More evidence of hoarding behavior

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My collection of SPAM cans began as a joke.

I was working on an anti-spam project at work, and some friends bought me a regular can of SPAM for my cube.

Things sorta snowballed from there.

The Collection

My SPAM collection, as of September 2009 (24 unique packages):

Feel free to use this picture - the more, the merrier! Here is the license:

This image of Royce's SPAM Collection by Royce Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 US License.

• Please link to this page in your attribution as "Royce's SPAM Collection" (or just "Royce SPAM" if you're short on space).
• You can use http://xrl.us/rspam as a short URL.
• Share and Enjoy!

I've seen the photos of my SPAM collection around the web - in PowerPoint presentations about email spam, in blogs, on Photobucket, and other places.

Here are some older pictures of my collection, under the same license:

• 2007-06 (21 unique cans) (search the web)
• 2005-04 (14 cans) (search the web)
• 2003-03 (10 cans) (search the web)

The Usual Suspects

Here is the lineup, with credit given (where I can remember):

Regular SPAM, different packaging:

• SPAM with "get SPAM stuff" blurb
• SPAM with "Free SPAMMOBILE" offer
• SPAM 70th Anniversary (acquisition)
• SPAM In Honor of Guam's Liberation (courtesy of Michael Jacques of Guam, 2009-09)

Standard 12oz size, different flavors:

• SPAM 25% Less Sodium (acquisition)
• SPAM 25% Less Sodium - 70th Anniversary (acquisition)
• SPAM 25% Less Sodium - Hawaii collector's edition (courtesy of Donna Graham)
• SPAM BBQ (?)
• SPAM Black Pepper (courtesy of Michael Jacques of Guam, 2009-09)
• SPAM with Cheese (?)
• SPAM Garlic (courtesy of Dan Solodon)
• SPAM Golden Honey Grail (courtesy of Pat Whitesell and Keith Riley)
• SPAM Hickory Smoke (?)
• SPAM Hot & Spicy (courtesy of Dan Solodon)
• SPAM Lite (courtesy of Dan Solodon)
• SPAM Lite - 70th Anniversary (acquisition)
• SPAM Oven Roasted Turkey (?)
• SPAM Oven Roasted Turkey - "New Great Taste" (as opposed to the original un-great taste) (?)
• SPAM with Real Hormel Bacon (direct acquisition from Casey Collins, April 2005)
• SPAM with Stinky French Garlic (UK edition, taller can, courtesy of Jason Alexander)

Different sizes and SPAM-based products

• SPAM - 7 oz oblong with plateful photo (and third-party "IT'S PORKTASTIC" label (a "You Don't Know Jack" reference), both courtesy of Josh Buesseler)
• SPAM - 7 oz oblong with burger (?)
• SPAM spread - 3 oz round can (acquisition?)
• SPAM Singles packet (courtesy of Keith Riley)

Spamalot variations

I actually have three variations of the Golden Honey Grail, but only one is pictured. They are:

• The empty one handed out at the New York debut of Spamalot (eBay acquisition)
• The full can available only from the factory (courtesy of Keith Riley)
• The full one for sale at the Vegas show (courtesy of Pat Whitesell)

Non-edible SPAM-related items:

• SPAM puzzle (courtesy of Curt Ehrhart)
• SPAM cookbook (courtesy of Ann Fernandez, not yet pictured)
• SPAM-ku: haiku book (?)
• SPAM can made into a coin bank (?)
• SPAMMOBILE toy car (acquisition? - not yet pictured)
• SPAM mug (courtesy of Robert Stiver, given to him by a Hormel employee! - not yet pictured)

On the Lam

There are a number of variations I'd still like to have in the collection. If you are aware of any other variations not listed here, please let me know!

Standard modern cans

• SPAM Smoke Flavoured (international variant of "Hickory Smoke")
• SPAM Mild
• SPAM A Great Taste Around The World - 2006 Football World Cup special edition
• SPAM unknown British limited edition - may be related to rugby:
• SPAM Lite - multiple alternate designs

International versions

• Japanese
• Korean - Fresh Onion, Mozzarella Chicken, Sweet Potato, Single Classic

Retired US forms

• Deviled SPAM - multiple sizes
• SPAM with Cheese Chunks
• SPAM Family Size
• SPAM Smoke Flavored ('70's edition)
• SPAM Special Economy Label
• SPAM round soup-sized can

Non-standard formats

• SPAM Spread
• SPAM 7oz Lower Sodium (25% and 50% versions)
• SPAM Spreaders - multiple formats - original, bacon, black pepper (British)
• SPAM Fritters
• SPAM Single Classic (updated version of the one in my collection)
• SPAM Single Turkey
• SPAM 50% Extra Free (British)
• Mexican variants Pavo (Turkey), Reducida en Grasa (Light), and multiple deviled ("endiablado") types, including regular, Jalapeño, Pimiento, and Champiñon (mushroom)
• SPAM Spread Snack Kit

Non-food items I'm interested in

• Spam 130pc Puzzle - same can size.
• Spam Dice Game - same can size.
• Spam Crazy Eights card game - same can size.

But of course, I'll never get them all.

Suicide Pill

No, I don't actually eat them! But since I'm allergic to eating birds, the office joke for a while was that I could take one for the team by popping the top off of a can of Turkey and wolfing it down before being interrogated by the competition (if they broke into our building in some act of physical corporate espionage).

Links

• foodists.ca is where I first found out that there was a special SPAM for Guam.
• The guy who writes the Splenda Sucks blog apparently has a much larger collection of canned meat, including SPAM variations that I don't have.
• Disturbingly, there are SPAM Hot Dogs in Hawaii (official Hormel link)
• Another collection.
• it.spiced.me has the Korean variations listed above.
• History of the SPAM Brand from Hormel.
• Flickr user 2yay has a SPAM collection.
• Flickr user spamburger has quite a SPAM cube.

Thanks to all enablers friends who have donated!

Royce D. Williams (royce@alaska.net)
http://www.alaska.net/~royce/spam/
was last updated 2010-01-24