The first of a few rather tasteless mistletoe-themed things for this season. Thankfully it’s too late to get this one – the Smooching Sweater – now, so there’s no need to worry. Unless someone managed to get you one for Christmas. Each sweater had to be won though – you couldn’t just buy one. The competition closed at the end of November, so they may already be collectibles. And it was US-based, not here in the UK. There’s no accounting for taste in the US.
But, though I say it is tasteless, this particular product is, actually, all about taste – chewing gum taste. It was a promotion by Orbit Peppermint Gum to help you get ‘your zing back’, and freshen your breath for that kiss below the mistletoe. The mistletoe concerned being on a wire attached to the back of the sweater and the chewing gum dispensed, for you and your kissee, from a dispenser on the front of the sweater. And just in case that didn’t work the whole sweater is peppermint scented anyway.
A unique combination of being tasteless and pepper-flavoured/scented at the same time. It also lights up, controlled by a remote control on the sleeve and has flashy sequins across the chest. One size fits all.
The ‘mistletoe’ is, of course, just moulded plastic, the usual cheat. But at least the concept is unconventional. Orbit seemed pleased to describe it as ugly. And their webpage about it gives a new meaning to FOMO, concluding that, even though the competition is over;
No further mention of the need for mistletoe though.
