‘The Sandlot’ Star Patrick Renna Pitches For Hershey’s Summer S’mores Campaign

Patrick Renna shares a s’mores experience with his son.

Courtesy of Hershey’s

More than 30 years after he introduced Scott “Scotty” Smalls to the concept of s’mores in 1993’s The Sandlot, actor Patrick Renna (a.k.a. Hamilton “Ham” Porter, a.k.a. The Great Hambino) has officially returned to the campfire for Hershey’s new summer campaign.

“The tie-in with s’mores and Sandlot was the perfect collaboration,” he said over Zoom. “And then I got to have my son in it, too. We’re cooking s’mores around the fire, filming some fun commercial spots, and eating s’mores. It was a good time.”

Dubbed “Hershey’s Heated Debate,” the marketing initiative posits that there are two different types of s’mores eaters: Camp Gooey (those who roast the marshmallow until it’s perfectly golden brown) and Camp Toasty (those who enjoy their mallows burnt to a crisp).

“If you’re not a s’mores fan…it’s not that we’re not going to ever talk again, but it’s going to be a tough, tough friendship,” Renna said. “I actually don’t know anyone who doesn’t like s’mores. If you have an allergy, you’re good.”

In other words, he hasn’t changed his hardline stance since uttering the famous line, “You’re killing me, Smalls!” after Scott Smalls (Tom Guiry) revealed his appalling ignorance of s’mores during The Sandlot’s treehouse sleepover scene.

“I remember the director [David Mickey Evans] saying, ‘Okay, now Pat, I want you to say it like you’re looking at a fire-breathing dragon, and it’s just the craziest thing you’ve ever heard,’” Renna recalled. “I also think Tom Guiry is the unsung hero in that scene. He’s the straight man and plays it so well. He still cracks me up to this day in his performance there.”

Of the film’s enduring legacy, he added: “It’s just kind of built, built, built, and almost gets more and more as we go [along]. It’s crazy to watch.”

According to a report from Hershey’s, 69% of people fall into Camp Toasty, while 29% identify as Camp Gooey. The remaining 2% either don’t enjoy marshmallows or have no preference on what state the confection is in when it’s sandwiched between chocolate and graham cracker.

As the campaign’s ambassador, Renna takes a diplomatic view on the debate.

“You can’t really go wrong with either one,” he said. “I’m a Camp Toasty guy. I like to just engulf it in flames. I like it to really be hot, no matter what. Though you need to have a little patience and let it sit on the chocolate for a little bit, let everything kind of warm up, let it get a little melted down. But I prefer destroying the marshmallow, because it gets hot all the way through.”

For Renna, the appeal of making s’mores around a flickering campfire lies in the fact that “you can’t really mess [them] up,” he explained. “It’s not like you’re making a cobbler over an open flame. I think the do-it-yourself aspect is great. Also, how much chocolate are we putting on here? Are we doing one brick, two bricks? There are so many variations you can do.”

He continued: “While you’re roasting the marshmallow, you’re talking, you lose a marshmallow under the fire, everyone laughs. You’re doing two at a time. Some aren’t doing it right, some come out with the perfect one. It’s a fun experience. [At the same time], you’re chatting about important things in life. You’re not behind a screen, you’re actually conversing. I know it’s a wild idea, but…”

It harkens back to the early ’60s-era backdrop against which The Sandlot takes place. A mythical time before smart phones and social media, when kids spent every waking moment of summer vacation outside (weather permitting), riding their bikes around the neighborhood, forming pick-up baseball teams, or frequenting the community pool where Wendy Peffercorn worked as a lifeguard.

“I think that’s one of the reasons that the movie has stood the test time,” Renna mused. “There’s something innately nostalgic in period pieces. The ‘60s was my dad’s generation. That’s how they dressed, that’s what they did; they were playing on sandlots. It was cool for my dad to come to me and say, ‘That’s the outfit I wore at school,’ and things like that. I loved wearing those Converse. Now, it’s come full circle, and we all wear them anyway.”

He’s seen the film’s ability to transcend age groups as “three generations will now come up [to me] sometimes: the grandfather, the son, and the son’s kid,” he said. “That’s pretty special for someone to come in and say, ‘You’ve been in our living room for 30 years.’”

And now that he’s in a position of influence within the Hershey’s hierarchy, Renna can do what many of us cannot: lobby for the return of the company’s discontinued s’mores bar that enjoyed a nearly decade-long run between 2003 and 2012.

“Consider it done,” he joked. “I have the CEO on speed dial. Yeah, we are best friends now, but I will do my best. It definitely should come back.”