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"Mystery Flavor" Dum Dums Exist Because Cleaning The Lollipop Machine Is A Pain
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 4, 2012
Modified Jun 4, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 4, 2012
Modified Jun 4, 2012
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Ever wondered what those "Mystery Flavor" Dum-Dum lollipops are? The official company line from Spangler Candy is that it's "a secret. We can only reveal that the Mystery Flavor continuously changes and is not limited to current Dum Dums flavors." But Mental Floss
met their source on the third level of a parking lot in Washington D.C.
read up on the issue and discovered that the flavor comes from the overlap of normal flavors when one runs out and another is created. Marketing never tasted so sweet.
Per the site:
Rather than shutting down to clean out the candy equipment between flavors, Spangler turned lemons into lemonade and made pops out of the combination of flavors—the tail end of the old, and the beginning of the new.
We're firmly in the Cream Soda camp, but we'll never turn down a Mystery Dum Dum. Back in 2008 The Dayton Daily News found out why they're called "Dum Dums." (HINT: It's not because you look stupid with a lollipop hanging out of your mouth.)
According to store and tour manager Ann Spangler, there are two theories regarding the name of this famous candy sucker. The first is that "Dum Dum" was a word any child could easily say. The other is that the ball-shaped candy on a stick resembled a dumdum British military bullet developed in India around 1890 at the Dum Dum arsenal near Calcutta.
We've reached out to the folks at Hershey to find out if Whatchamacallits are made out of monkey hair and discarded Erector Set pieces, as one source alleges.
Tagged
candy
dum dums
lollipops
mysteries
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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