# What happens if you throw a coconut in a campfire? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 1, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702 "2011-04-01T00:42:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/81 "2011-04-18T15:19:09Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > Anyone send this question to _Mythbusters_ yet? The best part of them trying this would be that if it didn’t explode naturally, they would still be sure to make it explode. No, first we have to write a myth about it, and get it spread around the interwebs. I suggest including a loyal dog, who saves a toddler from the explosion, and the only piece that hits him is stopped by the face of Jesus as represented on the sweatshirt he is wearing. The religious glurge ones spread fastest - we should be ready for next seasons taping. If only we could Sarah Palin in there somewhere. . . ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/82 "2011-04-18T21:13:16Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > No, first we have to write a myth about it, and get it spread around the interwebs. I suggest including a loyal dog, who saves a toddler from the explosion, and the only piece that hits him is stopped by the face of Jesus as represented on the sweatshirt he is wearing. > > The religious glurge ones spread fastest - we should be ready for next seasons taping. > > If only we could Sarah Palin in there somewhere. . . It was her dog. Really, my friend told me because her neighbor was there. It happened at a political rally in Hawaii. You have the other parts wrong though; the flaming coconut shard hit the dog who ran in front of the toddler. The scorch mark left on the dog was the face of the Virgin Mary. (Or was it Jesus? Gandhi? Obama? Take your pick). ---
**Author:** ![ForumDoge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8baadc/32.png) [@ForumDoge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumDoge)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/83 "2019-11-27T17:12:55Z")
> [@The\_Mad\_Doctor](#): > > This is **The Mad Doctor**. I had a robust fire going for 3 days but didn’t know of this debate. I actually planted a coconut tree today, but it is the kind that will grow up and kill you. Those things most of you refer to as a coconut are not the things T Slothrop and I refer to as a coconut. A coconut has a thick fibrous husk to it approximating the size of a bowling ball, you pick it off a tree. It is not the hard shell thing you get at Piggly Wiggly, King Soopers, Wynn Dixie, Food Lion, or Ingles. > > I have a thing about coconuts, I don’t think they should be squandered in wilful incendiary experimentation. Since my supply is free though, I may consider this as a challenge. I will take a green husk juevenile coconut, and a brown skin husk bearing coconut from T Slothrop and put it in a monumental Boy Scout fire after all the Scouts have gone to bed and see if it burns or explodes. My take on this is that it will decompress non-explosively thru the softest of the 3 little umbilical dimples before it detonates in any form–either green, brown, or grocery store mainland variety. I don’t think this will attain the statistical power of a multi-centered, prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial though so will always be suspect. I will accept your donations though. PM me for my offshore account number. > > I believe every coconut has a soul; I watch them flower and form on T Slothrop’s tree, I watch them get larger over a year and a half and go from green to brown, the I germinate them in my yard and distribute them throughout my island to those bereft of Samoan Dwarf coconuts. Either that or I use their husks to grow my orchids on. The tree is dwarf, not the coconut. T Slothrop is a veritable giant of a man, he is not from any lineage including those of dimunitive stature. I am really not sure from where the dwarf thing originated… > > So today, at a site I will not disclose, prior to joining this forum or knowing of the coconut debate, I planted a germinated “grow up and kill you” kine coconut. It actually saw the fire, and watched it without concern over nite while awaiting planting, but I had not seen this thread at that time. It had no fear of the fire as it knew my intent. The other coconuts will likely suffer. Could I go to hell for this? It’s been a few years since this thread was updated. I came across it yesterday and I got my account activated. Have you done the coconut test and if you did what were the results? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/84 "2019-11-27T20:04:29Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I would think the three soft spots would “give” first. > > I can’t believe I couldn’t find one on youtube. That’s incredible - I was certain it would be out there already. . . Eight years and no definitive answer? That’s not like The Straight Dope at all. I wonder if the RHNB\* guy would be interested in experimenting on a coconut. - Red Hot Nickel Ball - there’s a Youtube channel. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/85 "2019-11-27T22:04:40Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > As a 14 year old my friends and I went through a phase of blowing things up with firecrackers (bangers in the UK) > … > There was also the memorable time one of my friends poured petrol from an open bottle onto a smouldering fire “to give it a kick up the arse”…hilarity ensued. … Off-topic Public Service Announcement: DON’T DO THIS !!! Especially, don’t squirt lighter fluid from those squirt-cans it comes in, onto an already-started BBQ! The flame can go up the squirt stream into the can, making it a bomb! Every time I see someone do this, I cringe. THIS IS NOT HYPOTHETICAL! It happened to a friend of my father. She got herself torched and badly burned. When I was a child, I would often see the scars on her entire arm. If you need to add lighter fluid to a fire, pour some into a little cup first and toss that onto the fire. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/86 "2019-11-27T23:27:41Z")
Or spray it from your mouth like I did. Oh wait, that was Jack Daniels. Now I want to know about the campfire coconuts… ---
**Author:** ![Mortimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/87 "2019-11-28T07:45:47Z")
What happens if you put de lime in de coconut and mix dem bode up? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/88 "2019-11-28T11:07:53Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Eight years and no definitive answer? That’s not like The Straight Dope at all. > > I wonder if the RHNB\* guy would be interested in experimenting on a coconut. > > - Red Hot Nickel Ball - there’s a Youtube channel. Why isn’t this definitive? > [@Indian](#): > > …like a bomb. But it will pop and crack and make sounds while it burns. > > Coconuts are thrown into the fire during the indian festival of [Holi.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi).In some other Hindu rituals also, coconuts are thrown into fire.They just pop and burn. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/89 "2019-11-28T12:28:41Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > …If you need to add lighter fluid to a fire, pour some into a little cup first and toss that onto the fire. Why on earth would you need to put lighter fluid on a fire? As a lifelong pyromaniac, I have never had to do this. Once there is a fire, you can just add tinder (or paper) if you need to make it larger fast. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/90 "2019-11-28T18:14:31Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > No, there are the little soft spots where the sprouts come out. Remember, it is a seed and must open to grow. > […] But corn is a seed too, an it explodes. OK, it is much smaller, but is can be pretty violent. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/91 "2019-11-28T23:33:38Z")
But corn does not have a large hollow space with comparatively lots of liquid in it, and it has a tough shell but a much thinner one. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/92 "2019-11-29T01:00:57Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Why isn’t this definitive? No video. Perhaps definitive wasn’t the right word, but I was expecting someone to come back with video. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2019, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/93 "2019-11-29T02:37:02Z")
This coconut isn’t in a fire but it is on fire. With some kind of accelerant on it to keep it burning. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cKO7D9L3LbM/hqdefault.jpg "Coconut on fire") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKO7D9L3LbM) After a minute and a half it just burns. No pop. UPDATE: If a coconut goes through cremation it will explode though. > **[Exploding coconut 'sent fear' through crematorium staff](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-42920984)** > > TV remotes, alcohol and golf clubs have also been placed inside coffins due for cremation. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/94 "2019-11-29T03:36:46Z")
Cool. I had to go look and I have to say that a lot of people posting video on Youtube are nuts. Think before trying any of these. This matches **Indian** ’s description. It’s charring unhusked coconuts for culinary reasons – [no boom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CIT9VYmyBQ) Coconut palm [catches fire due to lightning strike](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG_OWWAquoY) - [more than one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNt7W4gfpI0). No obvious boom, but it’s hard to tell if there were pops. This guy submerged coconuts in [liquid nitrogen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5zJc6w5GFI). No boom, but interesting. Exploding a coconut[with electricity](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl6-kqVyOqM)and swears. And [with electricity](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0n3AGTmQDk) and fewer swears. Seriously, who uses an old CRT monitor as blast containment? These guys try to explode a coconut with a [deep fryer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEbmwEv2sgs)(after trying sodium and then trying thermite). Red Hot Nickel Ball guy does not have a coconut, but does have [coconut oil.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbUKV0aXl5s) The movie Swiss Family Robinson had grenades made out of coconuts. So [someone had to try that](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVubYQOV6ko). And someone filled a coconut with [molten copper](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVBGdpJjZWg). Some people have no sense of personal safety. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2019, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/95 "2019-11-29T08:04:46Z")
The local market is out of coconuts. How about I just throw a can of coconut milk on a campfire? From a safe distance, of course. Safety first. Beer next. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702/96 "2019-12-01T03:49:11Z")
If you take proper safety precautions, you’ll be an oddity on Youtube. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-throw-a-coconut-in-a-campfire/576702.md?page=4)