How were Pop Rocks Invented?

In 1956, William Mitchell, a food chemist at General Foods, invented Pop Rocks candy by total accident. While trying to design an instant soft drink, Mitchell put some sugar flavoring mixed with carbon dioxide in his mouth. Instead of inventing a soft drink, an exploding candy, which came to be called Pop Rocks, was born! He patented it in 1956, but it took 19 years before Pop Rocks were marketed to the public. In the 1970s, this invention instantly became a cultural phenomenon. Every child wanted to get their hands on some!

But along with the allure of this fun popping candy came a lot of suspicion, too. Around 1979, an urban legend about Pop Rocks added fear to their popularity. John Gilchrist, aka Little Mikey from the Life Cereal television commercials, apparently died when his stomach exploded from a lethal combination of Pop Rocks and carbonated soda. Of course, this isn't true, because there's not enough carbon dioxide in this mixture to cause anyone harm, and it will not burst your stomach wide open. John Gilchrist is alive today to disprove this myth. But in 1979 the FDA set up a telephone hotline to calm anxious parents who were afraid to let their kids eat Pop Rocks. General Foods took out over 45 full page ads and wrote over 50,000 letters to school principals to debunk this myth. Parents were hysterical, causing kids more than ever to want to get their hands on Pop Rocks.

To make Pop Rocks candy, a hot sugar mixture is fused with pressurized carbon dioxide. This allows the carbon dioxide gas to form tiny bubbles within the candy. Once it cools, the pressure is released and the candy shatters, leaving the pieces containing the high-pressure bubbles. When it's exposed to moisture on your tongue, the crackling sensation of the carbon dioxide occurs. It melts, just like hard candy, and releases the bubbles with a loud POP!

Today, Pop Rocks are available in Cherry, Tropical Punch, Watermelon, Grape, Cotton Candy, and Strawberry. Cherry Pop Rocks come packaged in the original 1970s packaging that replicates that bygone era.