Not only are myths and urban legends fun to read about – it’s also a lot of fun trying to find out exactly how they started. Plus, candy is, well, great, so we decided to put the two together to bring you the Top 5 Candy Myths of all time.
No. 5: Exploding Jawbreaker
As the story goes, if you put a jawbreaker in the microwave it will explode. Well, someone over at MythBusters decided to put this myth to the test and – guess what? It’s true! No one really knows why this happens, but heating zapping a jawbreaker definitely turns into a dangerous sugar bomb – SO DON’T TRY IT AT HOME!
No. 4: Caffeinated Chocolate
Ever heard someone swear chocolate works just as well as coffee when you want to stay up late? As it turns out, this “fact” is only kinda sorta true. There’s actually only a tiny little amount of caffeine in chocolate (about 10 mg per ounce, tops) – it really won’t help if you’re fighting against sleep.
No. 3: LifeSavers’ Story
The story behind the name of this famous round candy is pretty tragic: the inventor originally made the treats without holes in the middle. When he asked his daughter to try one she choked and died. So he added the hole in the center to prevent the same tragedy from happening again. But the real story is a lot less dramatic. In 1912 Clarence Crane started producing peppermint candy; he quickly discovered the machine he was using to make the candies worked better if they each had a hole in the center. To him, they looked like lifesavers that lifeguards use in swimming pools, so that’s what he named his invention.
No. 2: Brown M&Ms
Some musicians are pretty picky, but none even come close to Van Halen. Whenever the 80s rock band went on tour they requested a bowl of M&Ms in their dressing room with all the brown M&Ms removed. If they found even one brown candy in the bowl they’d trash the place or refuse to perform. The myth here is that brown M&Ms taste different (worse) than the other colors. Not true. The request was just a test to make sure whoever was setting up the stage for VH was doing everything properly and according to safety standards.
No. 1: Bubble Yum Spiders
Bubble Yum hit the American market in 1975. Before it came on the scene, hard, brittle, carboard-y chewing gum was the flavor. But Bubble Yum changed all that with its soft, chewy texture and juicy flavors. So lots of gum-chewers were concerned when someone started a rumor that the bubble gum contained spider parts – legs, arms and even eggs. The story got so out of control that Bubble Yum had to fight the rumors by taking out full-page ads in newspapers across the country.
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