Election Day: The Great Razzle Debate

Today a special election is being held in Massachusetts to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Ted Kennedy.  Pundits say that this election may determine the fate of healthcare in the United States.  Is there anyone who isn't sick of the healthcare debate? Is that sickness itself covered by the new healthcare scheme? Does global warming get you hot under the collar?  Do you really care about any of this?

One thing I know that LG Report readers care about is the decades-long debate over Razzles: Are they a gum or a candy? 

At least that's how Concord Confections, Ltd. of Concord, Ontario frames the question.  I won't add the "Canada" part because this is an international blog, and we all obviously know where Ontario is.  Canada is my kind of town.

By the way, Concord Confections is now owned by Tootsie Roll Industries.  How would you like to tell people that you work at "Tootsie Roll Industries?"  I guess someone has to do it.  I bet they'd fire any employee who says, "I have to go to the bathroom now and make some more Tootsie Rolls."

Back to Razzles.

 They were originally sold in 1966 with an advertising slogan and jingle of:

"First it's a candy, then it's a gum. Little round Razzles are so much fun."

I'd like everyone at home to try singing that to themselves aloud.  It's catchy, don't you think? 

If you really did sing that aloud, you're my kind of reader.  Stick around, there may be cake later.  And Razzles.



The original Razzles flavour (as they spell it in Canada) was raspberry. The name was based on a fictional flavor that the company intended to introduce, Razzleberry, but it never worked out.  History's loss.

So here's the debate: I don't think "Is Razzles a gum or a candy?" is the right question; I say it should be "Do Razzles display even the slightest hint of ever being a candy at any point in time?"   [Please note that I used a Razzleberry background color.]

Does anyone ever say to themselves, "I really feel like a piece of candy, I think I'll grab some Razzles and then just spit them out when they morph into gum."  I say, NO WAY! 

The mere mention of Razzles as a candy is a sham on the candy-consuming public.  It's a gum, and a Grade A gum at that, so why doesn't the manufacturer just proudly advertize it as such? 

I figured out how to add a polling feature to this blog (shout out to Dan and his Snuggs slippers for the suggestion) so that you, dear readers, will have a chance to voice your opinion.  I know this issue is near-and-dear to your heart but please, only vote once -- no logging on from other screen names to register multiple votes.  Let's be fair to the Tootsie Roll Industries people, they have it hard enough.  

The polling feature can be found at the top of the right hand column of today's posting.

Before you make up your mind, here's blogging world heart throb Geo to weigh in on the issue:

"Razzles is both a candy and a gum. Even if it is a candy for only a short duration--three seconds--it exists as a candy for that time. Laz should well know that events with short durations still exist, no matter how speedily they transpire."

So there's Geo's opinion. Please take a few seconds to vote and we'll reveal the results tomorrow (or the next day; my not-so-sneaky way to keep you coming back...)

By the way, Ted Kennedy was reportedly a big Razzles fan and was buried with a pack in his suit coat breast pocket.

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You've probably noticed by now the ads that appear in the right hand column.  I signed up for something called "AdSense," its administered by a company owned by Google.  All companies will eventually be owned by Google, as will all people.  Unless Facebook conquers us first.

It appears that AdSense uses an automated program to detect words in blog postings, and then matches them up with appropriate ads.  You may recall that I wrote one fairly short piece on the Pinewood Derby a couple of weeks ago. Ads for Pinewood Derby cars and tracks followed for a week or so.  I seriously doubt that any readers of The LG Report are interested in buying professionally-made Pinewood Derby cars, but such is the advertising game, I guess. Those crazy ole Mad Men, what can you do?

It is, however, a savvy program: as soon as I posted yesterday's piece about Greece, ads immediately appeared for vacations and other travel-related services.  It will be interesting to see what, if anything, they do with an intellectually-challenging post about something as complex as Razzles.  Maybe they'll post ads for Ph.D. programs in dispute resolution.  And if they post ads for strictly gum or strictly candy products, we'll know AdSense's opinion in this raging debate.      

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The LG Report Mini-Movie Review on "Youth in Revolt:"  It sucks, don't waste your money.  Not funny. Don't even waste your time reading a full review.

Until tomorrow kids.....