Twenty years ago, the United States was horrified by stories of the death of a boy named John Gilchrist. In what horrible manner did he supposedly die?

zbeckabee

And I quote: "Did you hear what happened to Little Mikey from the cereal commercial? Well, he was at home and he ate six packets of exploding candy, he drank a can of soda, and about an hour later, his poor little stomach exploded. Poor kid was killed there and then and his blood and guts were everywhere. It's a known chemical reaction so don't try that candy...." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gilchrist_%28actor%29 Dec 17 06, 10:27 PM

skysmom65

The Myth In the mid-1970s, John Gilchrist appeared in a popular advertisement in the US for Life Cereal, a product of Quaker Oats, playing a boy called Little Mikey. Around the same time General Foods, launched a product called Pop Rocks that popped in the mouth when exposed to moisture. The myth went something like this:[1] "Did you hear what happened to Little Mikey from the cereal commercial? Well, he was at home and he ate six packets of exploding candy, he drank a can of soda, and about an hour later, his poor little stomach exploded. Poor kid was killed there and then and his blood and guts were everywhere. It's a known chemical reaction so don't try that candy...." The Truth The truth is that the actor who played Little Mikey, John Gilchrist, is still very much alive and works in advertising. Exploding Candy cannot explode in the stomach or anywhere else; the exploding sensation is caused by a minute release of carbon-dioxide, a little like when one drinks a carbonated drink too quickly and the bubbles seem to rush through one's nose.[2] Recurrences The myth resurfaces every few years, and always surrounds an identifiable child actor, who died in those shocking circumstances.[3] A recent example in the UK was The Frosties Kid, who also advertised breakfast cereal. The Little Mikey myth was tested on an episode of Mythbusters. http://www.answers.com/topic/little-mikey Dec 18 06, 7:22 AM