“Dr. Pepper is made out of prune juice”

Origins

Kenneth heard this urban legend from high school friends (in Monterrey Park).

Collector’s comments

Since my current home is in Plano, TX (the headquarters of 7up / Dr. Pepper) I was a bit offended to hear this. I immediately told Kenneth (and all the other students who were talking with us) that this was just another stupid urban legend.

I rationalized that a rival soda company such as Coca-Cola most likely started spreading rumors about Dr. Pepper products. I was pretty sure of my conviction because I noticed that nearly all of the restaurants on and near the USC campus were dominated by Coca-Cola products. For example, nearly every restaurant in the area has a drink machine with drinks such as Sprite, Coca-Cola, Powerade, and maybe a few other assorted drinks (all of which are produced by Coca-Cola).

It is nearly the opposite anywhere in the Dallas, TX area. I remember that my high school was heavily funded by Dr. Pepper and all vending machines sold only Dr. Pepper products.

Thus, I had plenty of reasons to not believe that this was a silly rumor spread by rival soda companies to discourage people from drinking Dr. Pepper.

After a bit of research, it turns out that this urban legend is indeed false. I also discovered that people believe drinks made out of prunes are disgusting because prunes are apparently known for causing bowel movements (although I had no idea…).

Annotation: This exact urban legend can be found at:

http://www.snopes.com/business/secret/drpepper.asp

Date of access: April 20, 2007

“Brown food coloring is made out of bugs”

Origins

Kenneth heard this legend from friends during high school (in Monterrey Park).

Collector’s comments

This is one of the many legends I heard about food coloring. There always seems to be a disgusting legend about particular colors of food coloring. In this case, Kenneth heard that brown food coloring was made of some type of bugs.

I thought the legend was simply fabricated because many bugs have a dark outer shell. However, I found out that brown (or a dark red / maroon food coloring, as my source states) is often made out of beetles because synthetic brown food coloring was found to be harmful to people. My source also claims that using beetles has no adverse health effects.

Annotation: This legend, along with facts and sources that prove this legend is true, can be found at: http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/bugjuice.asp

Date of access: April 20, 2007

“Eating turkey makes you sleepy”

Origins

Kenneth heard this from friends and family and heard it for the first time when he was about 7 years old.

Collector’s comments

This legend is quite intriguing since I seem to hear it nearly every Thanksgiving or whenever a turkey dinner is about to be eaten. I assumed the legend to be true since I was always sleepy after a large Thanksgiving meal. But then again, I often fall asleep at Leavey Library after just eating a big meal at EVK.

Although Americans hardly debate over the veracity of this legend (practically everyone seems to accept it as fact), I chose to research the legend and found out that turkey itself will most likely not cause sleepiness. My source asserts that this legend is only a half-truth. It is true that tryptophan is a natural sedative. However, it only acts in the brain if the person consuming turkey is eating on an empty stomach (which does not have any protein). Thus, the old legend that so many readily accept as fact is disproved by modern science.

Annotation: The legend and facts to disprove it can be found at http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/turkey.asp

Date of access: April 20, 2007

“Jello contains meat”

Origins

Kenneth heard the legend from friends during middle school (in Monterrey Park).

Collector’s comments

I recall having heard this legend myself. Often, I noticed that vegetarians would speak of this legend and actually avoid consuming JELL-O brand gelatin.

Personally, it seemed a bit ridiculous that people would claim such a thing. Why would something that is traditionally made with a small packet of powder and water contain any “meat”?

After researching this legend, it turns out that JELL-O brand gelatin is indeed made from the boiled bones and hides of cows and pigs. This is processed heavily until it turns into the familiar colorful powder in a packet. But due to the amount of processing done, JELL-O is not officially labeled a meat or animal product by the government.

It seems that the majority of Americans (including myself) dismiss this legend and continue to enjoy their JELL-O.

“I heard several times that if there’s a star somewhere on the Tootsie Pop wrapper, you can redeem it for a free Tootsie Pop”

Origins

Kenneth heard the legend from friends during elementary school (in Monterrey Park).

Collector’s comments

Having heard the legend myself, I assume it is fairly widespread (at least in the United States). Similar to Kenneth, I heard the legend during elementary school from my peers. Some kids even claimed to have actually received free Tootsie Pops after sending in their wrapper with a shooting star.

Even as a young child, I was very questioning and skeptical. I thought it was a bit odd that a company use their time and effort to send a Tootsie Pop which then retailed for about 15 cents each (the postage was worth more than the Tootsie Pop essentially). But I still believed the legend and carefully checked my wrappers but never found one with a shooting star (as did Kenneth).

According to David Emery of about.com, the legend is completely false, although some small retail stores did honor this legend by giving free Tootsie Pops for the wrapper. What seems odd about Emery’s article is that he claims approximately 1 out of 3 Tootsie Pop wrappers had an Indian shooting a star “just for variety”. Of all the Tootsie Pops I had during my childhood, I do not remember even one that had this special wrapper. Perhaps it was my rotten luck or perhaps Tootsie Pops with the special wrapper were not being sold by retailers in the Dallas area.

Annotated: The legend can be found at http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/business/a/tootsie_pop.htm

Date of access: April 24, 2007