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> 
>                   The Mentos FAQ V2.0 (11/2/94 update)
>           (c) 1994 Heath Doerr  doerrhb@expert.cc.purdue.edu
> 
> 
> _____________________________________________________________________________
> _
>                 e-mail auto server: mentos-faq@fische.com
>            ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/asuter/coolstuff/mentos.faq
>        html conversion by Timothy F. Kingwell (quetz@futon.sfsu.edu)
> 
>         Index:
> 
>         [*=Updated sections; =New sections]
> 
>         Section 1: Commercial Synopsis
>                 1a: Commercial History, Origin, Explanation*
>                 1b: Jingle Lyrics
>         Section 2: The Candies*
>                 2a: Packaging
>                 2b: Ingredients
>                 2c: Manufacturial Data
>                 2d: Imitations*
>         Section 3: Abbreviations
>         Section 4: Miscellaneous*
>         Section 5: Credits*
>         Section 6: History*
> 
> 
> Section 1:  Commercial Synopsis
> 
> 1.  The Broken Shoe  (or 'High Heel Treachery')
> 
>          A sassy young lady sashays past an open air French style cafe,
>          gaining the attention of a business man, and at the same time
>          interrupting his newspaper enjoyment.  As she glides past, a
>          footwear malfunction occurs, leaving her sans one heel.  She
>          reaches for her secret freshness inducer, Mentos.  After
>          administering a piece of the magic elixir of nuttiness, she
>          breaks off the remaining spike, proclaiming to the world her
>          resourcefulness, and endless freshness.  The man in the cafe
>          is undoubtedly impressed.
> 
> 2.  The Fake Photographer  (or 'Those Crazy Kids I')
> 
>          A young lad and his pals file through a mob of fanatics and
>          paparazzi, in order to get a closer look at their favorite star.
>          However, their adventure takes them over the legal boundaries
>          of said activity, which is then pointed out to them by the
>          authorities.  After a bit of contemplation, and a hearty dose
>          of freshness ala Mentos, our hero cunningly disguises himself
>          as a member of the media, and breaks through the defenses of the
>          establishment.
> 
> 3.  The Airport Tram Ride  (or 'Baggage Claim Blues')
> 
>          A young woman finds herself in a bit of a pinch, as she discovers
>          that she has packed too much, and her bags are a most bothersome
>          burden.  But she has no fear, it is a burden which is not
>          insurmountable, especially with Mentos on her side.  She unsheathes
>          her glimmering blue tube of freshness, and holds it out stretched,
>          like the mighty Excalibur, and although shortening it by 1/14,
>          this weapon has not lost its power.  She consumes the pellet of
>          perkiness, and decrees that she and only she shall be the one to
>          ride the baggage cart, and all the other most unfresh patrons of
>          the airport shall bear the full weight of their baggage.  Her
>          friends cheer, and dream of one day achieving a freshness such
>          as hers.
> 
> 4.  The Car Movers  (or 'Overalls and Mentos')
> 
>          Only an unfresh person would park his car in such a way as to make
>          his fellow motorist unable to go about her merry way, but that's
>          just what our heroine is faced with in this episode of the Mentos
>          saga.  After an exchange of dirty looks, and communication of the
>          parkee's need for promptness, the young girl contemplates her
>          dilemma with the aid of a freshmaker.  She has a revelation,
>          and summons what looks to be the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive
>          line from a construction site across the way.  With surprisingly
>          little convincing, the barbarians lift her Fiat into the road, and
>          as she thanks them she glances in the way of her nemesis, only to
>          add an exclamation point to her freshness.
> 
> 5.  Evading Mom  (or 'Psycho Mutant Killer Mom')
> 
>          While enjoying a pleasant afternoon at the mall, a teen and his
>          companions suddenly spot one of their mothers.  She raises her
>          umbrella, signifying that she has acquired her target, and means
>          to move in for the kill.  Quickly searching his person, the teen
>          removes from his pocket the only thing to help him out of this
>          bind, Mentos.  Thinking quickly, and now sporting fresh, clean
>          breath, he seizes a baseball cap from a nearby mannequin.  The
>          perfect disguise!  Placing it on his head in a diagonal pattern,
>          he strikes a pose and avoids his pursuer.  She spots him again,
>          but this time only after entering the escalator.  Knowing she has
>          been vanquished, mom shakes her weapon yet again, all the while
>          thinking, 'My son is sooo fresh!'
> 
> 6.  Through the Car  (or 'The 3 Second Car Jacking')
> 
>          There is little peace in the land of Mentos, as yet another teen
>          is faced with a distressing problem.  While crossing the street, he
>          is separated from his friends, and nearly from his legs by an over
>          anxious motorist.  Finding himself needing to traverse the street,
>          but without a normal means to do so, he again thanks his lucky
>          stars he remembered the freshmaker.  His supply is reduced by one,
>          but his freshness is increased exponentially.  Opening the rear
>          door, he climbs through the auto, while the driver looks over
>          his shoulder in astonishment.  Upon exiting, the youth shrugs
>          at the motorist, Mentos in hand.  Although a bit shaken, the
>          passenger acknowledges the care free youths with an approving
>          glance as he speeds away. "Wait till the wife hears of my brush
>          with freshness!"
> 
> 7.  The Backstage Crew  (or 'Those Crazy Kids II')
> 
>          In the final episode, once again the establishment has prevented
>          some teens from achieving their goal.  At the backstage door to
>          a rock concert, our friends are star struck and must find a way
>          backstage to meet their idols, demonstrate their freshness, and
>          enjoy each others minty clean breath.  Musical paraphernalia is
>          being unloaded, and with the aid of a bandanna, one teen slips
>          through the line undetected.  At the last moment, a security guard
>          spots him, but instead of pouncing on him and beating him to a
>          bloody mess with his nightstick, he lets him go showing an
>          expression that could only mean one thing, "Those crazy kids!".
>          Bravo!
> 
> Commercial History, Origin, and Explanation:
> 
>          First an explanation;
> 
>          Jan Setje-Eilers (jse@expert.cc.purdue.edu), tells us that the
>          characters of 'Psycho Mutant Killer Mom' are actors from a sitcom
>          taking place in Northern Germany.  The mother, (incidentally,
>          whose last name is 'Teufel', which means Devil in German) is a
>          crazy character in the show, and one who would be avoided normally.
>          Anyone who has seen the sitcom, (i.e. Germans) would understand
>          this, but the American audience is understandably confused.
> 
>          So one would normally conclude that these spots were all shot in
>          Germany, thus clearing up our national origin questions, right?
>          Wrong.
> 
>          According to Chad Jones (cjones@gse.ucla.edu), 'High Heel Treachery'
>          was filmed on the Third Street Promenade, a shopping district in
>          Santa Monica, CA.  Also, 'The 3 Second Car Jacking' was filmed in
>          downtown Los Angeles.  Joseph Hernandez (jthern@OCF.Berkeley.EDU)
>          says one of the buildings in the background is the First Interstate
>          Bank Building.
> 
>          And if that's not good enough for you:
> 
>          Andy Brooks (aceebro@netcom.com) argues that some spots had to
>          have been shot in California, or at least in the U.S.  No where
>          else in the world can you find the 'Walk/Don't Walk' blinking
>          sign that is depicted in the '3 second Car Jacking'.  Also,
>          Germany doesn't have the yellow center lines running down the
>          middle of the streets (over there they are white).  Finally, lights
>          don't go from green directly to red.  They are initially green,
>          then are followed briefly by yellow, and then red.  It certainly
>          doesn't seem like there is any blatant insert editing or post
>          production work involved here, all the shots look as if they took
>          place on the same street corner.
> 
>          So we can honestly conclude that the Mentos commercials are without
>          a doubt, multinational.
> 
>          As a final note on this subject, it was previously believed that
>          the Mentos commercials were aired in English throughout the world.
>          That is true, except for Russia!  Steven Grimm (koreth@hyperion.com)
>          informed me that while staying there last year, he was surprised
>          to hear the relentlessly upbeat Mentos theme music pouring out
>          from the TV in the room across the hall.  Listening closely,
>          he determined that the lyrics were all in Russian.  He was, to
>          his utter dismay, too slow to reach the TV in time to see which
>          ad it was.
> 
> 
> Jingle lyrics:
> 
>          'Doo doo doo, doo-doo, do-Wah!'
> 
>          It doesn't matter what comes, fresh goes better in life,
>          and Mentos is fresh and full of life.
> 
>          Nothing gets to you, staying fresh staying cool,
>          with Mentos, fresh and full of life.
> 
>          Fresh goes better, Mentos freshness, fresh goes better
>          with Mentos, fresh and full of life!
> 
>          Mentos, the freshmaker!
> 
> 
> Section 2:  The Candies
> 
>          The candies themselves come in five varieties; 'Mint', 'Mixed
>          Fruit', 'Cinnamon', 'Strawberry', and 'Spearmint'.  Taste and
>          color are drastically different between them, but in every other
>          way they are quite similar.
> 
>          The shape of a Mentos candy is disklike, with an ellipsical
>          bulge in the middle.  (It has been suggested that they are
>          'lenticular' meaning 'lentil-shaped'.)  They measure 3/4"
>          in diameter, and at their largest point, 6/16" tall.
> 
>          Net weight is reported as 1.3 OZ/37.5 g, but this was
>          impossible to confirm at the time of this writing.
> 
>          Coloring of the Mint candies is a chalky light hue, that extends
>          throughout the entire candy.  The fruit variety contains three
>          colors, purple (grape), yellow (lemon), and orange (orange).
>          Cinnamon and Strawberry have a reddish/pinkish hue, Cinnamon
>          being the darker of the two.  Spearmint Mentos have a light
>          greenish coloration, and like all Mentos, possess a chalk-like
>          consistency.
> 
>          The Mint flavor variety unsurprisingly taste like peppermint, and
>          could be considered to possess a breath freshening function as well
>          as a cool, menthol-like aftertaste.  Mixed Fruit have none of these
>          properties, but are instead quite sweet.  The differences between
>          the flavors contained in a mixed fruit package are small.  Color
>          seems to be the only real distinguishable quality.  Strawberry
>          are also sweet, but contain a light, and unmistakable strawberry
>          flavor.  Cinnamon do indeed taste like cinnamon, possessing a
>          semi-cinnamon burn feeling often found in strong cinnamon gum.
>          Spearmint are closely related to Mint, and are lucky enough to
>          serve as a breath freshener as well.
> 
>          Mentos' texture is not uniform.  The candies have a thin crunchy
>          shell and when chewed, disintegrate into a gum like consistency.
>          If appropriate, they then release their breath freshening
>          characteristics.
> 
> Packaging:
> 
>          Mentos candies come in cylinder shaped 'rolls', with 14 included
>          in each roll.  The label consists of 'mentos' written in block
>          letters, covering approximately 2/3 of the roll lengthwise.
>          Next to this logo is the flavor identification, (i.e. 'mint' or
>          'mixed fruit')  although flavor identification can be more readily
>          obtained from the background coloring of the label.  Mint has a
>          misty bluish white photograph of many Mentos scattered about,
>          while mixed fruit has a more colorful representation of the same
>          shapes, including purple, orange, and yellow disks.  Cinnamon
>          wrappers are similar, but are colored in a deep blood red.
>          Strawberry wrappers are a lighter, almost orangey red.  Spearmint
>          follows Mint's lead with a clouded hue, this time more green than
>          blue.
> 
>          It is important to note that the colors displayed on the package
>          are actually much more vibrant and deep than that of the actual
>          product.  Do not be misled, all Mentos have a very light hue to
>          them, no matter what the flavor.
> 
> Ingredients:
> 
>         Mint: sugar, glucose syrup, hydrogenated coconut oil,
>               gelatin, dextrin, natural flavor, corn starch,
>               gum arabic.
> 
>         Mixed Fruit: sugar, glucose syrup, hydrogenated coconut oil,
>                      gelatin, dextrin, natural and artificial flavor,
>                      gum arabic, coloring.
> 
>         Strawberry: sugar, glucose syrup, hydrogenated coconut oil,
>                     citric acid, gelatin, dextrin, corn starch,
>                     artificial flavor, gum arabic, coloring.
> 
>         Cinnamon: sugar, glucose syrup, hydrogenated coconut oil,
>                   gelatin, dextrin, corn starch, cinnamon, natural
>                   and artificial flavors, salt, gum arabic,
>                   artificial colors (yellow 5, red 3, blue 2).
> 
>         Spearmint: sugar, glucose syrup, hydrogenated coconut oil,
>                    gelatin, dextrin, natural flavors, corn starch,
>                    gum arabic, artificial color (blue 2).
> 
>         For nutritional information, you can write to:
> 
>                      Nutritional Data
>                      P.O. Box 18190
>                      Erlanger, KY  41018
> 
> Manufacturer:
> 
>         Mentos are made by Van Melle, Inc. and manufactured for
>         Van Melle by:
> 
>                    Van Melle
>                    Breda / Holland
> 
>         in Australia they are imported by:
> 
>                    Stuart Alexander & Co. Pty. Ltd.
>                    62 Rosebery Ave.
>                    Rosebery, N.S.W.  2018  Australia
> 
>         Van Melle's corporate headquarters:
> 
>                    Van Melle, Inc.
>                    Erlanger,  KY  41018
> 
> 
> Mentos Imitations:
> 
>         The Anti-Mento is made by Lance candies.  They are called 'Mint
>         Chews', 'Fruit Chews', 'Cinnamon Chews', etc.  They are sold in
>         rolls of eleven candies of approximately the same size, shape, and
>         weight as the true confection.  Mint Chews, made in Holland for
>         Lance Inc., list exactly the same ingredients as Mint Mentos.
> 
>         For their nutritional information, you can write to:
> 
>         Nutritional Data
>         P.O. Box 32368
>         Charlotte,  NC  28232
> 
>         But they are not sufficiently fresh, nor full of life,
>         to make such an inquiry worthwhile.
> 
> 
> Section 3:  Abbreviations
> 
>     FAFOL = Fresh and full of life
> 
> 
> Section 4:  Miscellaneous
> 
>     Item:  According to Paulo A. Pereira (oluap@MIT.EDU), there is a sale
>            on Mentos at the CVS in Porter Sq., Cambridge, MA as this is
>            being written.  Be fresh, and save a bundle!
> 
>     Item:  Mentos are $0.54 at the Purdue Student Union.
> 
>     Item:  I am currently negotiating with the Psychology department
>            here at Purdue, in an attempt to obtain a research grant for
>            the purposes of studying what I have termed 'the freshness
>            effect' caused by consuming Mentos brand candies.  Although there
>            seems to be no mind altering substances contained in Mentos,
>            individuals suddenly become aroused, inventive, and lose all
>            regard for the norms of society a short time after using
>            them.  I've asked for $23,729.
> 
>     Item:  According to Jeffrey F. Brent (lorax@acpub.duke.edu), Mentos
>            also come in Licorice or 'Lakrits' flavor.  Some Danish friends
>            apparently possessed these beauties, and (as far as I know)
>            the states have not been graced with them yet.  They had a
>            white shell, and a black center.  A black wrapper shielded
>            them from the elements, and they [you guessed it] tasted
>            like Licorice.  Jeff also claims to be working on a Macintosh
>            arcade style game called "Mentos(R) in the Hands of Torgo(TM)"
>            Be afraid.  Be very afraid.
> 
>     Item:  Flash!  There exists yet another Mentos flavor.  Andrea
>            (apf62@cas.org) found 'Tropical Mentos' while vacationing
>            in Jamaica.  The candies come in orange, lime green, and
>            lavender varieties, and taste like orange, guava, and something
>            indiscernible, she writes.  The packaging, like mixed fruit,
>            has a picture of the various colors found inside.  One last
>            interesting note: The ingredients were printed in Greek as
>            well as English.
> 
>     Item:  Tim Verry (verryta@taft.law.uc.edu) has confessed interest in
>            hammering out the details of 'the freshness defense' for criminal
>            acts committed while under the influence of Mentos.  Good Luck,
>            Tim.  [Say, isn't that a roll of Spearmint in that white bronco
>            over there?]
> 
>     Item:  The license plate number of the car in 'The Car Movers' is
>            'DH-L 64 12', and the teen that 'Evades Mom' does so by
>            donning a New York Yankees cap.
> 
>     Item:  Tyler K. Wong (neoncap@netcom.com) listens to Alex Bennett on
>            Live 105 (105.3 FM) in San Francisco from 6am to 10am, and
>            tells me that during his show, Mr. Bennett receives and reads
>            E-Mail on the air.  Tyler apparently came close to getting some
>            of this FAQ read on the air.  Live 105 isn't as fresh as some of
>            the other stations in the Bay area, however, because Tyler
>            couldn't sell him, and Alex later answered a phone call he
>            wanted to put on the air instead.
> 
>     Item:  Mark (stallard@world.std.com) asked recently if anyone had some
>            information leading to a Mentos T-shirt, baseball cap, or other
>            such merchandise.  I too, would be grateful for any leads.
> 
>     Item:  In a recent article in 'Advertising Age', Bruce Kasrel
>            (bkasrel@us.oracle.com) read that Mentos advertising spending
>            rose 34% from last year, to 11.9 million.  Sales have increased
>            from $20 million in 1991 to about $40 million today.  We could
>            be in for some more Mentos enlightened teens solving the most
>            perplexing of situations in the near future.
> 
>     Item:  At the 'Steak and Shake' on Highway 52 here in Lafayette,
>            they have a candy machine that dispenses Mentos.  The flavor
>            was mixed fruit, although I know this from my own experience,
>            due to the fact that the dispenser simply read 'MENTOS'.  It
>            charged 25 cents, and when I turned the crank I got 7 candies,
>            but your mileage may vary.
> 
>     Item:  Mentomania is ever-expanding, proof of which can be found at
>            'SLOMOTION' meetings according to Michael V Arnold
>            (mvarnold@violin.aix.calpoly.edu).  'SLOMOTION' is a film club
>            in which the members have taken fancy to making their own
>            Mentos commercials.  They only have two so far, but I'm sure
>            that more are in the works.
> 
>     Item:  Finally, if you doubt the significance of this FAQ, just ask
>            Kevin Bourrillion (kevin@bradley.edu).  He thought it was
>            important enough to quote from it in his signature.  I was
>            so deeply touched, I just had to include his tribute.
> 
> <begin included file>
> --
> Kevin Bourrillion    "Although there seems to be no mind altering substances
> kevin@bradley.edu    contained in Mentos, individuals suddenly become
> aroused,
> http://bradley.br    inventive, and lose all regard for the norms of society
> adley.edu/^kevin/    a short time after using them."  -- Heath Doerr
> 
> <end included file>
> 
> Section 5:  Credits
> 
>      Originator, and maintainer of the Mentos FAQ:
> 
>         Heath Doerr (doerrhb@expert.cc.purdue.edu)
> 
>      Submission credits:
> 
>         Andrea (apf62@cas.org)
>         Michael V Arnold (mvarnold@violin.aix.calpoly.edu)
>         Ron Bauerle (bauerle@crypt.erie.ge.com)
>         Kevin Bourrillion (kevin@bradley.edu)
>         Jeffrey F. Brent (lorax@acpub.duke.edu)
>         Andy Brooks (aceebro@netcom.com)
>         David S. Cowen (esch@fische.com)
>         Emily Cox (zebra@gorn.iuma.com)
>         Figlet, the ASCII font creator.
>         Todd A. Gibson (tgibson@lookout.ecte.uswc.uswest.com)
>         Steven Grimm (koreth@hyperion.com)
>         Joseph Hernandez (jtchern@OCF.Berkeley.EDU)
>         Dan Hoey (hoey@AIC.NRL.Navy.Mil)
>         Alan Jaffray (ajaffray@midway.uchicago.edu)
>         Chad Jones (cjones@gse.ucia.edu)
>         Bruce R. Kasrel (bkasrel@us.oracle.com)
>         Timothy F. Kingwell (quetz@futon.sfsu.edu)
>         Richard N. Kitchen (da825@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
>         James J. Lippard (lippard@news.primenet.om)
>         Mark (stallard@world.std.com)
>         Paulo A. Pereira (oluap@MIT.EDU)
>         Jeff T.P. (image@expert.cc.purdue.edu)
>         Jan Setje-Eilers (jse@expert.cc.purdue.edu)
>         Andrew R. Shulman (andys@world.std.com)
>         spatula@titan.ucs.umass.edu
>         Genna Totten (dedisti@rhf.bradley.edu)
>         Eric L. Tullis (TULLISE@indy.navy.mil)
>         Tyler K. Wong (neoncap@netcom.com)
>         Lupus Yonderboy (asuter@netcom.com)
> 
>  Note:  In a most unfresh editing accident, I lost one contribution credit.
>         If you see something in here that you wrote, and you aren't
>         listed above, please feel free to contact me so I can correct
>         the situation.
> 
> Section 6:  History
> 
>      9/2/94: V0.01  (beta)
>      9/6/94: V0.5
>      9/7/94: V0.9
>     9/14/94: V1.0  (final)
>     9/28/94: V1.1a (update)
>     9/28/94: V1.1b (.html version)
>     11/2/94: V2.0  (now even fresher!)
> 
>                          MENTOS: THE FRESHMAKER