# Exploding Jawbreaker Cruely Burns Child? LIKE FUCK IT DOES! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 19, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580 "2003-09-19T12:13:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/1 "2003-09-19T12:13:02Z")
Go Here– [http://www.local6.com/news/2491417/detail.html](http://www.local6.com/news/2491417/detail.html) Purportedly, a little girl had an ordinary jawbreaker _explode_ in her face, & give her horrible burns. I don’t think so. **Only a fucking imbecile of a cop would believe this dumbass alibi!** Why isn’t this family being investigated for child abuse? Mark my words, this child was _tortured_! Candy _does not_ explode, but family violence _does!_ ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/2 "2003-09-19T12:17:02Z")
And Tylenol generally relieve headaches, but back in the day, it occasionally gave you a case of the cyanides. No jump to judgement. But exploding Jawbreakers? Odder things have happened. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/3 "2003-09-19T12:43:49Z")
I know this is going to sound stupid but I have seen jawbreaker look alike things sold at toy science stores that when you bang two of them together they make a spark and a loud pop. Not sure what they are but this little girl could have put one in her mouth thinking it was a jawbreak and have it explode. I’ll see if I can find a link to what I am talking about. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/4 "2003-09-19T12:49:33Z")
looks like bollocks to me. do they not do testing on these things to make sure they cant do this? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/5 "2003-09-19T12:51:06Z")
Yeah, great, let’s all panic, and assume this child was napalmed in the privacy of her family home. The article says that the jawbreaker is being investigated because it may have been tampered with. In other news, Bosda leads the standings in the 2003 Jumping to Conclusions contest, the winner of which qualifies for the 2004 Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/6 "2003-09-19T13:07:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > In other news, Bosda leads the standings in the 2003 Jumping to Conclusions contest, the winner of which qualifies for the 2004 Olympics. Would this be the non-medal Demonstration Event for next year? ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/7 "2003-09-19T13:10:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Part of the piece of candy was taken to the Florida Law Enforcement crime lab in Jacksonville for analysis. Another part was still laying in the family’s yard, covered by ants. I’m assuming that the ants remain unharmed? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/8 "2003-09-19T13:31:29Z")
A company finally tries to live up to truth in advertising for their “jawbreaker” candies, and this is the thanks they get? I do feel bad for the poor little kid, but I also think that **Bosda** might well deserve that rating from the Netherlands judge. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/9 "2003-09-19T13:36:00Z")
Award me the “Doesn’t Preview” medal, please. That was supposed to be tiny type up there. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/10 "2003-09-19T13:49:40Z")
> [@](#): > > “I can’t say if it’s a product defect or if it’s tampering at this point in time,” Bradford County sheriff’s Lt. Kenneth Hinds told WJXT-TV. There was also some speculation that the candy was left in the sun, the liquid inside was boiling or had some chemical reaction. Did you even read the article **Bosda**? I think it’s a bit presumptuous to say the girl was tortured by her family when the above quote presents at least **three** other possibilities that are being investigated. And I don’t know about you, but I hardly think that if I mutilated my child to the point of needing plastic surgery, that I’d immediately call the cops and present them with a cover story about exploding candy, of all things. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/11 "2003-09-19T14:15:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*In other news, Bosda leads the standings in the 2003 Jumping to Conclusions contest, the winner of which qualifies for the 2004 Olympics. \*\* Is that held on a. . .JUMP to CONCLUSIONS mat! You see, it’s a mat, with different conclusions on it that you can JUMP to. . . ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/12 "2003-09-19T14:28:05Z")
If that jawbreaker really did explode (and hey, anything’s possible), that kid just got her college education paid for. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/13 "2003-09-19T14:32:12Z")
That is so sad. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/14 "2003-09-19T14:36:31Z")
And in other news, foul gases from a Gouda cheese that exploded in Waycross, GA have been identified as ordinary bovine methane. hey, what’s that thing with legs in my Diet Coke??! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/15 "2003-09-19T14:38:45Z")
Seems like exploding candy would leave some kind of sugary shrapnel in those scars, easy enough to detect by the guys on CSI. ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/16 "2003-09-19T14:43:29Z")
> [@](#): > > There was also some speculation that the candy was left in the sun, the liquid inside was boiling or had some chemical reaction. Liquid? Inside a jawbreaker… liquid… They sure make jawbreakers different from when I was a kid! Back then they were pure sugar, compacted to the approximate density of a neutron star. Now they have liquid in them?!?! Come on, this is THE Straight Dope. Not just any ol’ straight dope. Let’s figure this out! HOW in HELL does a JAWBREAKER EXPLODE?!?!!! Seriously, I wanna know. Tell me. How can I make a jawbreaker that will explode, without altering it so much that it no longer looks like a jawbreaker? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/17 "2003-09-19T14:55:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phnord Prephect \* > \*\*Back then they were pure sugar, compacted to the approximate density of a neutron star. > > HOW in HELL does a JAWBREAKER EXPLODE?!?!!!\*\* Perhaps it went supernova. Seriously, I cannot in my wildest imagination fathom a jawbreaker travelling at less than the speed of sound causing that kind of damage. While I won’t jump to the hasty conclusion of abusive parents, I suspect that we are not getting the entire story here. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/18 "2003-09-19T15:00:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by troub \* > \*\*Is that held on a. . .JUMP to CONCLUSIONS mat! You see, it’s a mat, with different conclusions on it that you can JUMP to. . . \*\* 😃 😃 I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/19 "2003-09-19T15:02:00Z")
First, for the “Let’s All Jump On **Bosda** The Minute He Steps In The Pit” Committee—bite me. 😛 No exclaimation point, your feeble powers of abuse don’t rate one. :wally On topic… There’s an old saying, used in training physicians: “If you hear the sound of hoof-beats, look for horses, not for zebras.” This means, in any given situation, before you consider the exotic, examine for the prosaic. All Dopers should have this idea engraved upon their very hearts, for it is a grand concept, and a powerful tool in Fighting Ignorance. The incidence of children, or indeed _anybody_, being injured by exploding candy is so low that it is essentially unheard-of. The incidence of child abuse id frightfully high. It is, therefore, far wiser to investigate this as a case of child abuse, rather than snooping for dynamite in jawbreakers. **belladonna** writes– > [@](#): > > Did you even read the article Bosda? I think it’s a bit presumptuous to say the girl was tortured by her family when the above quote presents at least three other possibilities that are being investigated. > And I don’t know about you, but I hardly think that if I mutilated my child to the point of needing plastic surgery, that I’d immediately call the cops and present them with a cover story about exploding candy, of all things. On the contrary, it is typical. A person, possessed of out-of-control emotions goes _way_ too far in abusing their child. Panicky, & not wanting to get caught with a murder rap, they get the poor kid to the ER. And, as the attack is an unplanned act of an out-of-control person, they do not _have_ a convincing or persuasive alibi. Instead, the come up with the first piece of crap that enters their savage, rattling heads. Instead of jawbreakers, it could have been a “stranger”, of another race or religion, that was dreamed up as an alibi. Or UFOs, for that matter. Anything to cover their dimwit asses. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580/20 "2003-09-19T15:09:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > **This means, in any given situation, before you consider the exotic, examine for the prosaic.** Sure, but you’re a bit guilty of the very same thing. Before condemning the parents, could you at least collect some small amount of data and consider some other possibilities? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-jawbreaker-cruely-burns-child-like-fuck-it-does/202580.md?page=2)