’s The Chew where they featured a whopping two-pound s’mores-flavoured marshmallow by Plush Puffs as part of their feature looking at “the newest sweet fashion.”

The Plush Puffs site reveals they’ve been getting a lot of media attention lately. They say their vision is: “To offer the highest quality, all natural, intensely flavored marshmallows ever. This is a marshmallow that is not only good enough to eat on its own, but amazing when melted in hot drinks, used in any number of recipes and/or roasting applications.  Each flavor is actually intensified when it is roasted. Quite simply: we want to provide a product that delights the senses.”

When you think of a food that’s a good Pacifiers™ example, marshmallows are a good fit. They make you recall childhood around a cozy campfire and yummy, warming cups of hot cocoa. The essence of this wave is things that soothe and comfort. When you bite down on these fluffy little pillows perhaps the Human Truth™ of Pacifiers™ happens to you: “Make the world go away.”™

I hate to get all 99% up in here, but what about the “everyman”? Surely these carriers can throw coach travelers a bone?

Well, as much as it pains my Aussie heritage to give kudos to Kiwis, I’ve got to hand it to Air New Zealand who has launched a way for economy passengers to lie flat. Yay!

As someone who is well acquainted with the arduous LA to Australia 17+hr flight, I can tell you: this is a big deal.

“Beginning next year, money-conscious long-haul travelers can take “cuddle class” and book a row of seats that convert into a couch or bed. Planned by Air New Zealand for trans-Pacific flights, the “Skycouch” is a row of three regular seats redesigned to create a space for children to play or a flat surface for adults to relax and sleep. The upgraded seating configuration, to be fitted in the carrier’s new fleet of Boeing 777-300 aircraft, will cost the price of two standard economy seats plus half-price for the third seat in the row. They will be big enough to accommodate a couple or a family with a small child.”

The First-Class innovations are certainly at home in the Private Pampering™ wave, but the “Skycouch” is definitely an example of Pacifiers™. The Pacifiers™ wave is about things that soothe and comfort. I can’t tell you how many positions I have tried to get comfortable in on those long flights, to no avail. The Human Truth™ of this wave is: “Make the world go away.”™

When it comes to flying coach with crying babies, couching old people and unruly kids… yes, that Human Truth™ almost becomes a mantra.

Well this photography blogger had the opportunity to tour Google’s Zurich offices and he was struck by a nap room which employees used when they needed a “brain-break”.

“There were soft water-sounds wafting about, and everything was very zen. You can choose whatever sleeping arrangement you like: the porcelain tub filled with red foam cubes, the leathery massage chair that doesn’t ask questions, or many more..”

There have been many studies that tout the benefits of a power nap when it comes to productivity.  I’ve previously mentioned a place called Yelo, located in the the hustle and bustle of NYC, that offers a chic sensory appealing place to grab a power nap.

A commenter on this article summed up my thoughts on the “Chill Vat”:

Adam Allegro “What an awesome room. I think many companies (including the military) could take a page from Goog’s fabulous work. I think a little 20 minute nap is so healthy, and has the ability to increase productivity tremendously. That is the same amount of time some people go to smoke, BS around the water cooler, or mess around on G+ (me included, usually a bit more than 20 min… There is such a negative feel associated with “taking a nap” in the workplace, when it has been proven that nothing but good can come out of a 20 minute snooze… Some food for thought.”

This idea might be at home in the Moment Momentum™ wave, which is about taking the time to reflect. However, the fact that this is about “checking out” for awhile makes me think it’s actually better in the Pacifiers™ wave. The Human Truth™ of Pacifiers™ is: “Make the world go away.”™ It’s about things that soothe and comfort.

When it comes to a stressful day at the office, this room is more about a quick recharge of the batteries than a place to go soul searching, or slacking off for hours.  Oh, did I mention they have a slide too?

Anyway, you can get your sick friend’s soup in: Heinz Cream of Chicken or Heniz Cream of Tomato for £1.99, and lo and behold, their name is right there on the label.

Matthew Cullum, Heinz Soup Marketing Controller explained the campaign:

“Because Facebook is a place people choose to engage with our brand, we want to be there. Soup can be an emotive product and Facebook taps into that. Our use of these channels doesn’t replace TV, but it is a great compliment to it because it allows the consumer to spread the word and they engage more than they would with traditional channels such as TV or Radio.”

Soup is such a good Pacifiers™ wave example. The Human Truth™ is: “Make the world go away.”™ Something we can all really relate to when we feel yucky. With this cute campaign, Heinz has given us a chance to soothe and comfort those we love in a personal and thoughtful way.

“Berlin-based Die Liebeskuemmerer create getaways for groups of six to eight people. They believe this builds a community for “sharing, mutual understanding and strengthening”, as well as forming a new network of supportive friends for after the trip is over. The getaways, lasting four to seven days, are aimed at everyone “in the same boat”, both young and elderly, women and men, of any sexual-orientation, to help them back on their feet. Supported by experienced psychologists, psychotherapists, health and styling coaches, participants are given “space to breath, relax and think about what has happened”.  Organized getaways range from remote cottages by the sea to wellness resorts and retreats to the mountains…”

A broken heart is on the list of things that take years off your life, along with moving and the death of a loved one.  So this is serious biz.  I find it surprising that there is not more services or industries out there to help with the healing process.  The Pacifiers™wave is filled with things that soothe and comfort, but this is the first business idea I have come across that deals with heartbreak so directly.  Sure, there have been a few American companies that help you give your ex crabs, or a service that will organize some revenge…  but maybe we can take a cue from the Germans by being a bit more proactive in bringing positivity to such a sad situation.

Although, if you’re like me, you may be a little wary of putting strange chemicals on your skin – no matter how much relief it brings.

Check out this crazy “hardening foam” that’s available in (you guessed it) Japan.

“The blue foam feels like a giant ball of confetti and as you squeeze it, the air bubbles expand and then ‘pop,’ releasing a refreshing breeze of cool air. This fascinating innovation actually releases a chilling foam that hardens and can be wrapped around the user’s wrist.”

There is also something called Ice Spark that’s sprayed on the skin and cools it to 15 degrees for a awhile.  If you watch the video here…  you will also note, that upon application, it sounds like a sizzling fajita platter, or some kind of terrifying flesh-eating-alien-saliva-acid.

But you know what?  If you hate the heat you will try anything to get relief.  That’s why it’s a great fit for the Pacifiers™ wave.  This wave is about things that soothe and comfort.  Whether that be a warm bowl of soup in the winter, or mysterious chemical laden skin spray in summer.  Hmmmm I think I’ll stick with ice tea and a cool dip in a pool for now.

Researchers from University of California, Irvine found that when rats tasted something fatty, cells in their upper gut started producing something called endocannabinoids. Wait… that word contains something that sounds familiar. That’s right, Endocannabinoids are natural compounds within the human body that are essentially identical to medicinal compounds found in cannabis.

“The process starts on the tongue, where fats in food generate a signal that travels first to the brain and then through a nerve bundle called the vagus to the intestines. There, the signal stimulates the production of endocannabinoids, which initiates a surge in cell signalling that prompts the wanton intake of fatty foods, lead researcher Daniele Piomelli said. This most likely occurs by initiating the release of digestive chemicals linked to hunger and satiety that compel us to eat more.”

So basically, eating fries gives us the munchies?  Great.  We already know that once you pop, you can’t stop.  So how is this information useful?

Well, now we know what they are and how they work, we can develop drugs that ‘clog’ cannabinoid receptors. Furthermore, “since these drugs wouldn’t need to enter the brain, they shouldn’t cause the central side effects – anxiety and depression – seen when endocannabinoid signalling is blocked in the brain, Professor Piomelli added.”

We use Pacifiers™ because they are “things that soothe and comfort”.  There’s nothing wrong with that, but many of us just don’t know when to stop.  At least now we can tackle the guilt of over eating with science.

So how does this French company sell parents “Baby Junk Food”?  …with a highly dubious reverse psychology.  It doesn’t help that the google translate for their site also makes their “case” even more amusing:

“You surely already wondered why your children did not like vegetables. The Babyfood company found the answer with the question that all the parents are posed. It is because the children eat small vegetable pots in their tender childhood, which they do not support any more to eat when they grow.

To counter this childish wave of protest, of the designers found a solution: it is enough to give them junk food in small pots! Yes, how hadn’t one thought of it earlier? The argument advanced by the company that produces these appetizing meals is that the trend will be reversed when he is older, your child will not want to eat dirt and quietly swallow his vegetables. Remains to be seen whether this idea really works and if it is not a good tip for parents: invest in a bike!”

Bahahaha awesome.  So if you feed pureed junk food to your babies, they will prefer vegetables when they grow older! Simple!

Pacifiers™ is about is about LIFE CUSHIONS.  Things that take the pressure off.  Now, I know that many parents would try all sorts of things to soothe their children and get them to eat their veges without a battle at every meal…. But hmmm, this is definitely a unique approach!

When I think alcohol – I think Pacifiers™.

But when I heard of cupcake flavored vodka – I thought Blechhh! Maybe I’m being too harsh though, because I actually don’t have much of a sweet tooth. So I put out a quick poll on my social networks: Gross or Yum? The response was quite mixed with extreme reactions on both sides…  lets just say the consensus was: sounds weird but would try it.

The company’s website was actually quite informative and I was glad to see they don’t just pour a bunch of artificial sweetners in there: “We don’t add any unnatural sweeteners, because we don’t want our Vodka exaggeratedly sweet; we want it clean, crisp and {you got it} delicious. We are proud to put our Cupcake name on these four super-premium flavors of Cupcake Vodka. So go ahead, Live Deliciously.”

The Pacifiers™ wave is all about things that “soothe and comfort”. Heck knows most of us need that kind of thing lately. In fact, one might even draw a correlation to the enormous cupcake craze taking off right around the economic crisis and political unrest. So I guess couple that with alcohol, and you have a perfect example of the Human Truth™ of Pacifiers™: something to “Make the world go away.”™

“TravAlert works by sending out a GPS ping every X number of seconds to figure out your location relative to your destination. Sleepy travelers can enter whether they’re on a bus or a train and their destination into the app, setting the alert for either minutes or miles away. You can also adjust the alarm’s sound, make it vibrate or even select a song from your phone’s song library.”

The Pacifiers™ Human Truth™ is: “Make the world go away.” It’s filled with things that make people’s lives easier… or as we like to call them: LIFE CUSHIONS.  TravAlert is is a simple yet effective example of  way of helping out the weary traveler.