Words by Andrea Drobna.

You canÔÇÖt seem to escape it; every time you open Instagram, your feed inundated with perfectly picturesque food. Shot in both flawless lighting and in location, they succeed in making you hungry and extremely jealous at the same time. Through the hashtags ÔÇÿ#foodstagramÔÇÖ, and #foodpornÔÇÖ, there lies a surplus of food inspiration at your fingertips, perfect for following the latest trends. From elaborate avocado toasts to cr├¬pes and lattes, Instagram has seen it all with 2017 becoming a memorable year for the introduction of ÔÇÿunicorn foodÔÇÖ. As people became obsessed with making any food creation unicorn themed, Instagram was overcome with pink and purple glittery foods. From cupcakes to cakes, milkshakes to traybakes, unicorn coloured food remains everywhere in 2018 and it doesnÔÇÖt show signs of stopping.

Early in 2017, food blogger Adeline Waugh posted a picture of her breakfast to Instagram using natural food colouring like beetroot and spirulina to add a spark of colour to her simple cream cheese on toast recipe. Soon after, comments started to pour in claiming that it looked just like a unicorn and were excited to recreate and repost the magical toast. Waugh told the New York Times that she never expected to start a trend, but once it took off, the response was unimaginable. Many of the new unicorn creations popping up were far from natural, straying far from the initial recipe for the fun-coloured food. Restaurants like The Bagel Store, already famous for colourful bagels filled with Funfetti-style cream cheese, gained immense amounts of popularity with other food spots quick to jump on the bandwagon. Some of the other most popular colourful food stops within New York include MollyÔÇÖs cupcakes, selling rainbow cupcakes with sparkly unicorn frosting, alongside New Territories, famous for their unicorn milkshake. The trend was slowly growing all around the world, and people were loving it.

Although the number of restaurants selling unicorn-themed food was increasing but nobody escalated the trend more than one of the largest coffee companies in the world, Starbucks. Initial rumours of a Starbucks unicorn Frappuccino first emerged on Reddit with ABC 7 having reported on employees posting pictures of mysterious new ingredients arriving at the stores that nobody had ever seen before. People on Instagram were naturally ecstatic. Once the launch date had been set, everyone wanted to be the first to try out the crazily chaotic and colourful concoction. Despite only being on the Starbucks menu for a week, there was a total of approximately 180,000 pictures of the drink up on Instagram, according to UBS research. Although some criticized the drink for its sour and unpleasant taste, it was clear that people couldnÔÇÖt get enough.

Almost a year after the unicorn trend started, firms are still hooked and invested on launching new and exciting unicorn themed food items. Just last month, B&M launched a new unicorn food range including magical straws and chocolate. Equally, customers are still grabbing unicorn ÔÇÿfreakshakesÔÇÖ at MaxwellÔÇÖs in Covent Garden, London.

ItÔÇÖs well known that viral food trends tend to have a short life-span, so why has the unicorn craze continued on for so long? What makes it stand out and why are firms so persistent on keeping it alive? In an interview with Vox, Jane Buckingham, head of trend forecasting company Trendera, touched on the unicorn being a symbol of millennial nostalgia; a reminisce of a carefree youth. Bucking believes that with the amount of negativity in the world around us, itÔÇÖs important for people to find symbols of hope and positivity, for many, that is embodied by the unicorn. The LGBTQ+ community has also come to identify with the unicorn, drawing in support with unicorn themed merchandise with slogans such as ÔÇ£Gender is ImaginaryÔÇØ. With unicorns symbolising the power of magic and imagination, unicorn themed food not only supports ideas of hope and positivity in multiple communities, but also allows for fun and exciting challenges for those working in the food industry. Despite some who feel discontented with the trend, it has played an important role in our society, and will continue to until the next food trend inevitably comes along to dethrone it. No matter what the next trend may be, memories of the pink and purple sparkly foods will always be in our hearts.