100 Grand Bar
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100 Grand Bar (formerly known as $100,000 Bar) is a candy bar produced by Nestlé in the United States. It weighs 1.5 ounces and includes chocolate, caramel, and crisped rice. The bar contains 190 calories; it is low in cholesterol and sodium, but high in saturated fats and sugar.[citation needed] Its slogan is "That's Rich!"
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[edit] History
In the late 1950s the hottest programs on TV were quiz shows like The $64,000 Question, Twenty One, and The Big Surprise. On the The Big Surprise the contestant chose a subject area and was asked to answer ten questions ranging in value from $100 to $100,000. The program sparked the idea for the $100,000 Bar, which was introduced in 1966.[1]
In 1984, the bar was changed from a one-piece bar to a two-piece bar. The name was changed in 1985 to "100 Grand" bar, a popular term in the 1980s.[1]
In a well known 1997 commercial, a man asks a pageant contestant, "What would you do with 100 Grand?" and the contestant answers, "I'd eat it," eliciting gasps from the studio audience.
[edit] Pranks
The candy bar has more than once been the instrument of radio pranks, where the host will specifically say "100 Grand" will be given away, and gift the winner with the candy bar instead of $100,000. The radio hosts Opie & Anthony did this once while they were on WAAF-FM.
In another incident in May 2005, a Kentucky woman sued a radio station for a prank in which a Radio DJ gave away one of the bars, leading (so the woman claims) listeners to believe the DJ was giving away 100,000 United States Dollars.[2]
[edit] Cultural references
- In the Season 3 episode "Business School" of The Office, Michael Scott tries to provoke chuckles by using the ambiguity of the term "one hundred grand". He says, "And if you sell enough of them, you will make a 'one hundred grand'!", and displays a 100 Grand bar. When he throws the bar into the audience, none of the students try to catch it and it hits one of them on the head.
- In the Seinfeld episode "The Dealership", while trying to determine what candy bar a mechanic took from George, someone suggests it was a $100,000 Bar. Another person working there remarks, "Didn't they change the name from $100,000 Bar to 100 Grand?"
- On the Colbert Report, an image of a 100 Grand bar is part of the introduction to a recurring segment called Colbert Platinum, presented tongue-in-cheek as news and advice for the extremely rich.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Email from Nestlé USA.
- ^ "Radio Candy Stunt Not So Sweet". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.
