From the AP comes this story about 7-11's clever tie-ins with the "Simpsons" movie, which include most stores selling Buzz Cola, Krusty-O's, and Bartman comics and twelve locations redressed entirely to appear as "Kwik-E-Marts."

While it's true that many 7-11 franchisees are of Indian descent, like the show's iconic Apu character, a company representative is quoted as saying that owners' reactions to the cross-marketing scheme were "overwhelmingly positive." Kumar Assandas, whose Henderson, NV 7-11 franchise is one of the few wrapped in industrial foam to appear as a Kwik-E-Mart, has the last words: "I know it's a stereotype, but it doesn't bother me. Everybody knows it's a joke. I'm a big 'Simpsons' fan myself, and maybe subconsciously it even inspired me to become a 7-Eleven owner."

Update: Here's what the "Kwik-E-Mart" in Denver looks like.