Nabisco has released several interesting varieties of Oreo brand cookies over the years (Swedish Fish, anyone?), so it wasn't too surprising that some fans accepted as genuine an image they encountered online purportedly showing the company's latest offering — Graeter's Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Oreos.
However, this image did not originate with Nabisco, the division of Mondelēz International that produces Oreos, nor with Graeter's, an artisanal ice cream company. It was a "wish-list item" originally posted on the Instagram and Facebook pages of "The Junk Food Aisle," along with a plea for Nabisco to "make this happen":
This is hardly the first "new flavor" Oreos image to catch the attention of cookie aficionados. Although hoax flavors such as Fried Chicken Oreos, Spam Oreos, and Butterbeer Oreos quickly disappeared into Internet obscurity, Nabisco has produced at least one Oreos variety (Red Velvet Oreos) that initially appeared as an online rumor.