'Sandlot' Star Patrick Renna Passes S'mores Expertise to Son in New Hershey's Ads (Exclusive)
Patrick Renna is passing his s'mores expertise to his son in a new Hershey's ad campaign that pays homage to his beloved character in The Sandlot.
In the 1993 coming-of-age baseball film, Renna played the spunky Hamilton "Ham" Porter, who had to explain the concept of s'mores-the graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow treat-to Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry). His character is known for the iconic line, "You're killing me, Smalls!"
Fast-forward to today, and Renna is a married father of three. He and his wife, Jasmine, share two sons, Flynn, 9, and Liam, almost 6, and a daughter, Lily, who turns 1 in early July.
In new ad spots for Hershey's "Heated Debate" campaign, Renna appears with his eldest child, Flynn, around a campfire as they compare their s'mores-making preferences. Renna is firmly in Camp Toasty, while his 9-year-old son is in Camp Gooey in one of the ads.
"Why aren't you toasting your marshmallow?" he asks Flynn in one of the ads, to which the boy explains, "'Cuz I like it gooey."
"OK, listen," the former child star tells him. "Renna men like it toasted. You stick the chocolate on the graham cracker and the toasty marshmallow on top." He then quipped, "Kinda famous for it."
"You're famous?" an unconvinced Flynn replies, before Renna concludes the ad by declaring, "Nothing makes a s'mores like Hershey's chocolate."
Related: Sandlot Child Star Is Unrecognizable in "Jacked" New Video
As part of the campaign, Hershey's invites folks to weigh in on whether they're Camp Toasty or Camp Gooey on social media. Simply tag @hersheys and use the hashtags #campgooey or #camptoasty on TikTok or Instagram starting on June 1 to participate.
Additionally, Hershey's is offering a Flavor Combos S'mores Kit that "puts a fun twist on the classic campfire treat with everything you need in one convenient box." Each kit includes:
- 3 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars
- 3 Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Caramel Bars
- 3 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
- 2 packs of graham crackers
- 1 bag of marshmallows
"Since Sandlot, s'mores have been such a big part of my life, and you can't make a s'more without Hershey's chocolate," Renna told Parade. "So I've always had sort of a nice, fond connection with them. So when they reached out, you know, it was a no-brainer. And I got to have my son in it, which was a lot of fun."
In addition to his partnership with Hershey's, Renna's has another exciting project coming up this summer: a YouTube short TV series that includes his Sandlot costars. "I'm filming it at the end of June with them," he told Parade. "It's called Little League Dad, so it's about the parenting behind the scenes of Little League."
For those wondering, yes, Renna has introduced his kids to The Sandlot-although he said he got them into 1985's The Goonies first. "Goonies was kind of my Sandlot," he explained. "So I really enjoyed watching them watch Goonies."
The former child actor continued, "Sandlot always has a different meaning for me, you know, I don't particularly like to sit down and watch the Sandlot. Though I was working at my desk watching them watch it, and I got kind of hooked into it the other day, and I went, 'Oh yeah, I see what everyone likes about this,' and it kind of got me a little emotional."
The Sandlot is streaming on The Roku Channel, Disney+, and Prime Video.
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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 7:00 AM.