Trademark: Pop Rocks

First Used: 1975

Registered: 2003

Current Owner: ZETA ESPACIAL S.A. [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; design mark; word mark

Primarily Associated With: candy, chewing gum, bubble gum, and lollipops [2]

Generic Phrase: popping candy, as in POP ROCKS® brand popping candy

Also A Trademark For: clothing, namely, shirts, jackets and caps [3]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [4]:

In 1956, General Foods chemist William A. Mitchell was experimenting with ways to make an instant carbonated soft drink by trapping pressurized carbon dioxide inside hot candy before cooling. The result did not work particularly well as an instant soda, but it produced something far more unusual: pieces of candy that popped and crackled as they dissolved in your mouth. General Foods patented the technology (nicknaming it internally “Atomic Candy”), but the idea sat largely unused for nearly two decades.

In the mid-1970s, the new VP of General Foods tried the candy and demanded a public release. POP ROCKS® popping candy was finally released in grape, orange, and cherry flavors and became an instant hit with the consuming public, with the company claiming hundreds of millions of dollars in sales in the first few years of sales.

Unfortunately, Pop Rocks quickly became just as famous for an urban legend as for the candy itself. By the late 1970s, rumors began circulating that eating Pop Rocks candy while drinking soda could cause a person's stomach to explode. One version claimed that "Mikey," the child from the famous Life cereal commercials, had died that way. None of it was true. General Foods responded with advertisements, reportedly sent tens of thousands of letters to school officials, and even sent Mitchell out to reassure the public. The FDA also established a telephone hotline to address safety concerns.

The rumors proved remarkably difficult to shake. Despite General Foods’ efforts to reassure consumers, sales declined, and the company discontinued Pop Rocks in 1980. Although General Foods attributed the decision to its long-term marketing strategy and a short shelf life for the product, the timing helped fuel the belief that the urban legend had killed the candy. Five years later, General Foods licensed the candy to Carbonated Candy Ventures, and Pop Rocks officially returned to the market for good beginning in 1986.

What do Pop Rocks and other iconic brands like (quick-set) Jell-O® [5], Cool Whip® [6], and Tang® [7] have in common? They were all invented by the same person: William A. Mitchell. Mitchell was a prolific food scientist who is credited as an inventor on over 70 food-related patents. His career first kicked off with the creation of a mass-produced tapioca substitute that fueled soldiers during World War II, before then moving to General Foods where he focused on consumer foods. Known for his ingenuity, his long career as a research chemist coincided with America's midcentury fascination with convenience foods, making him a key figure in the history of modern food science.

POP ROCKS word mark trademark registration for clothing.

POP ROCKS word mark trademark registration for candy.

POP ROCKS EXTREME word mark trademark registration for candy.

[1] Pop Rocks, https://www.pop-rocks.com/; Zeta Espacial, http://zetaespacial.com/.

[2] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,740,996, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76182941&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[3] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3,411,913, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76595436&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[4] How Pop Rocks Candy Works, According To Science, TASTING TABLE, posted August 11, 2025, and available at https://www.tastingtable.com/1931476/how-pop-rocks-candy-works/; Sweet Science: The Phenomenal History of Popping Candy!, REDSTONE FOODS INC., posted September 15, 2023, and available at https://redstonefoods.com/candy-soda-blog/history-of-popping-candy; Pop Rocks: History, Flavors & Trivia, SNACK HISTORY, posted January 27, 2022, and available at https://www.snackhistory.com/pop-rocks-candy/; The Surprising Origin Of Pop Rocks, MASHED, posted January 12, 2021, and available at https://www.mashed.com/310907/the-surprising-origin-of-pop-rocks/.

[5] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 250,035, and available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=71266480&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[6] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,013,622, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73030326&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.

[7] USPTO, U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,974,439, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=73836054&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.