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business newsUrban Legends: Death By Pop Rocks
Snap, Crackle, and Pop got nothing on these bad boys.
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It comes as no surprise that a food item this unique is intimidating to some. It’s original manufacturer, General Foods, had to set up a hotline for parents just to assure them their children wouldn’t choke to death on the confections. But that’s not the legend we’ve all come to know.
Little Mikey was the face of General Mills’ (GIS) Life cereal. He was known as the kid who hated eating anything that was good for you. If he liked Life, then any kid could like it.
A few years after the Mikey commercial debuted, rumors began to spread that the kid had been the victim of a tragic accident.
Legend has it that, in the late 1970s, after consuming 6 bags of Pop Rocks and downing a 6-pack of Coke (KO) -- as we all do from time to time -- the substances mixed in his stomach resulting in an unexpected reaction which made Little Mikey explode, presumably into a million little pieces. Human combustion!
Here’s a little background on the product itself: It was invented in 1956 by General Foods research scientist William A. Mitchell. The company patented this magical new technology, which allowed carbon dioxide to be mixed with typical hard candy compounds during the heating process, causing air pockets to form. When put into the mouth (ideally when hungry, stoned, or 6 years old), the candy begins to melt and the air pockets explode, causing popping sounds and a delightful sizzling sensation.
When rumors of poor Mikey’s demise surfaced, General Foods went to great lengths to assure consumers of the product's harmlessness.
The pressure proved to be too much for the company, and in 1983 it stopped marketing Pop Rocks. In 1985, Kraft (KFT) bought the rights to the patent and began to sell the sweets as Action Candy, through a company named Carbonated Candy. Today, it's once again sold under the Pop Rocks name.
Rumor prognosis? Negative.
But the excitable candy isn't out of hot water yet, though.
In 2001, a Baskin-Robbins promotion brought the candy back into the limelight. "Shrek Swirl," a concoction of grape and sour apple sherbet riddled with tiny Pop Rocks, appeared as a tie-in to the insanely popular film from Universal (GE).
When the company refused to take the product out of stores -- since this was the first and only case of a Pop Rocks-related ER visit -- the girl’s family decided to sue. Unsurprisingly, they lost, and the flavor was brought back in 2004 to coincide with Shrek 2.
At the end of the day, Pop Rocks are as safe as a Jolly Rancher, or a Dum-Dum. But note: Minyanville does not endorse or condone the idea of ingesting 6 bags of the candy followed by a full 6-pack of cola.
That’s just disgusting.
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