Deadmau5 and Tim Hortons are at it again. The Canadian DJ (whose real name is Joel Zimmerman) and the iconic coffee chain continued their sprinkle-coated love affair on Thursday when Zimmerman stopped by the Tim Hortons’ test kitchen.
The DJ, originally from Niagara Falls, Ont., worked in the kitchen with the brand’s chefs to create a series of donuts inspired by the mouse head mask he wears on stage.
This isn’t the first time Tim Hortons has created a donut in the likeness of Zimmerman’s costume and logo. Last March, he tweeted the brand asking it to make a deadmau5 donut and it quickly responded with a photo of a mouse head (“mau5head”) made out of timbits.
That tweet was an instant social hit for the brand, collecting more than 500 retweets after Zimmerman shared it with his 3 million followers.
Zimmerman’s recent visit to the test kitchen was documented and shared by the brand, his record label, Universal Music Canada, and on his own account, @deadmau5.
Tim Hortons has yet to respond to Marketing‘s request to chat about Zimmerman’s latest ties to the brand, but last spring it said it had “no formal business relationship with the DJ.”
Despite the lack of paid sponsorship, Zimmerman has drummed up plenty of PR for the brand. In the past, he’s taken everyone from Pharrell to Skrillex to Rob Ford to Tim Hortons on his “coffee run” web series.
His interactions with the brand date back to 2012, when Tim Hortons sent him a coffee maker, prompting what would become a series of ecstatic, brand-happy tweets. ““THANK YOU!!!! @TimHortons !!” he tweeted. “I love you. You are my best friend.”
Here’s a look at Zimmerman’s creations:
