A brief History of Popping Candy

17th August 2011

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POPPING CANDY
William A Mitchell a chemist working for General Foods of America in 1956 revolutionised sweet making by creating a sweet so original, so ahead of its time that it would take a further two decades before it was sold to the general public and in 1975 Rock Pops (US) and the very similar product Space Dust (UK) was on the shelves.
The process he had invented involved trapping tiny bubbles... of Carbon Dioxide gas within small particles of candy and when it subsequently comes into contact with saliva in the mouth the candy dissolves and breaks releasing this trapped gas, resulting in that wonderful popping, sizzling and tongue tingling sensation.
Now it was rumoured that if you consumed this popping candy with coke at the same time that your stomach would explode! Or that it would cause children to choke.
Non, of these rumours were true but General foods still had to send out open letters to parents & school principles and then set up road shows to allay these fears.
Due to lack of commercial success Rock Pops only lasted 8 years and was pulled from the shelves in 1983.
Since then other producers bought the rights to manufacture and we now have a number of different types and flavours available with Fizz Wizz easily the most popular.
Some of my customers tell me stories of them giving it to their dogs & cats and watching the reaction, another customer told me one time that after Sunday dinner his Granddad would always fall asleep open mouthed in his armchair and the temptation to poor a full packet into his Granddad’s mouth was simply too great. (He never said what happened to his Granddad).
I just remember at school pouring a packet in your mouth and taking a gulp of coke and trying to see who could hold it in their mouth for longest.

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