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'Arrested Development' fans can hit Bluth's banana stand

As any true fan of “Arrested Development” knows, there’s always money in the banana stand.And Netflix is hoping that line—from the show’s patriarch George Bluth, Sr.—rings true as it rolls out real-life, pop-up Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana stands in New York and Los Angeles over the next few weeks to promote the re-launch of the sitcom. The chocolate-dipped frozen bananas will be f
banana stand
Arrested Development Bluth's Original Frozen Banana Stand opens for business ahead of \"Arrested Development\" premiering on Netflix on May 26, 2013.Richard Chambury / Today

As any true fan of “Arrested Development” knows, there’s always money in the banana stand.

And Netflix is hoping that line—from the show’s patriarch George Bluth, Sr.—rings true as it rolls out real-life, pop-up Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana stands in New York and Los Angeles over the next few weeks to promote the re-launch of the sitcom.

The chocolate-dipped frozen bananas will be free—one per customer, please!—and the stands will be bright yellow and banana-shaped, just like the one on the show.

Oh, and you’ll have to track down the banana treats on Twitter—Nexflix is being tight-lipped on the details, except to say that the stands will be in New York and L.A. in the weeks leading up to the May 26 premiere and that fans need to follow @ArrestedDev for daily locations and cast appearances. London got the first pop-ups this week.

For the uninitiated, the boardwalk banana stand played a fairly minor but memorable role in “Arrested Development,” the cult-favorite sitcom about a dysfunctional wealthy family struggling to keep their lives afloat after an embezzlement scandal.

Clad in dorky yellow shirts and blue aprons, the show’s protagonists, played by Jason Bateman and Michael Cera, earnestly run the banana stand—until they burn it to the ground one night, before learning that the family’s imprisoned grandpa (Jeffrey Tambor) had stuffed the walls with $250,000 in cash (prompting the line, “What did you think I meant when I said there’s money in the banana stand?!”).

The Emmy Award–winning comedy went off the air in 2006 after a brief three-season run—15 new episodes will be available to watch instantly on Netflix starting May 26—but we can’t help but wonder if the show is the inspiration behind some of the new gourmet bananas we’re seeing across the country.

Bananarchy in Austin, Texas offers build-your-own bananas, with dips and toppings like peanut butter, white chocolate, toffee, cinnamon and cookie crumbles. (Indeed, one menu item, named “The Gob,” is a definitive nod to Will Arnett’s “Arrested” character.)

And Tampa Bay, Fla., food truck Gone Bananas! offers frozen bananas made with vegan chocolate and organic toppings.

If you’re completely out of luck and there are no banana stands in your town, head to Target—even the department store chain is getting in on the action, with a Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana T-shirt featured in this week’s circular.