A single image is almost never the sole inspiration for a post.
Almost.
Yep, this person has a tattoo of what six-year-old Josh would call "The Indian and the star." This design came on Tootsie Pop wrappers throughout the 1990s and was at the center of a popular candy legend. The story goes something like this: Most Tootsie Pop wrappers have pictures of kids playing sports, friendly pets, and other boring nonsense. Only a few sported the elusive Native American. Those that bore his enitre outline, including the star, were allegedly redeemable at any store, ever, for a free lollipop. Many of my friends theorized that if you built up a long enough string of successful Indian finds, you could turn one lollipop into a thousand and enjoy an ulimited stream of free candy.
Of course, only a select few gas stations and mom-and-pop stores actually followed the Indian rule; Tootsie Pop's manufacturers never made it official policy. Still, where I grew up, it was usually possible to swing a cashier into parting with a lollipop if you were carrying the chief. Thinking back on this legend made me wonder about the other candy myths of past generations. Wonder turned to ambition and ambition turned into a Life Rewind. Call your dentist to apologize in advance, Ologists. This is Candy Mythbusters:
Was Bubble Yum gum really made with spider eggs?
When Bubble Yum debuted in 1975, people were mystified. The chewing gum of previous decades had essentially been little better than bright pink bricks. It was tough to chew and even tougher to make into proper bubbles. Then along came Bubble Yum, a sticky, supremely chewy confection that revolutionzed the chewing-on-stuff-that-isn't-food industry in America. People loved the gum but quickly started to wonder: What was the secret behind its peerless consistency? Bewildered kids soon theorized that spider eggs--maybe the slimiest thing occuring in nature pre-Jon Gosselin--were the culprit. Of course, this was way afield, but it went well and truly viral as summer vacation hit. To quell the rumor, Bubble Yum's manufacturers took out full-page newspaper ads proclaiming that "Someone is telling your children very bad lies about a very good product." The anti-smear campaign worked, and today, you can still pick up a pack of Bubble Yum at your local newsstand or convenience store. That means this one is False.
Are Green M&Ms really an aphrodisiac?
Short answer: No, they aren't. But M&Ms does play up the "green M&Ms make you horny" angle with a seductive female character representing the flavor. If different colored M&Ms can even be called flavors--I usually can't tell the difference.
Did Pop Rocks kill Mikey of Life cereal fame?
You know how the story goes: Mikey is the kid who will eat anything, and Pop Rocks are the only candy whose main selling point is explosive power. One day, somebody dares Mikey to binge on Pop Rocks and Coke, an allegedly fatal combination. A chemical reaction goes off in the poor kid's gullet and bang! No more Mikey. Is it true? Not even a little bit. Pop Rocks has a hilariously 90s website debunking the rumor. Apparently, this kid is now a hermit and doesn't like to talk about his career as a cereal spokeskid. Can you imagine? If I were the face of a cereal as delicious as Life, especially of the cinnamon variety, I'd tell freakin' everybody.
Were Life Savers designed (and named) to prevent choking?
This one's probably the most tragic story of them all. Apparently, some hard-candy addicts like myself once concocted the following touching tale: The creator of Life Savers originally wanted to make candy in the shape of small discs with no hole in the middle. When his young daughter choked on one, he incorporated the hole as a means to prevent further heartbreak. It's a nice, if costly, tale, but is it true? Nope! Life Savers' holes are a mechanical necessity: The machine that produces the candy leaves them as part of the process. They were named for actual life-saving equipment--the Titanic was big back then.
Well, I guess none of these stories were quite as impressive as they first sounded. If you're bummed, cheer yourself up with a piece of Bubble Yum or even a Tootsie Pop! We still haven't figured out how many licks it takes to get to the center...
[Top 10 Candy Myths]
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