Life

Spoof Gives The Real Story Behind '90s Mentos Ads

by Jamie Kenney

I'll tell you, man, after that bizarre throwback Sizzlers commercial from 1991 that made the rounds the other day, I've been feeling pretty nostalgic for the '90s. (OK, I'm always feeling '90s nostalgia, but whatever. It's especially strong this week.) But after busting out my high tops, New Kids On The Block t-shirt, and snap bracelets, I was still feeling empty. I didn't just need '90s paraphernalia—I needed '90s commercials. Fortunately I found this Hank Comedy Mentos commercial parody, which perhaps transcends the most '90s of all '90s commercials ever to exist:

There were actually a whole bunch of Mentos ads, but they all followed the same basic premise.

  • Attractive person is casually going about their day.
  • Attractive person is faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
  • Attractive person is clearly struck with a brilliant idea, smiles, and pops a Mentos.
  • Attractive person endeavors completely crazy scheme to get around obstacle; onlookers gaze on in shock and disapproval.
  • Plan succeeds; attractive person smiles; onlooker laughs approvingly.
  • Attractive person smiles at camera and shows us Mentos.

Look, it's not that we were buying the hype back in the day or thought they were a wonderful series of advertisements. Even at the time, we were all like "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat is this, guys? These are so stupid. Do they think we think Mentos will inspire such acts of whimsical ingenuity?" We also universally recognized that the only candy worse than Mentos is Good & Plenty. But they aired so frequently and that jingle was so catchy that it quickly became a cultural touchstone.

The parody takes a look at what happens after the Happily Ever After of the Mentos ad and answers all those burning questions we've had for the past 20-something years...well, not so much burning as "I didn't know I wanted to know this backstory until I saw it."

And now, for your further enjoyment, a small collection of some of my favorite Mentos ads.

Cool Teen Escapes Mom at the Mall—WITH MENTOS!

Pretty Blonde Model Makes a Red Carpet Fashion Statement—THANKS TO MENTOS!

Woman with the World's Tiniest Car Discovers Parking Hack! THANK YOU, MENTOS!

The Aggressive Mannerisms and Maniacal Twinkle in His Eyes Tells Me This Man Clearly Escalated to Serial Murder—BECAUSE OF MENTOS!

Image: YouTube