Claim: A human penis was found in a jar of fruit punch.
Status: False.
Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2001]
A lady at work today told us a story she said she read in the paper. Some guy in or around Denver was drinking a bottle of juice. After he finished 3/4 of it he noticed that there was a penis in the bottle. |
Origins: On 2 October 2001, the never-ending stream of rumors arising from the
America was momentarily disrupted by an odd story about a grisly find made by a man imbibing the contents of a bottle of Ora Potency Fruit Punch purchased in Colorado.
Juan Sanchez-Marchez said he discovered a penis in his drink after he had downed about two-thirds of the
bottle.)
The local coroner authorized tests to make sure the find was indeed what it appeared to be: a
The find prompted the recall of that line of punch by the manufacturer. Production of the beverage was also halted at the bottling plant.
Days later the coroner's office announced the gruesome item was actually mold and not human tissue. According to them, the mold likely developed after the metal lid on the fruit punch bottle was tightened improperly, allowing air to seep through the cap. That air and the high sugar content of the drink made for an ideal climate for mold, which probably started growing from the underside of the lid.
As initially comforting that change in the status of things might be, further thought reveals that imbibing a liquid that a mold has been growing in isn't all that much of an improvement.
Barbara "hold the mold, please" Mikkelson
Last updated: 28 January 2007
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