# In Jurassic Park what was the point of showing the Barbasol Can covered in mud? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2026, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991 "2026-02-26T08:33:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/21 "2026-02-26T15:53:49Z")
Wouldn’t freezing cause ice crystals in the embryo thereby destroying it? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/22 "2026-02-26T15:56:52Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Wouldn’t freezing cause ice crystals in the embryo thereby destroying it?. They’re suspended in some kind of liquid, maybe it allows them to be supercooled without forming crystals. But honestly, I don’t get why Dodgson needs live embryos anyways. Presumably he isn’t planning to steal and sell exactly one of each species of dino, so once he grows the embryos his company would need to clone them anyways. Is starting from a live dino really that much more helpful than starting from a DNA sample? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/23 "2026-02-26T15:58:42Z")
“Love Embryos” = band name! ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/24 "2026-02-26T15:59:56Z")
Damn it autocorrect! ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/25 "2026-02-26T16:04:46Z")
Not that I paid a lot of attention (I think I only saw it once) but before this tread I always assumed that the can embryos somehow were responsible for the dinos re-propagating - life finds a way, and all So if not that, how did they propagate? Weren’t they all female? I guess the frog DNA? They should have made them all male, no? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/26 "2026-02-26T16:05:01Z")
Why _didn’t_ I think that was a typo? Says more about me, really. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/27 "2026-02-26T16:07:23Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > So if not that, how did they propagate? Weren’t they all female? I guess the frog DNA? They should have made them all male, no? The dino DNA was fragmentary and so they filled in the missing pieces with DNA from various animals (in the book) including frogs (only frogs in the movie), and this type of frog can change gender if a population is too heavily male or female, and some of the dinos inherited that ability. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/28 "2026-02-26T16:08:42Z")
It’s a plot point and this is a simple movie. The can’s end place had to be resolved. Which is a shame, that would have been a nice plot device for The Jurassic Park 2 that was inevitable. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/29 "2026-02-26T16:09:52Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Wouldn’t there still be some DNA fragments? Certainly more than there would be in fossils and amber after 65 or 120 million years? Sequels aside, that was what I always figured. We had the DNA in the first place because of the random way the mosquitos got caught in amber. Now, there’s more DNA that’s going to (eventually, on a geologic scale) end up encased in new sedimentary rock, to be rediscovered by some future paleontologist. Geology finds a way… ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/30 "2026-02-26T16:12:36Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Now, there’s more DNA that’s going to (eventually, on a geologic scale) end up encased in new sedimentary rock, to be rediscovered by some future paleontologist. Geology finds a way… The bad guys are usually after live dinos for one reason or another but that _is_ how they get Indominus DNA for the Indoraptor in the 2nd Jurassic World movie - they send a sub into the mosasaurus lagoon (releasing it into the ocean in the process) and take a sample of the Indominus rex skeleton that’s laying there since the climax of the first JW movie. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/31 "2026-02-26T16:31:30Z")
I thought the showing the can of Barbasol getting buried was to eliminate the possibility that it would be found by the schemers who hired Newman, once they determined he was no longer going to deliver it. If it popped out of his pocket and was left at the surface, like in the Jeep he was driving, or just on his carcass after the dino finished his meal, then everyone would be going “but, what about the can of Barbasol??” With it sliding down the hill and then getting buried in mud, the chances for being found are about nil - so it mitigates the possibility of a plot hole. Altho, I admit I initially thought the scene was to make the possibility of a sequel built around it. I don’t recall the 24 hour thing, but maybe that played into it as well. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/32 "2026-02-26T16:35:55Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I don’t recall the 24 hour thing, but maybe that played into it as well. Dodgson tells Nedry that the can will keep the embryos cold for 24 hours so he has to be fast. Maybe it was a way to stiff Nedry. If the embryos are alive, great, and if not, he can still clone them _and_ he has an excuse to not pay Nedry. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/33 "2026-02-26T16:50:39Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Wouldn’t freezing cause ice crystals in the embryo thereby destroying it? Freezing embryos is a real thing: [https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/freezing-embryos](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/freezing-embryos) So if it works for humans, it should work for dinos too. They were already frozen when Nedry stole them. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/34 "2026-02-26T16:57:06Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Maybe it was a way to stiff Nedry. If the embryos are alive, great, and if not, he can still clone them _and_ he has an excuse to not pay Nedry. In the novel, Nedry was going to get paid $50k for each species embryo, with a $50k bonus for each one that was viable. And it was Gillette Foamy shaving cream in the book. ETA Just watched the scene on YouTube, that’s what happens in the movie also. And it’s 36 hours, not 24. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/35 "2026-02-26T16:59:36Z")
That’s like 1.5 million in total, about 3 million in today’s money. Considering how much Jurassic Park must have cost, it’s pretty ironic that it was destroyed over such a relatively small sum. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/36 "2026-02-26T17:10:37Z")
Gotcha. Prestone “protectant fluid.” 😉😉 ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/37 "2026-02-26T17:11:04Z")
I’ve heard more than one viewer from countries where Barbasol isn’t sold admit that they thought it was a can of whipped cream, which would make the part where Nedry smears the excess on another diner’s dessert slightly less disgusting. (It’s never referred to as a shaving cream can in the dialogue, though Nedry does ask “No menthol?”) ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/38 "2026-02-26T17:30:00Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > That’s like 1.5 million in total, about 3 million in today’s money. Considering how much Jurassic Park must have cost, it’s pretty ironic that it was destroyed over such a relatively small sum. Novel Hammond was not the kindly grandfather who was building Jurassic Park for the children of the world, he was a total prick. He basically blackmailed Nedry into making significant modifications outside the original Statement of Work for free, so it’s not surprising Nedry was up for a little industrial espionage. Honestly, by the time Hammond is eaten by procompsognathids at the end of the book you’re cheering for the compys. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/39 "2026-02-26T17:32:43Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I think that served more purpose. It established tht the grail is truly gone, the Knight will die, and the grail story is now over. I don’t disagree and, of course, the loss of a singular artifact like The Grail is greater than stolen clones that are, by definition, recreateable. The Ark in the warehouse falls somewhere in between. But they all spell the end of the bad guys and the heroes can return to What Really Matters. I don’t see any reason there couldn’t be a Grail recovery movie. I mean, if Darth Vader’s helmet can be pulled from orbital wreckage, why not dig up a cup? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991/40 "2026-02-26T17:41:46Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I mean, if Darth Vader’s helmet can be pulled from orbital wreckage No. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rA1dQtGbqw4/maxresdefault.jpg "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Darth Vader's Funeral and Finale") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA1dQtGbqw4) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-jurassic-park-what-was-the-point-of-showing-the-barbasol-can-covered-in-mud/1027991.md?page=3)