Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 20, 1993 TAG: 9309210007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT NEWSFUN WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
KaBluey!
Mad Dawg!
No, they're not TV superheroes fighting to save the world. They're not even toy figures available at your local discount store.
What they are is the latest rage in candy. What they do is coat your mouth with a color such as blue or yellow when you eat them.
"I thought it was clown make-up," said John Nagel when he first saw kids eating this kind of candy. They had the color smeared all over their lips and even outside their mouths.
But they liked the candy so much that Nagel began selling it in his store, Capt. Party, in Roanoke.
"There are probably about 10 different varieties [of the candy] on the market," Nagel said. And, "they're all designed to turn your lips and mouth different colors."
The candies come in soft and hard varieties. And they come in lots of flavors, with blue raspberry the favorite of kids who buy at Capt. Party.
Blue is the most popular color Nagel sells, too. "If it's blue, it's gonna sell."
The candy comes in bubble gum form, lollipops, gummie shapes and hard balls. Other popular names are Colorific Mouth Wash, Taz Berry, Blue Raspberry Ring Pops and Tongue Splashers.
One Tongue Splasher "Paints your mouth with a splash of color." That's what is colorfully printed on the paint can the candy gum is packaged in.
Jeannie Arnold, a sixth-grader at James Madison Middle School, ate the colors-your-mouth candy for the first time last week.
"I wanted to see the different colors and stuff," she said as she picked out a blue and red Tongue Splasher at Capt. Party. She tried the red one first.
"I liked it," she said after chewing it. After just five minutes, her mouth was dark red, but her teeth weren't as red as her gums and tongue.
The colors are designed to stay on your mouth about 15 minutes, said Nagel. And they disappear after a good teeth-brushing.
And, a good teeth-brushing is exactly what you'll need after you eat the candies, said Dr. John J. Davis. He's a pediatric dentist - a dentist for kids. He treats several kids who eat this kind of candy.
The colors-your-mouth candies aren't any worse for you than regular candies, said Davis. But some varieties can stick to your teeth longer than others. Davis is especially worried about candies that are sticky or tacky.
These kinds of candies are often taffies or gummie shapes. After you eat them, you should always brush and floss your teeth. "Especially the back teeth where the grooves and pits are," Dr. Davis said.
Sugar can stick in these grooves and pits in your teeth. When sugar sticks to your teeth for too long, it can cause cavities.
Even if the candy you eat isn't sticky or tacky, you should still brush and floss after eating it. Doing so will help ensure that you have healthy teeth and gums. And you'll be able to enjoy that next candy rage that comes along.
by CNB