is a carbonated candy with ingredients including sugar, lactose (milk sugar), corn syrup, and flavoring. It differs from typical hard candy in that it creates a fizzy reaction when it dissolves in the mouth.
The concept was patented by General Foods research chemist William A. Mitchell in 1956.The candy was first offered to the public in 1975. In 1983, General Foods stopped selling the candy. Some believed that this was because of an urban legend that mixing Pop Rocks with carbonated beverage could result in a person's stomach exploding. In fact, the candy was withdrawn owing to its lack of success in the marketplace and to its relatively short shelf life.
Though the confection had been extensively tested and found safe, the carbonated candy still alarmed residents in Seattle. The Food and Drug Administration set up a hotline there to assure anxious parents that the fizzing candy would not cause their children to choke. General Foods was battling the "exploding kid" rumors as early as 1979. General Foods sent letters to school principals, created an open letter to parents, took out advertisements in major publications and sent the confection's inventor on the road to explain everybody that a Pop Rocks package contains less gas (namely, carbon dioxide, the same gas used in all carbonated beverages) than half a can of soda. The company finally stopped selling the product, thus adding further fame to the myth.
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