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Gassy Pop Rocks Land Girl in Hospital

News/Current Events News Keywords: BURP
Source: Los Angeles Daily News
Published: 07-05-2001 Author: A.P.
Posted on 07/05/2001 06:14:41 PDT by boris

ALAMO, Calif. -- It's an urban legend -- eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda at the same time can make you explode.

But eating Pop Rocks, the candy that fizzes in your mouth, sprinkled in a scoop of grape and sour-apple sherbet landed a 5-year-old Alamo girl in the hospital for almost three days as doctors relieved the pressure in her stomach.

Now, Chris Janze, the girl's mother is suing BaskinRobbins, the ice cream company that sold the "Shrek Swirl," a summer promotion inspired by the movie.

Janze took her daughter Fifi and some friends to get ice cream after school May 1, and Fifi swallowed her cool treat without chewing the rocks, said family attorney Barry Balamuth.

The Pop Rocks, which are made with carbon dioxide, started fizzing later as Fifi napped, and she awoke screaming in pain, Balamuth said.

The girl was rushed to John Muir Regional Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where doctors inserted a tube in her stomach to remove the gas.

The Janzes asked BaskinRobbins to stop selling "Shrek Swirl," but the company refused, so Fifi's parents filed the suit, Balamuth said.

The lawsuit seeks medical expenses and unspecified damages.

Debra Newton, a spokeswoman for Massachusettsbased BaskinRobbins, said the company does not comment on litigation.

Pop Rocks are produced in Spain for Chupa Chups, an Atlanta company, which could be added to the suit as a defendant, Balamuth said.


1 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:14:41 PDT by boris
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To: Cagey, Rebelbase

Thought you could use something intellectual to start your morning off.

2 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:20:38 PDT by riley1992
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To: riley1992

I've been hearing a rumour for a few years now about pop rocks and this rumour has nothing to do with gas.

3 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:25:07 PDT by Cagey
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To: riley1992

Balamuth's a complete amateur. Go for the BIG bucks and sue Dreamworks. Shrek is their movie after all.

4 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:25:29 PDT by Wolfie
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To: Alamo Girl

landed a 5-year-old Alamo girl

ping

5 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:26:35 PDT by Nick Danger
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To: boris

A few thoughts:

First, mixing pop rocks with ice cream is gross. Then again, its for kids and they eat gross stuff. My daughter wanted Powerpuff Girls cereal (of course she didn't eat the stuff, but who can blame her...) its rice crispies with pop rocks in it.

Second, gee, mom, you bought the crap for her...shouldn't you share some of the blame? BR may have made the stuff, but you bought it and gave it to your kid.

Third, I love how the first response of everyone is to sue. I'm sick of this. Get sick from eating gross ice cream laced with pop rocks and the first thing you do is see a lawyer...hey, at least it wasn't a maggot infested burger like the kid in Detroit!

Finally, mom, what the hell is wrong with you? You actually named your daughter FIFI? FIFI? That's a name for a poodle, not a kid! What the hell planet are you from? Hell, CYS should take your kid away from you for being cruel enough to name her FIFI, let alone being stupid enough to buy her ice cream laced with pop rocks....

;o)

6 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:28:33 PDT by RayBob
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To: RayBob

What you said. Excellent!!!

7 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:31:22 PDT by BunnySlippers
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To: RayBob

I saw an article some years back about a guy who ate a lot of chili and washed it down with lots of beer.

He awoke with a terrible pain in his gut. He remembered his mother used to give him bicarbonate of soda for an upset stomach--and so he swallowed a box of Arm & Hammer.

His stomach 'exploded' from the resulting gas pressure and he was rushed to the hospital. Later, he sued A&H for failing to properly label the box. Something, I guess, like: "If'n you swill down a load of hot chili and beer and then eat the contents of this box, your belly will blow up."

--Boris

8 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:33:38 PDT by boris
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To: boris

Blech! I was getting hungry. Thanks for the help with my diet.

9 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:35:21 PDT by Riley
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To: boris

"Chili Dogs always bark at night". Words to live by.

10 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:40:57 PDT by sneakypete
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To: boris

Baskin Robbins should be sued just for coming up with disgusting ice cream flavors - yuck!!!

But seriously, I don't think it was unreasonable for the mom to ask BR to stop selling the ice cream, which is what this article says she did first. And SINCE they refused to stop selling it, THEN she decided to sue.

11 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:42:18 PDT by deziner
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To: boris

This story sounds bogus to me.

12 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:55:02 PDT by Linda Liberty
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To: riley1992

Thanks for the wake-up.

13 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:58:04 PDT by Rebelbase
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To: boris

This reminds me of the old "Little Rascals" episode where Alfalfa ate the bromoseltzer and swoll up like a blimp.

14 Posted on 07/05/2001 06:59:36 PDT by Hans Moleman
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To: Linda Liberty

"This story sounds bogus to me."

I always source my postings. It might be bogus. Take it up with the L.A. Daily News. The article appeared on page 6 of the July 5 issue; attributed to Associated Press.

Even National Review has been fooled; some time ago they published an urban myth about a german guy who got stuck in a doggie door when he locked himself out of his dwelling...

--Boris

15 Posted on 07/05/2001 07:05:54 PDT by boris
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To: RayBob

RayBob, you said it perfectly! (It's amazing the garbage that people will feed to their children.)

16 Posted on 07/05/2001 07:07:31 PDT by Clara Lou
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To: Clara Lou

Garbage in, garbage out. No wonder kids get so screwed up. With liberal parents not having a clue about what being a real parent is all about, it's amazing that some of the kids grow up to be normal.

17 Posted on 07/05/2001 07:17:49 PDT by anymouse
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To: Linda Liberty

If they Live in Alamo you would think Oaklands Childrens Hosp would be a closer choice. However John Muir is a good hosp.

18 Posted on 07/05/2001 07:19:46 PDT by oceanperch
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To: Clara Lou

>RayBob, you said it perfectly! (It's amazing the garbage that people will feed to their children.)

Nah, RayBob, you said it perfectly! Anyone that names a child FIFI fer cryin' out loud, should be tarred and feathered ;^)

19 Posted on 07/05/2001 07:25:33 PDT by Darnright
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To: RayBob

Finally, mom, what the hell is wrong with you? You actually named your daughter FIFI? FIFI?

Ha ha!! Just what I was thinking!

Personally, there is just nothing like Jamoca Almond Fudge. I ate 40 pounds of the stuff when expecting my youngest jedi...;-)

20 Posted on 07/05/2001 07:30:04 PDT by 2Jedismom
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To: Darnright

Absolutely-- the Fifi-thing too.

21 Posted on 07/05/2001 07:48:07 PDT by Clara Lou
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To: boris

It took almost 3 days to let the gas out? Sounds like urban legend to me.

22 Posted on 07/05/2001 07:52:24 PDT by HiTech RedNeck
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To: HiTech RedNeck

"It took almost 3 days to let the gas out? Sounds like urban legend to me."

Like I said, take it up with the paper.

But:

Admitted on, say, Monday afternoon.

In hospital all day Tuesday for observation.

Released mid-day Wednesday.

Having spent lots of time in hospitals, this scenario appears plausible to me...and could lead to a claim of "almost three-days"...

--Boris

23 Posted on 07/05/2001 08:10:12 PDT by boris
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To: anymouse

"it's amazing that some of the kids grow up to be normal."

They don't.

They grow up to be liberal.

24 Posted on 07/05/2001 08:29:21 PDT by golindseygo
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To: boris

I always source my postings. It might be bogus. Take it up with the L.A. Daily News.

I saw your source. I still think its bogus. The news article cites one source: the suing attorney. I believe he made these allegations. Call me a cynic, but I don't believe the girl spent 3 days in the hospital because she sprinkled pop rocks on her sunday.

25 Posted on 07/05/2001 10:28:54 PDT by Linda Liberty
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To: Linda Liberty

Yep.

One of the ORIGINAL Urban Legends (pre-dating the internet..this was rampant in EVERY elementary school in the late 70s, and I've talked to a lot of people of my generation) was that "Mikey" from the Life Cereal commercials died from eating a bunch of pop rocks and then drinking a bunch of coke, exploding his stomach.

He's alive and well :-)

26 Posted on 07/05/2001 10:42:24 PDT by John H K
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To: boris

grape and sour-apple sherbet
YUCK!

Fifi?!?!?!

I love pop rocks...had a pack of watermelon flavor yesterday.
My almost 2 yr old niece loves them too...but is smart enough to let them pop in her mouth and not swallow them...besides, letting them pop is the whole point to eating them!

;-`)

And why not just ask for them to put up a warning sign instead of stop selling them?

27 Posted on 07/05/2001 10:49:37 PDT by CARDINALRULES
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To: boris

Okay, hold on, wait a second...there is something that makes NO sense here.

How does gas get TRAPPED in your stomach? I thought when that happens, you BURP. So if the pop rocks built gas up in her stomach, why didn't she burp? Are you suppose to tell me that the kid doesn't know how?! I imagine if you have a congenital condition that prevents you from burping, you aren't going to live very long. And if she "held it in" all this time because her mother intimidated her into never burping at all, then it's the mothers fault anyhow.

I mean, honestly, this makes no sense at all. I've eaten Wonka X-Ploder bars, which have pop rocks embedded in the chocolate. Sounds gross, but they are pretty good. Especially when the pop rocks and chocolate coat your throat, and it fizzles. But I'm SURE that there are pop rocks in the chocolate that don't get chewed, and I've never had problems with it. I must be missing SOME basic fact of anatomy. I mean, if you get gas pain, that's because its in the intestines, right?

I'll ask my Dad. He's a Doctor, maybe he has an explanation....

28 Posted on 07/05/2001 11:25:11 PDT by WyldKard
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To: WyldKard

Well, in the, "This too shall pass..." it's the PASSING that takes awhile. In the meanwhile, it doesn't feel good!

I had this c-section one time, and...Naw, waaaay too much information!!!)

29 Posted on 07/05/2001 11:35:03 PDT by bannie
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