All hail Cup Noodle instant ramen, the iconic styrofoam-packed snack (or sometimes meal) that’s sustained American college students, office temps and basement-dwelling gamer geeks since 1971! While most supermarkets and convenience stores stock the basic Chicken, Beef and Vegetable flavors, there’s a world of exotic, hypnotic and quixotic Cup Noodles out there that you can’t get here – even if you wanted to. Here are a dozen of the weirdest.

Campbell’s Noodle Chicken

(images via: Ceron, Family Caravan and Saya_Foxhill)

Mmm, mmm good, or just good to go? Campbell’s Instant Noodle Chicken combines the best of both worlds – or at least the best of each hemisphere – in a single, lightweight cup. The result looks familiar yet foreign regardless of where you hail from.

(image via: Gigazine)

Campbell’s Instant Noodle Chicken came about as a collaborative venture between Campbell’s, Nissin Foods and Costco Japan, where the dehydrated delights have been sold by the case since last November. It’s anyone’s guess why Campbell’s hasn’t bolstered their domestic canned soup line with something the younger generation should eat right up. C’mon Campbell’s, where’s your can do spirit? Er, can don’t?

Cup Noodles Mini Gunpla

(images via: Ringology and Zhang Jingna)

“Waiter, there’s a Gundam in my soup!” And so there should be, since Gundam and Nissin teamed up last September to celebrate Cup Noodle’s 40th anniversary. The limited time promotion featured 4 different “gunpla” (plastic snap-together Gundam models) housed in kit form and attached to the tops of individual Cup Noodle cups.

(image via: Zhang Jingna)

For Gundam geeks who care about these things, and oh boy do they ever, the available models were Gundam RX78, ZAKU II, CHAR ZAKU II and the DOM. The models bore the distinction of being the smallest Gundam model kits ever made: 1/380 scale!

Cup Nudeln Broccoli

(images via: The Philippines and Beyond)

“Vile weed!” C’mon Newman, you know the Germans always make good stuff but “Cup Nudeln Broccoli” sounds awful, even if it was deep fried in chocolate sauce, which it ain’t.

(image via: FDDB)

Who could possibly appreciate broccoli-flavored ramen, besides your Mom providing she doesn’t have to eat it herself? Perhaps the name of the photographer who brings us the above image offers some clue… it’s CharlyManson. Any more questions?

Cup Noodle Bacon

(images via: A DST, Tomobun and That’s Nerdalicious)

From Hell to Heaven in a styrofoam cup, it’s Bacon Ramen, y’all! Of course, dehydrated and re-hydrated bacon might not be the best way to enjoy the esteemed fruit of the noble swine but beggars can’t be choosers and one takes what life (or in this case, Nissin) doles out. Besides, anything (and we do mean ANYTHING) has to be better than Cup Noodle Broccoli… Nudeln, whatever.

(images via: CupNoodle.jp, Studio BOON and Photozou)

And for those who need more starch with their noodles, try BIG Cup Noodle Bacon Potato Mayonnaise… er, we could do without that last ingredient but Japanese are reluctant to hold the mayo no matter what. At least Nissin is nice enough to provide the mayonnaise in a separate packet that comes stuck to the top of the cup. Pour in the boiling water, wait 3 minutes, open the lid and squeeze out a dollop of ivory white joy… ohhh yeahhh!

Meat King

(images via: CupNoodle.jp and IMKing)

Pork may be the meat of kings but when it comes to big, meaty Cup Noodles the king is… Meat King! For just 170 yen (about $1.90) per cup you get a seriously heaping helping of beef cubes, diced chicken, and minced pork flavored with pepper and soy sauce. How serious, you ask? The 80 grams (2.82 oz) of meat outweighs the 60 grams (2.11 oz) of noodles.

(images via: Nishi and SIDE)

Meat King is one of several “BIG” Cup Noodles that take the erstwhile snack deep into the meal red zone. Curious that while the supersizing fast food trend is in retreat across the USA, in Japan it’s not only surviving but thriving.

Cup Noodle Tacos

(images via: @DROP)

If your stereotypical fast-food fanatic geek-o-nerd could choose his ideal meal, it’d probably be Doritos Nacho Extreme Ramen or something like that… and lo & behold, the Ramen Gods (or Nissin, at least) were listening. How else to explain Cup Noodle Tacos?

(images via: CupNoodle.jp and @DROP)

Cup Noodle Tacos includes beef, tomatoes, cabbage, onions, cheddar cheese and spices mixed to impart the aroma of tortillas. It can be prepared two ways as well: the usual “add boiling water and wait 3 minutes” procedure or just add water and pop the cup in the microwave. ¡Yo quiero Cup Noodle Tacos!

New Orleans Style Gumbo Noodle

(images via: Spicebrothers, Kanshin.com and HASH)

“Let’s eat together with sandwich!”, goes the tag line for Maruchan’s New Orleans Style Gumbo Noodle… for reasons known only to the head honchos at Maruchan. Though not an official Cup Noodle variety made by Nissin, Maruchan’s outrageous entry in the Ramen Wars stands out simply for being Louisiana Gumbo, made & sold only in Japan.

(image via: Mental Masala)

New Orleans Style Gumbo Noodle features “spicy hotness” diffused through an Okra-based sauce and flat noodles. Not a speck of rice to be seen… dem Cajun’s, dey gonna be a’ragin’!

Cup Noodle Batchoy

(images via: Flavours of Iloilo)

Batchoy is a Philippine specialty originating in Iloilo City that’s something like Haggis Soup. Typical ingredients include pork organs (liver, spleen, kidneys and heart) crushed pork cracklings, vegetables, shrimp, beef loin, shrimp broth, and chicken stock… now in a handy portable version!

(images via: Philikosa, Sari-Sari Store and Kahit_Saan)

Until Nissin actually introduces Cup Noodle Haggis (and you know it won’t be long), you’ll have to be satisfied with Cup Noodle Batchoy or its kissin’ cousin, Cup Noodle Bulalo… that’s Beef Bone Marrow flavor to the uninformed by the way.

BIG Cup Noodle Chicken Rush

(images via: CupNoodle.jp and Kumu)

How big is BIG Cup Noodle Chicken Rush? When you open the lid, it echoes with the sounds of salesmen. Salesmen! Sorry, couldn’t resist – and it’s likely YOU won’t be able to resist this cloyingly complex concoction should you ever have the chance to try it; a circumstance that either requires you to be in Japan or have a friend there willing to mail some to you.

(image via: Gulliver Diary)

We’re not saying BIG Cup Noodle Chicken Rush is close to delicious, mind you, just closer to the heart… OK, enough RUSH refs, promise. Some of the key ingredients are music to any ramen-lover’s taste buds, however: cabbage, scrambled eggs and diced red bell peppers. If that doesn’t give you a Chicken Rush, what will?

Manhattan Clam Chowder Cup Noodle

(images via: Kuimakuru)

Of all the soups less likely to get the Cup Noodle treatment, Clam Chowder would surely top the list. “Challenge accepted”, sez Nissin… is there anything those guys can’t whip up & dry out? Even better, this interesting tomato clam chowder soup is stated to be “Range Style”… do they use Free Range Clams or something? Maybe it’s just the latest entry in the ever-expanding Nissin Cup Noodle range of styles.

(images via: Kuimakuru)

So you don’t like Manhattan Clam Chowder and prefer the New England variety? Even in Cup Noodle format?? No problem, Cup Noodle’s got you covered even if a steaming reconstituted cup might just get you permanently banned from Bahston Hahbuh.

SDF Cup Noodle

(images via: Yu30Sama and Training Ration)

They say an army travels on its stomach, and that old maxim goes for an army of geeks, an Army of Darkness, or the Japanese Army. The latter, known since WW2 as the non-threatening-sounding SDF (“Self Defense Forces”) doesn’t get much choice in their military-issue Cup Noodles but they DO get them: in specially marked Soy Sauce and Seafood flavors.

(images via: HyperDouraku, Tsukimiyu and LongLongAgo)

SDF Cup Noodle is sold through a number of domestic websites so you don’t have to enlist to enjoy. Honestly though, you’re not missing much if you miss it: side-by-side comparisons with their civilian Cup Noodle counterparts indicate the Japanese GIs are left holding the wet end of the noodle.

Wild & Mild Cup Noodle

(images via: Gigazine)

It really seems like you can get Cup Noodle instant ramen in almost any flavor from wild to mild… actually, INCLUDING Wild and Mild! Yes indeed, Cup Noodle WILD Hot Chili Pepper and MILD Creamy Chicken are a match made in heaven, or hell, or more likely somewhere in between: such as the Cup Noodle test kitchen. Gotta hand it to Nissin, they’ll go to any extreme in order to satisfy their fan base.

(images via: Kokoku Kaigi)

Had enough of Cup Noodle? Of course you haven’t, unless you’re some sort of geek jet setter who makes it his business to try every possible Cup Noodle flavor from Finland to Formosa and back again. We’ll just post the abridged smorgasbord above so you’ll see some of the other offbeat flavor savors we didn’t cover in depth.

(image via: OC Weekly)

Cup Noodle connoisseurs should make it a point to visit the Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama, Japan, where getting into hot water is a good thing! Opened in September of 2011 to coincide with Cup Noodle’s 40th anniversary, the museum offers snackers, slackers and undercover hackers a glimpse into the mind of Cup Noodles inventor, the late great Momofuku Ando.

(images via: Huffington Post and YouOffendMeYouOffendMyFamily)

If you get hungry during your visit (and you know you will), pop into the on-site My Cup Noodle Factory where you can whip up your very own custom Cup Noodle with ingredients allowing for 5,460 flavor combinations. Ramen to that!

Computer viruses aren’t the only infections you have to worry about, especially if you’re a geek, gamer and/or gadgeteer who lives in the scary, paranoid land of germaphobia. These 10 neat gadgets target both germaphobic geeks and the evil nano-beasties that torment them.

The Cole Cleaner

(images via: Switched and Nuka-Cola.com)

These pixels are making me thirsty! Join the club, friend, and crack open a cold one for yourself as well… but not before you annihilate any unseen pathogens that might be (ha!) lurking on the can. Leon Peng designed The Cole Cleaner just for you paranoid drinkers who can’t be bothered to go upstairs and get a glass from the kitchen.

(image via: Yanko Design)

The Cole Cleaner’s mission is to make the world safe from unwanted bacteria, one can at a time. Install your aluminum-encased beverage of choice into Peng’s sterilizer and watch (not too closely) your can get blasted wuth UV radiation, rendering it free from infectious organisms. Too bad it’s now going to touch your biohazard of a mouth.

Vioguard Self-Sanitizing Computer Keyboard

(images via: Vioguard.com and Geekwire)

It’s hard to imagine any piece of computer hardware that’s touched more than one’s keyboard – to use it is to touch it, basically. Wouldn’t it be nice to start each working (or playing) day with a brand new, clean-as-a-whistle keyboard? Now there’s the next best thing: the Vioguard Self-Sanitizing Computer Keyboard.

(images via: Vivalageek and InventorSpot)

The Vioguard Self-Sanitizing Keyboard is a self-disinfecting computer keyboard slides back into a specially designed sheaf after using, where germicidal UV-C ultraviolet light beams its way into those tiny nooks and crannies where infectious germs hide. It only takes a few seconds to eliminate those harmful microorganisms it took hours for you to put there.

Handheld Disinfectant Steam Cleaner

(images via: Amazon.com, HSN and Hoover.com)

“Give me steam, and how you feel to make it real, real as any place you’ve been…” That was Peter Gabriel, a dude who knows a bit about steam and what it can do for you, your desktop, your filthy electronic devices and the rest of your grubby lifestyle.

(image via: Red Ferret)

UV is cool and all, but when heat (203°F heat, to be exact) is required to wipe out viruses and mold as well as stubborn bacteria like E. Coli and Staphylococcus, the Hoover Handheld Disinfectant Steam Cleaner comes into its own. This handy device heats up in just 3 minutes and comes with two steam nozzles and a window squeegee… for cleaning windows, not Windows.

Shocking Thumb Wars

(images via: Firebox and Deviltronics)

Back in the days when kids walked 3 miles to school and back through raging blizzards and fashionable men wore onions on their belts, which was the style at the time, Thumb Wars was the game of games! Nowadays, however, no young OCD-afflicted whippersnapper wants to touch some other young OCD-afflicted whippersnapper’s thumb… and that’s why we have Shocking Thumb Wars.

(image via: Firebox)

Shocking Thumb Wars removes the actual hands-on warring of actual germ-infested thumbs in favor of digitized thumb-operated games titled 50/50, Rebound and Endurance. The latter variation is reminiscent of those weird CIA experiments in which some test subjects were allowed to shock other test subjects and were found to enjoy it. This is pretty much the home version.

Plane Clean Air Filter

(images via: Gizmodo, Plane Clean Air and Giz Wiz Search)

Germophobic types often have a fear of flying that has nothing to do with the plane crashing: it’s the air they’re worried about. Scaremongering headlines about supposedly sickness-inducing recycled air have got folks reaching for their… Plane Clean Air Filters!

(image via: Allergy One)

Just snap on of these blue babies over on of the the overhead air nozzles (also known as a “gasper nozzle”) and rest comfortably knowing the Plane Clean Air Filter is busily removing more than 99.5% of the airborne visuses, bacteria, allergens and other particulate matter from the air stream. AS for your cabin-mates, they’ll be slightly less comfortable as they wonder what the heck that blue thing is stuck to the overhead console.

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It’s well known that smashing something – a dish, a TV, a watermelon, or whatever else is within reach – is great therapy when you’re stressed. All over the world, clubs and organizations are popping up for the sole purpose of bringing frustrated people together to smash stuff. But there is nothing else quite like The Destruction Company, an exclusive private club in New Jersey that allows wealthy people to whack the stuffing out of just about anything.

(all images via: Daily Mail)

The Destruction Company is not your run-of-the-mill plate-smashing operation. It’s an exclusive club based in a secret New Jersey warehouse that is open only to the most wealthy clients. The club allows its members to seek revenge on the objects they most despise: technology, automobiles, or maybe those dumb little knick-knacks your ex-wife was always fussing over.

For a confidential annual fee (plus the cost of whatever the member decides to wail on) rich folks can destroy expensive electronics, cars, clothing – as long as it’s not a living creature or documents of any kind, The Destruction Company will acquire the target object. Less imaginative members can pick from a pre-set list of smashable items. On the day of the smash-fest, a chauffeured car comes around to pick up the club member and take him to a private warehouse. He can choose from a number of protective outfits – umpire, hockey goalie, medieval knight – and weapons – we imagine samurai swords are a popular option.

The party then moves to the roof of the abandoned warehouse, where the club member is free to go nuts on the chosen object. Cameras capture the destruction and members are sent home with video records of their exploits so they can re-live their moments of glory at home. As in any good human vs. object fight club, there are a few restrictions: no fire, no guns, no drinking or drugs on the day of the smash-up. But don’t think you can fight your way into this club; membership is only granted with sponsorship from an existing member. And this is no boys’ club – club representatives say that around 40 percent of their members are females. Even ladies need to let their inner Hulk out once in a while.

Although some may see this blatant wastefulness as a crime against humanity (or maybe a boon for the economy), it would seem to be a better use of disposable income than nightclubs and sushi. According to the club’s administrators, The Destruction Company isn’t about violence; it’s about experiencing freedom from the objects that vex you the most.

Even geeks have got to eat, and when pizza’s just not enough, there’s cake. Not just any cake either – the surest route to geek satisfaction is a slice of pi. Pie, that is. The first twenty artistic and geeky cakes uncovered more sweet servings then you could shake your Wii at, so sharpen up the knives and prepare for sugar shock from scrumptious Super Mario to sacrilicious Barack Obama!

(image via: GayGamer)

Geeks come in many varieties: gamers, techies and fanboys just to name a few. A roll of the 12-sided dice points to the gamers, who lead off with the above classic Mario Cake. Save some for Luigi!

(image via: WoW forums)

Mario may be one of the original game characters but many geeks have moved on to more adult-oriented pursuits. No, not those pursuits (though the cake possibilities are enticing); more advanced games such as World of Warcraft. The above cake is sure to make anyone, regardless of their level, go WoW!

(image via: Eden Cakes)

Here’s another World of Warcraft cake but for this one, you’d better be working overtime at the gold mines. Eden Cakes charges $350 for this repro WoW building but at least it provides 25 servings… do hardcore Warcrafters have that many real friends?

(image via: Eric Vass)

Interactive games like Guitar Hero are getting more geeks out of their chairs, only to get them back there once its time for dessert. This groovy Guitar Hero cake was made by Eric Vass for an Engadget design composition, in which he finished second. It’s made using a real, working Guitar Hero controller. His Mom might be less than pleased but at least Vass got to eat the cake.

(image via: Rufus50)

Nintendo’s smash hit Wii game system has spawned more cakes than you can shake your Wii at, but Wired’s faux Martha Stewart cover takes the cake (never mind that it’s a cardboard prop). Geeksugar (an appropriate source for this post if there ever was) provides this image of the prop and beside it, the real deal from Flickr user Rufus50, a guy whose cake-decorating talent rivals even mahvelous Martha.

(image via: Rufus50)

Rufus50 designs cakes for geeks and non-geeks alike, but the, er, organic Brain Cake at above top left was made for the ultimate uber-geek, a brain surgeon.

(image via: Choconancy and Kimmyskakes)

Geeks do get married – at least, those with a Gates-ian knack for turning their obsessions into cash have a much better chance. Even run-of-the-mill, “Beauty and the Geek” types can find their match though the magic moment may have happened in an online chat room. The above wedding cakes pay tribute to guys & gals who have broken the stereotype of Geekdom, preferring to procreate rather than procrastinate.

(image via: Blog Wired and CakeWrecks)

Speaking of procreation, the cake creation at above left salutes the miracle of birth, well, pre-birth – in true geek style, thanks to the edible ink photo. Who else would celebrate with an Ultrasound Cake? Says the proud papa, “We thought this was hilarious (if slightly creepy, in a good way).” Just to the right is another example of edible ink photography that completes any celebration of successful potty training.

(image via: Yumsugar)

Not so hilarious and more than slightly creepy is this cake by British sugar artist Michelle Wibowo. The following high-speed video features Wibowo herself creating the baby cake, accompanied by disturbing techno Flight Of The Bumblebee background music.

(image via: Cakesuite)

Sports are thought to be an obsession of jocks, but even sports fanatics can go all geek-tastic on over-the-top cakes – like the Yankees and Mets stadium cakes shown above. It ain’t over til it’s over… or until the fat lady gobbles up the last crumb.

(image via: Strangesports)

Both Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium are soon to be no more, but we’ll always have Kyle Field – depicted here in miniature (though the term is relative) above images of the actual stadium. Kyle is where the Texas A&M Aggies play, and this cake looks big enough for the entire school cheerleading squad to jump out of!

(image via: KQED and Snarkygurl)

Good cake tends to make everyone pig out, so why not go with the flow? The Ham and Bacon cakes above look deliciously wrong.

(image via: Alvin Robina and About The Cake)

The Cockroach and Dung Beetle cakes above are just wrong, period, unless they’ve been made especially for a budding young scientist. Even so… a dung beetle cake??

(image via: CakeWrecks)

Artistic license doesn’t stop at imitating the wonders of the insect world. Feast your eyes (and one ear) on these Van Gogh Starry Night cakes.

(image via: Cake Italy)

Van Gogh is famed for his haunting self portraits but the ultimate geek homage has to go to those world leaders who make themselves the object of their nation’s adoration. What better way to do that than with a cake? Created by Yuri Shabelnikov in the late 1990s, the life-size Lenin cake above was (unlike the late Soviet leader) quickly eaten by onlookers shortly after being put on display.

(image via: Wonkette)

Will this year’s presidential candidates fair any better? If the tasty selection of Barack Obama cakes above is any indication, the personality cult is more than a half-baked idea. So, does Obama have the geek vote? If cakes are the barometer, he sure does – McCain and Palin cakes are about as rare as lipstick-wearing pitbulls – and that’s one cake we’d all like to see!

Even geeks, believe it or not, like to party, and this sweet selection of artistic confection showcases the many ways geeks can have their cake and eat it too – with or without an .exe file baked inside. No, these cakes are not a lie (if you don’t get the reference, you may still be a geek.)

CLICK HERE to see 10 MORE hilariously creative geek cakes.

(image via: Pimp That Snack)

Before there were comps, there were cubes… Rubik’s Cubes. This 1980s icon of geek culture is still going strong today, and the above colorful concoction would make a great celebratory centerpiece for a speed-cubing competition.

(image via: Scribe of Dreams)

This slightly simpler Rubik’s Cube cake above has Butter Pecan cake and Chocolate cake on the inside, covered (slathered might be a better word) with lots of colorful icing. The generic style of this cake along with the lack of lettering makes it ideal for any geekish occasion, not just a birthday.

(image via: Spoonman)

The first arcade video games changed the way youth culture looked at computers, free time and quarters… by combining them! Tetris, Space Invaders and Asteroids have all been immortalized in one way or another, but perhaps not as deliciously as the Asteroids cake shown above. What better way to savor the sweet sense of victory than by eating the high score?

Pac-man is another early videogame that, thanks to the design of the game and the characters, lends itself to creative constructions of all kinds. The baked desserts from (above, clockwise) Cakehead, Elanso and DandelionDesign look too good to last long without being gobbled up.

(image via: Geekarmy)

Movies and TV are also great fodder for geek cakes, especially sci-fi and that means Star Trek and Star Wars. Trekkies giddy to go where no man (or “no one”, for TNG fans) has gone before will find themselves transported with glee when presented with this, er, enterprising creation. Check out the detail, down to Kirk’s casual pose and Spock’s Vulcan ears.

(image via: Kozy Radio and Ivory Tower Cakes)

For those with less time and considerably less obsession, the above pair of Trek cakes convey the message without going all Neelix-like in the kitchen. Galley. Whatever. “Live Long and Prosper” is actually an ideal birthday wish, regardless of its geeky origins.

(image via: GreatWhiteSnark)

Star Wars has its own set of geek fans and some of the larger creations pack enough sugar, carbs and cholesterol to make Darth Vader turn pale. Get ready to chew-bacca like Jabba on these sinfully delicious cinematic cakes, and… may the forks be with you!

(image via: Regionchamps1997)

If Mom made you a Death Star birthday cake, you might want to have li’l sis taste test it first. Seriously, the Death Star? On your Birth Day? Well, things could always be worse…

Continue to Page 2: 10 More Creative Geek Cakes

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20 Creative Artistic And Geeky Cake Designs