The Untold Truth Of Pop Rocks

In the pantheon of candy, it's doubtful that any sweet treat has benefitted more from scientific experimentation than Pop Rocks, the iconic candy that became famous and ultimately notorious for creating tiny "explosions" inside kids' mouths. Introduced to an unsuspecting market way back in 1974, children of the era couldn't get enough of this carbonated confection that amazingly simulated the feeling of fireworks going off inside one's skull.

With an origin that actually extends all the way back to the 1950s, Pop Rocks have been the source of scandal, urban legends, parental fear, and damage-control public-relations campaigns. In fact, it's not hyperbole to say that Pop Rocks may well be the most misunderstood commercially produced candy ever.

Despite the product's long history and enduring popularity with the younger set, how much do candy connoisseurs really know about this wholly unique candy creation? Keep reading to discover some truly fascinating facts by taking a deep dive into the untold truth of Pop Rocks.

Pop Rocks was far from the only food product to spring from the inventive mind of William A. Mitchell. As Smithsonian Magazine recalled, Mitchell was also responsible for some of the most iconic items found on supermarket shelves during the 1950s and 1960s

It was back in 1957, in fact, that Mitchell invented a Day-Glo orange-colored flavored crystal that, when mixed with water, turned into a faux orange juice, dubbed Tang. Tang made history when it was taken into space by astronauts, used to disguise the metallic taste of the water aboard NASA spacecraft. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin drank it during his famed space missions, but wasn't a fan, telling NPR years later that "Tang sucks."

A decade later, Mitchell hit a double home run when, in 1967, he patented a powdered gelatin that would set with water, which General Foods would later turn into quick-set Jell-O. He followed that up the same year with a non-dairy whipped cream alternative called Cool Whip, which was so embraced by consumers that it quickly became its division's most profitable product.

One of the most prevalent beliefs associated with Pop Rocks is that the candy is actually dangerous — as in, lethally dangerous. As Snopes recalled, an urban myth took hold as early as the 1970s, declaring that some child somewhere scarfed several bags of Pop Rocks in combination with soda and died after his stomach swelled with gas and then exploded. That, of course, never happened, yet the unfounded rumor spread far and wide, leading many people to believe that Pop Rocks were downright deadly.

"There is no danger," Pop Rocks creator William A. Mitchell assured People. "The worst thing the rocks could do is make you burp. The amount of gas in Pop Rocks is less than one-tenth the amount in a can of soda pop."

In fact, an episode of Discovery's Mythbusters successfully disproved the claim that Pop Rocks and soda would make one's stomach burst. After testing it out with an elaborate experiment involving a pig's stomach, hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage ultimately concurred with Mitchell's claim about the burping, but concluded the Pop Rocks-soda combo simply didn't produce enough gas to fatally explode a human stomach.

The urban legend that Pop Rocks were slaughtering America's children spread like a virus, and became so prevalent that General Foods was forced to take some extreme measures. In 1979, notes an FAQ on the Pop Rocks website, the company took out a full-page ad that it ran in 45 major publications throughout the country to let consumers know the rumors were bogus and that Pop Rocks were completely safe.

In addition, the company also delivered around 50,000 letters to school principals all over the U.S., and even sent Pop Rocks creator William A. Mitchell on a speaking tour to do some damage control by personally explaining the ins and outs of his candy to terrified parents in order to assuage their fears.

Controversy and Pop Rocks, it seems, were never far apart. Even before the rumors of exploding stomachs started circulating, parental concerns over the noisy treat had grown to the point that the FDA set up a hotline to inform parents that the candy popping away like tiny fireworks in their children's mouths was perfectly safe.

Despite the real controversy generated by fake rumors, Pop Rocks continued to be a hit with kids, who possibly experienced the thrill of cheating death whenever they tossed some into their mouths. That was why, recalled the Gone But Not Forgotten Groceries blog, in the late 1970s General Foods decided to launch a spinoff product. Dubbed Space Dust, this candy was essentially Pop Rocks that had been crushed into a fine powder.

The title turned out to be an unfortunate one. At the time of the new candy's debut, noted the blog, powder-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin were experiencing a surge in poularity. Worse, a mind-altering drug name Phencyclidine, also known as PCP, had been making headlines when those who took it went berserk, hallucinating and often engaging in violent behavior. That drug's street name: angel dust.

The similarity in nomenclature between angel dust and Space Dust caused even more parental fears, driving down sales to the point that General Foods rebranded the product under a new name, Cosmic Candy, in order to remove the impression it was selling some kind of drug to unsuspecting children. The product was eventually discontinued.

Pop Rocks aren't just finding their way into cocktails, but also into food. In fact, numerous chefs at some of the world's top restaurants have used the candy as an ingredient in some of their more unusual dishes. For example, a 2000 article in the Washington Post described chef Christy Velie using Pop Rocks in a mushroom ceviche served at the Washington, D.C. eatery Cafe Atlantico. "We want to change people's dining experience," she told the Post. "We want them to be entertained at the same time."

In fact, Food Republic listed 30 other chefs were utilizing Pop Rocks in their dishes in 2014, and some of those were in some wildly creative ways. Among them were a sushi roll coated with watermelon-flavored Pop Rocks from Nashville's Virago restaurant and a foie gras lollipop encrusted with Pop Rocks from celebrity chef Graham Eliot's namesake Chicago restaurant. 

Atlanta restaurant Poor Calvin's Absolute Fusion, noted Food Republic, offered two menu items featuring Pop Rocks: a lobster tail coated with Pop Rocks and a duck pate served with a red-wine-lavender jelly and Pop Rocks.

In 2011, the New York Post reported a bizarre lawsuit launched by Jehangir Mehta, owner of Graffiti Bistro & Bakery in New York City's East Village, who sued chef Jesus Nunez Rabano over accusations that Rabano ripped him off when he opened his similarly named Graffit USA on the Upper West Side. It wasn't just the eatery's name that was at issue, however; Mehta also accused Rabano's restaurant of stealing his "unique food combinations and unusual ingredients."

The key ingredient mentioned in the trademark-infringement lawsuit was Pop Rocks. As Mehta's suit pointed out, he'd been using Pop Rocks as a recipe ingredient "for many years" in his restaurant, and also utilized the candy when he competed in the Food Network's The Next Iron Chef, in which he was a runner-up in 2009.

According to Mehta's lawsuit, he learned of Rabano's alleged culinary thievery "as a result of an interview given by Nunez" in which he revealed that the "defendants also planned to utilize this extremely obscure ingredient in a dish to be served at Graffit."

When most people get a hankering for Pop Rocks, they simply go to the nearest purveyor of candy and pick up a pack or two. However, there are also some intrepid culinary adventurers who've attempted to make their own DIY versions, some even posting their recipes online.

In recipes shared by The Daily Meal and Saveur, the secret ingredient isn't carbon dioxide, but citric acid, which Saveur says produces an "effervescent feel on your tongue." While these recipes offer an approximation of Pop Rocks, they pale in comparison to the real thing. That's because creating actual Pop Rocks requires 600 psi of high pressure, something you're not going to get with a store-bought pressure cooker.

A video shared by Bon Appetit features pastry chef Claire Saffitz attempting to create "gourmet Pop Rocks," addressing the pressure issue by discussing adding a carbon dioxide tank to a sealed chamber in order to achieve the required 600 psi. One of the participants in the endeavor pretty much summed up the experience of making DIY Pop Rocks when he quipped, "Look, it's not gonna be easy. It's not gonna be safe. But I do think it's possible." Saffitz, however, felt the danger was too great and went with safer versions using citric acid and even dry ice.

Okay, so we know Pop Rocks won't make your stomach explode, but can the candy hurt you in any other way? The answer, again, is a resounding no. Other than maybe helping cause cavities, Pop Rocks are completely safe to eat (via CandyFavorites.com).

If you're not convinced, a quick look at the food label should alleviate your fears. Pop Rocks are made up of ingredients you likely consume on a regular basis: sugar, lactose, corn syrup, artificial flavor, artificial color, and carbon dioxide. This last ingredient is key. Carbon dioxide is the secret component that makes Pop Rocks pop ... while also making people nervous about the physical harm they might experience after eating the candy. But don't worry — carbon dioxide won't hurt you. In fact, this ingredient is commonly used throughout the food industry, most notably in the production of carbonated beverages (via Globe Newswire). And Pop Rocks contains significantly less-potent CO2 than any bubbly drink. In fact, according to Food Republic, the candy's carbon dioxide is only 10-percent of that found in an average carbonated beverage.

By now, we're all familiar with the classic Pop Rocks flavors like Original Cherry, Green Apple, Strawberry, Watermelon, and Blue Razz. But that's just the start of the wide range of Pop Rocks varieties available today.

Let's start on the flavor front. In addition to its standard offerings available year-round, Pop Rocks regularly sells three, limited-edition flavors: Chocolate, Pumpkin Patch Orange and Candy Cane. That's not all — Pop Rocks are also available in different forms. There's Pop Rocks Crackling Gum, which turns into chewing gum while it crackles in your mouth, and Pop Rocks Dips, which come with a lollipop you can dip into the packet of candy (instead of pouring it straight into your mouth). And last, but certainly not least, is Pop Rocks Xtreme. As the name suggest, this variety delivers stronger flavor and a more intense — and louder — popping sensation to your tongue. Pop Rocks Xtreme is sold in a 48-count, bulk package. That should be enough to hold you over until the mad candy scientists come up with something even more extreme.

When you think of versatile foods, kitchen staples like potatoes, rice, and eggs likely come to mind — items you can either prepare a million ways or add to an extensive number of dishes. Pop Rocks, on the other hand? Probably not so much.

But the makers of Pop Rocks would beg to differ. According to them, Pop Rocks can add a pop of flavor­ — and surprise! — to a number of dishes. They suggest combining the exploding candy with items like cereal, ice cream, yogurt, chocolate, and baked goods.

But it doesn't stop there. In fact, it doesn't even stop at the kitchen. The Pop Rocks' website also lists a number of potential household uses for the crackling confectionary. The most compelling suggestion it provides is to add Pop Rocks to your favorite bath salts and soap bombs. We guess that's one way to get a tingling sensation all over your body!