h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The fizzy sensation that made you feel like your head was going to explode, especially if you dumped a whole packet onto your tongue. Is it my defective memory, or was it banned eventually?

Good news, Mersybeast! Your memory is not defective. My brother and I were discussing Space Dust just last week and we both remember it being banned. Neither of us can remeber why it was banned though. Too much fun probably.

Is Space Dust the same as Pop Rocks here in the States? They fizzle and crack in your mouth? The rumour way back when was that "some kid" (you ever notice that "some kid" had a LOT of bad luck? That was the same "some kid" who choked on the Jawbreaker, who took aspirin and Coca Cola and overdosed, etc. etc.) drank some Coca Cola (hey! maybe that's the culprit!) with a mouthful of Pop Rocks and his head EXPLODED. Inexplicably, Pop Rocks are still available here. My kids and I were experimenting with the Pop Rocks and Coca Cola combo, and, while no one's head exploded, it was an AWESOME sensation in our mouths!
Too bad it sounds like the candy has been banned in the UK--at least that's where I assume you are. Maybe we can organise a Pop Rocks Air Lift or something?

Ta for now... ((crackle, crackle))


VCH

Last year (or maybe the year before) I had some chocolate (the lilac coloured wrappered stuff) with Space Dust/Pop Rocks in. Realy wierd.

What did it taste like, Sho?

I vaguely remember there being Space Dust and Moon Dust available in the UK. I think Space Dust was a pinkish-red and Moon Dust was yellow but I can't remember the flavours.

I've done a spot of research and the process used to make it is patented. Molten sugary goop is mixed with highly pressurized carbon dioxide. When it sets bubbles of CO2 remain and when the goop melts in your mouth these bubbles explode resulting in the pop. The urban myth is that some kid once swallowed a load of pop rocks along with some unspecified carbonated drink and promptly burst and that the product was subsequently banned. Unfortunately (except for the kid), this isn't true, however the manufacturers withdrew the product in the early 1980s which has helped to keep the story going. The process was subsequently bought up by Kraft and they use it in some of their sweets now, and pop rocks have apparently been re-introduced in the US and are available in strawberry, watermelon and tropical punch flavours

It was a bit strange. I'm a big fan of eating my chocolate at room temperature, and letting it melt on my tongue, preferably whilst supping on a mug of coffee. With this stuff, as soon as it started to melt it started to pop, but not as violently as the space dust did, sort of muffled popping. I've looked around this "summer" (ahem) but so far I've been unlucky.
All in all not an unenjoyable experience, I want to give it to my kids (4 and 2) to see what they think....

You can get free fizzy crackles stuff with rice crispies at the minute witch is the same thing...

If you really really want to get hold of the purple choccy bars with popping candy in them, ASDA sell them. They are marketed as Wonka Bars. And they taste revolting!

(licks sherbet off fingers and dusts off the keyboard)

And I don't know about anywhere else but here in Germany WalMart sell what can only be described as a "Space Dust Dib Dab". For those who don't know: a sherbert dib-dab was a bag with sherbert powder with a lolly to lick and dip in it. I'm going to get one next time I go shopping (in the interests of h2g2 research, you understand) and test it.

Actually I'm also going to test the space dust/carbonated drink thing. That sounds like fun!