Phantom smoke
It is fascinating how the boundaries of what is acceptable and what is questionable change over time and across societies. In this basket of 'slightly tacky- politically incorrect-a bit too sweet-but a great laugh down memory lane', I would place Phantom sweet cigarettes.
I haven't seen a packet for at least 20 years (or possibly since I was in primary school in India). And as my knowledgeable younger sibling tells me, they are no longer sold in Delhi and neighbouring towns. On special request from her a friend got about four packets down from Ludhiana (of all the places!). For those of you wondering what the hell these are, this is what the packet looks like from outside.
And inside this are a set of ten 'cigarettes' made out of a white candy which actually tastes like sugary chalk and has red-coloured candy tip to indicate a flame.
My first thought on seeing the pack was, funnily enough, nostalgia. It brought to mind summer holidays at school, hanging out with neighbourhood kids and trundling to 'gol-chakkar' the shops along the roundabout near my grandma's house (Meerut). We had so much fun pretending to 'smoke' (chew) one of these with the full knowledge, imparted by strict adults, that in real life "smoking was very very bad" ! Another memory is how brittle the little sticks were and often there would be one or two broken ones in a pack (making everyone fight for the one s that were intact).
I'm still amazed though that the creators of this candy, clearly targeted at 5 to 7 years olds, got away with marketing this. Equally amazing that so many non-smoking parents readily bought them for kids.
With my western 'health and safety and well-being' hat on I feel astounded that it continues to be sold across Indian cities. But realistically speaking, I look back and think, no one I knew in my primary/ middle school was thinking - ooh I'm going to try the real one next. Still, I suspect it is only a matter of time before someone realises the irony of Phantom ciggies and they disappear from shelves.
There were (and continue to be) far greater influences and external factors that lead young people (and often older people) to take up smoking. Perhaps the new marketing strategy for this candy could be be to use these sugary substitutes to wean people off the real thing. Replace one evil with another? Why not- after all we are but guinea pigs in this man-made mad consumer world !
I haven't seen a packet for at least 20 years (or possibly since I was in primary school in India). And as my knowledgeable younger sibling tells me, they are no longer sold in Delhi and neighbouring towns. On special request from her a friend got about four packets down from Ludhiana (of all the places!). For those of you wondering what the hell these are, this is what the packet looks like from outside.
And inside this are a set of ten 'cigarettes' made out of a white candy which actually tastes like sugary chalk and has red-coloured candy tip to indicate a flame.
My first thought on seeing the pack was, funnily enough, nostalgia. It brought to mind summer holidays at school, hanging out with neighbourhood kids and trundling to 'gol-chakkar' the shops along the roundabout near my grandma's house (Meerut). We had so much fun pretending to 'smoke' (chew) one of these with the full knowledge, imparted by strict adults, that in real life "smoking was very very bad" ! Another memory is how brittle the little sticks were and often there would be one or two broken ones in a pack (making everyone fight for the one s that were intact).
I'm still amazed though that the creators of this candy, clearly targeted at 5 to 7 years olds, got away with marketing this. Equally amazing that so many non-smoking parents readily bought them for kids.
With my western 'health and safety and well-being' hat on I feel astounded that it continues to be sold across Indian cities. But realistically speaking, I look back and think, no one I knew in my primary/ middle school was thinking - ooh I'm going to try the real one next. Still, I suspect it is only a matter of time before someone realises the irony of Phantom ciggies and they disappear from shelves.
There were (and continue to be) far greater influences and external factors that lead young people (and often older people) to take up smoking. Perhaps the new marketing strategy for this candy could be be to use these sugary substitutes to wean people off the real thing. Replace one evil with another? Why not- after all we are but guinea pigs in this man-made mad consumer world !
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