A sassy young lady sashays past an open air French style cafe, gaining the attention of a business man, and at the same time interrupting his newspaper enjoyment. As she glides past, a footwear malfunction occurs, leaving her sans one heel. She reaches for her secret freshness inducer, Mentos. After administering a piece of the magic elixir of nuttiness, she breaks off the remaining spike, proclaiming to the world her resourcefulness, and endless freshness. The man in the cafe is undoubtedly impressed.

A young lad and his pals file through a mob of fanatics and paparazzi, in order to get a closer look at their favorite star. However, their adventure takes them over the legal boundaries of said activity, which is then pointed out to them by the authorities. After a bit of contemplation, and a hearty dose of freshness ala Mentos, our hero cunningly disguises himself as a member of the media, and breaks through the defenses of the establishment.

A young woman finds herself in a bit of a pinch, as she discovers that she has packed too much, and her bags are a most bothersome burden. But she has no fear, it is a burden which is not insurmountable, especially with Mentos on her side. She unsheathes her glimmering blue tube of freshness, and holds it out stretched like the mighty Excalibur, and although shortening it by 1/14 this weapon has not lost its power. She consumes the pellet of perkiness, and decrees that she and only she shall be the one to ride the baggage cart, and all the other most unfresh patrons of the airport shall bear the full weight of their baggage. Her friends cheer, and dream of one day achieving a freshness such as hers.

Only an unfresh person would park his car in such a way as to make his fellow motorist unable to go about her merry way, but that's just what our heroine is faced with in this episode of the Mentos saga. After an exchange of dirty looks, and communication of the parkee's need for promptness, the young girl contemplates her dilemma with the aid of a freshmaker. She has a revelation, and summons what looks to be the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line from a construction site across the way. With surprisingly little convincing, the barbarians lift her Fiat into the road, and as she thanks them she glances in the way of her nemesis, only to add an exclamation point to her freshness.

While enjoying a pleasant afternoon at the mall, a teen and his companions suddenly spot one of their mothers. She raises her umbrella, signifying that she has acquired her target, and means to move in for the kill. Quickly searching his person, the teen removes from his pocket the only thing to help him out of this bind, Mentos. Thinking quickly, and now sporting fresh, clean breath, he seizes a baseball cap from a nearby mannequin. The perfect disguise! Placing it on his head in a diagonal pattern, he strikes a pose and avoids his pursuer. She spots him again, but this time only after entering the escalator. Knowing she has been vanquished, mom shakes her weapon yet again, all the while thinking, 'My son is sooo fresh!'

There is little peace in the land of Mentos, as yet another teen is faced with a distressing problem. While crossing the street, he is separated from his friends, and nearly from his legs by an over anxious motorist. Finding himself needing to traverse the street, but without a normal means to do so, he again thanks his lucky stars he remembered the freshmaker. His supply is reduced by one, but his freshness is increased exponentially. Opening the rear door, he climbs through the auto, while the driver looks over his shoulder in astonishment. Upon exiting, the youth shrugs at the motorist, Mentos in hand. Although a bit shaken, the passenger acknowledges the care free youths with an approving glance as he speeds away. "Wait till the wife hears of my brush with freshness!"

In this episode, once again the establishment has prevented some teens from achieving their goal. At the backstage door to a rock concert, our friends are star struck and must find a way backstage to meet their idols, demonstrate their freshness, and enjoy each others minty clean breath. Musical paraphernalia is being unloaded, and with the aid of a bandanna, one teen slips through the line undetected. At the last moment, a security guard spots him, but instead of pouncing on him and beating him to a bloody mess with his nightstick, he lets him go showing an expression that could only mean one thing, "Those crazy kids!". Bravo!

A nice young couple sit at a French style open-air cafe' (much like the one used in HIGH HEEL TREACHERY) The couple are *TRYING* to order drinks, but to no avail. The evil waiter will not allow it! He keeps ignoring them and helping out the no doubt less fresh patrons. So, as any young man would do in this situation, he pops a Mento in his mouth, no doubt to give him the extra boost he needs to invent something to impress his date. So, he stands up, with a fresh look at life, takes the tablecloth from the still-empty table, and wraps it around his waist. The perfect disguise! Now, he can pass for one of the waiters! In his brilliant costume, he marches up to the counter and gets he and his lovely date the refreshments they desire. On the way back though, the waiter sees them. But just in time, our hero pops a Mento into his mouth. The waiter shoots a look of understanding at him and can only be thinking, "I wish I had the power to be so fresh!"

Our 9th tale begins with our young hero, ignorant of life's darker side, playing soccer on a beautiful, clear spring day. (This would be football for the world outside the United States) However, even the most beautiful days can turn ugly without much effort. With one ill-aimed swoop of his foot, the young lad sends the ball soaring over a finely crafted hedge and right into a beautiful wedding! Our golden locked hero never falters, however, and bravely attempts to regain his precious checkered bauble. Alas, as he tries to pass a meticulously unfresh usher our Crusader of Freshness is denied! His fighting spirit is never shaken. Held like the scepter of power it truly is, the young lad displays his trusty pack of Mentos. He pops a chalky pill of power and universal freshness and the transformation begins. Our hero is rejuvenated and is totally FULL OF LIFE! He deftly eyes some conveniently placed flowers, snags them and approaches the befuddled couple. After rescuing his ball, he gives the bride a fresh-breathed peck, hands her the instant-bouquet, and shakes the lucky groom's hand, leaving them speechless (yet very FRESH). Walking past the dismayed and flabbergasted usher, he gives the classic thumbs up smile, proudly displaying his inspiration and source of life, the Mentos. How Fresh it is!!

The latest adventure in Fresh and Full of Life Land starts when our protagonist, in mental preparation for an obviously important business meeting of some type, decided to take a restful break in the park on a beautiful sunny day. Lo and behold, he finds a fine looking park bench and decides to have a seat on the wooden couch. As he's settling in, we see a painter, who turned his back from the bench only momentarily, trying to warn our out-of- luck hero about the wet paint he just coated the bench with. Too late! It's ruined! Bright white stripes appear all the way down the back of the material. Most people would have gone home. Some would have cried. But not our tragic hero. He has Mentos! Popping a chalky white pill of pure perfection, he's able to come up with a solution that no mere mortal (without the help of the Freshmaker) would have the guts to try. He lays back on the bench and begins to roll around. Pinstripes! His suit, and business-like image, are saved! Rising from the bench he brandishes the back of Mentos to the painter as if he were a missionary wielding a cross. And the painter can only smile and nod, as if to say "I'm converted."

This most secret of Mentos commercial is also the most potentially harrowing, starting with our fashionably-sensible heroine, wanting nothing more than to look ravishingly presentable for future social engagements, looking through scores of dresses at her local department store. With the Gods of Good Dressing apparently looking down upon her, she finds a suitable outfit and heads to the dressing rooms, knowing full well that even gods can be off on their measurements every now and then. But lo, as if sent by the very demons of Polyester and bell-bottoms, the young woman is cut off by a crotchety old woman who obviously should be in a coffin somewhere rather than in this fine dealership of delightful duds. The old hag seizes the last of the available dressing rooms, leaving our heroine with either a long wait, or no place to try on her chosen clothing. And then she remembers: The Mentos. Pulled out with no less grace than one would use with the Holy Grail, she takes the sacred cylinder and holds it aloft, gently urging one of the baubles of beauty into her mouth. The freshness spreads almost as quickly as her smile, and she sets of on a journey throughout the store, a journey that leads her into the children's section whereupon she finds the perfect place for secrecy -- a tee-pee set up in the middle of the floor. With a curt zip of the zipper, she is sealed off from prying eyes and able to try on the snazzy dress she desired so very much. Upon emerging from the nylon niche and seeing that senior citizen from Hades, she displays her source of ingenuity, her saviors, her salvation -- her Mentos.

Ah, what is love if it cannot be savored while seaside, with boy gazing into girl's eyes as the wind whips through her hair? That is the question our hero is asking as he says goodbye to his fair maiden, bound for an unknown destination on a small, somewhat insignificant sea-trawler. It's a pleasant day, save for the dark clouds of grief that gather over our hero's heart as he watches his lady-love leave with a little piece of his soul -- and, he quickly realizes, his car keys. She notices too, that those metal thingies jingling in her hand as she waves goodbye while the ship pulls away weren't a figment of her imagination but were, indeed, her man's keys. What to do? Will he have to wait for her return, unable to ride home in his now-impenetrable chariot? Will he be forced to pay heavy parking fines or sit around feeding quarters into the meter for days on end? Surely she couldn't throw him the keys, not with her girlish wind up and all. Certain doom, it seems, has wrapped its arms around the situation. Totally out of ideas and unable to deal with the stress of the situation, our hero unsheathes the pack of Mentos hanging faithfully at is hip and imbibes the concentrated creativity, opening his eyes to solutions unheard of and unexplored. The hero spots a small boy playing with his remote control boat nearby. Yes, fetching the keys with the boat could prove fatal for the radio-control trinket, but factoring in the net-worth of his car, its paint-job and the fact that he forgot to use The Club, our hero deems the risk well worth it. He commandeers the controls from the boy, promising to show him a 'neat trick' and, much to the amazement and amusement of his beloved, steers the vehicle towards the slow-going sea vehicle his favorite set of legs is watching him from. The toy pulls up alongside the larger boat with imperceptible ease, allowing the young woman to lean over and deposit the keys into the safety of its care (and resulting in many sighs of dirty old men who watch from behind her). Upon regaining his keys, our hero holds his Mentos out in a silent salute to his love, only making her want him even more.

The evening began well: our heroine was picked up by her Prince Charming in a long stretch limo and whisked away for a night of glitter and glamour. But it was not long before tragedy struck, not long at all. After arriving at the mid-town party, the young woman is overwhelmed by the hordes of people gathered around her car door, and as she tries to get out she accidentally pokes one of her heels straight through her darling blue dress. In anguish, she looks around for help but can only find the disproving glare of an old woman of high-society who is obviously more frigid than most of the glaciers at the North Pole. Seeing no other way to find an answer, she pulls out a roll of Mentos -- who knows where she was keeping them, but they were there -- and popped one between her perfectly pouting lips, feeling the impropriety surging forth through her veins. Well, she decided, if they can see my heel, let them see more! And with a quick, yet incredibly accurate, fit of tearing, our heroine is now garbed in an absolutely stunning mini-skirt, garnering the lust-filled gawk of her companion and the stifled, yet admiring, stare of her ancient counterpart. With a tilt of the Mentos and a sway of her hips, she then confidently enters the party for a night of wining, dining and dancing. Mentos -- The Dressmaker!

*NOTE: You may be wondering where "A Tents Situation" came from. We here at the Gathering were lucky enough to get into contact with a certain someone highly involved in the production of "Fresh Paint". This someone, the Mentos Mole, was also involved in the same capacity with "A Tents Situation". These two commercials were shot at the same time in Arizona. For some reason, this spot never made it to the American airwaves. The commercial was described in detail to us by the Mentos Mole, who was under the impression that it was already on the air. Obviously we here at the Gathering were concerned with the fact that it never aired, and we were prepared to believe that it wouldn't see the light of day anywhere, until we heard different from our Australian correspondent, Kerrie Murphy. Kerrie watched as this commercial cascaded across her television set down under, and graciously described it to us in a recent letter, knowing full well the VanMafia could read it, causing them to wipe our memories clear of the whole incident. Kerrie's description matched that of the Mentos Moles, thus confirming that there was, indeed, an abandoned commercial. Someday, maybe, we will see this secret spot in America, but only time will tell. Just know that if any or all of us turn up dead in a box somewhere because of this, it was only because of our neverending search for the truth--which is, indeed, out there.

First an explanation: Jan Setje-Eilers, tells us that the characters of 'Psycho Mutant Killer Mom' are actors from a sitcom in Northern Germany. The mother, (incidentally, whose last name is 'Teufel', which means Devil in German) is a crazy character in the show, and one who would be avoided normally. Anyone who has seen the sitcom, (i.e. Germans) would understand, but the American audience is understandably confused.

So one would normally conclude that these spots were all shot in Germany, thus clearing up our national origin questions, right? Wrong.

According to Chad Jones, 'High Heel Treachery' was filmed on the Third Street Promenade, a shopping district in Santa Monica, CA. Also, 'The 3 Second Car Jacking' was filmed in downtown Los Angeles. Joseph Hernandez says one of the buildings in the background is the First Interstate Bank Building.

Chick Peterson and Steve Abatangle both know the "Sassy young lady" from 'High Heel Treachery'. Yes, she _IS_ American. Colleen Morris (who also worked in a few early Michael Bolton videos) is a former Miss Marin (a county in California, just north of San Francisco).

But wait! There's more! Daniel Spaulding works in commercial production in Los Angeles, and he met the actor who played the Doorman in 'The Fake Photographer"! His name is Gene, and he said that the spot was shot around 1993 at the Universal Hilton in Universal City. It was a two day evening shoot, from 6PM till 6AM. Gene also confirmed that the director and crew were American.

And if that's not good enough for you:

Andy Brooks argues that some spots had to have been shot in California, or at least in the U.S. No where else in the world can you find the 'Walk/Don't Walk' blinking sign that is depicted in the '3 second Car Jacking'. Also, Germany doesn't have the yellow center lines running down the middle of the streets (over there they are white). Finally, lights don't go from green directly to red. They are initially green, then are followed briefly by yellow, and then red. It certainly doesn't seem like there is any blatant insert editing or post production work involved here, all the shots look as if they took place on the same street corner.

Matt Dubno says that the license plate on the car in "The Car Movers" is Dutch, therefore, the commercial was probably filmed in Holland.

Lonnie Whittington reports that 'Fresh Paint' was filmed near the northwest corner of Central and Thomas in Phoenix, Arizona. The filming took place February 14-15, 1996.

"Mento Tento" was also filmed around the same time also in Phoenix, Arizona. The set was a department store that is no longer in use, which was dressed up to look as if it was still open for the Mentos commercial.

So we can honestly conclude that the Mentos commercials are without a doubt, multinational. This was finally confirmed when we received some most interesting details, straight from Van Melle...

Thom Forbes' inquiries found that as it turns out, there is no advertising agency on record for Van Melle according to Tricia Gold, the associate brand manager for Mentos in Erlanger, KY. The U.S. company subsidiary of the Dutch company Van Melle, consults with an agency named Pahnke & Partners, which is based in Hamburg, Germany. Van Melle uses New York based Media Buying Services International to buy airtime in the United States. "We try to have an American focus but it's a global campaign," according to Ms. Gold. "As your correspondents have noted, several of the spots were filmed in the U.S. Two or three new commercials will be shot in January 1995", she said.

Secondly, the figures in the Ad Age story referred to by Bruce Kasrel are correct, according to Ms. Gold.

"In a recent article in 'Advertising Age', Bruce Kasrel read that Mentos advertising spending rose 34% from last year, to 11.9 million. Sales have increased from $20 million in 1991 to about $40 million today(1994). We could be in for some more Mentos enlightened teens solving the most perplexing of situations in the near future."

The story ran in the Oct. 3, 1994 issue. In the same issue, Ad Age asked readers to "come up with the next really stupid but wonderfully kitschy Mentos commercial" for its weekly T.N.T. (The Next Trend) contest. Two winners were announced in the Oct. 31 issue. First place went to a Los Angeles advertising copywriter who, in short, has a guy tossing some Mentos to clear out a men's room line at a concert.

SPIN Magazine also confirmed the suspicion that U.S. territory was being depicted with Mentos-infected youths. Aaron Naparstek wrote:

"I had the good fortune to speak with the guy at Van Melle in Kentucky who designed those Mentos commercials. I'll have to go through my old research files a little later to give you more information on him. If I remember correctly, he told me that the commercials were filmed in California and Florida. They were not at all conceived for a European audience and he found it amusing that everyone thought that. I also seem to remember that he was from New Zealand but had lived in the U.S. for a long time."

Also, it was previously believed that the Mentos commercials were aired in English throughout the world. However, Steven Grimm informed us that while staying in Russia, he was surprised to hear the relentlessly upbeat Mentos theme music pouring out from the TV in the room across the hall. Listening closely, he determined that the lyrics were all in Russian. He was, to his utter dismay, too slow to reach the TV in time to see which ad it was.

Isra Wongsarnpigoon notes that while in Thailand, he's pretty sure he remembers seeing Ad #6, "The 3-Second Car Jacking". The undeniably fresh anthem was, indeed, in Thai. He mentions that, although his Thai isn't quite up to speed to understand song lyrics, he remembers the Thai word that basically means 'Fresh' roaming through the song.

One Last Thing:
I (MaintainerJeff) took a video class in the Spring 1995 semester at Temple University. During one class, we watched demo tapes from foreign Ad companies. One in particular, from Hong Kong had a Mentos commercial. It was nothing like the ones we've seen. It was very high-tech and expensive looking, featuring one kid looking at a pack of what seemed to be orange Mentos through a magnifying glass...no doubt trying to find out what makes him so Fresh and Full of Life after eating one. The packs were small, maybe holding 5 or so candies. Another commercial featured a man brushing his teeth while little balls of Mentos were flying around as he tried to bite them. Unfortunately, there was no audio on the tape, so I can't tell you if they played our new favorite song or not.

Several conflicting reports have flooded The Gathering as of late regarding the Fiat/Renault/Morris Mini/Citroen car in commercial #4. All that is known for certain at this point is that it was, indeed, a TINY RED CAR.

We'll start off with one other fact about this car: The license plate on the car reads "DH-L 64 12". Apparently, it's a Dutch plate (thanks to Matt Dubno for pointing this out)

Larry Koch disapproves of that statement and says "Ductch plates always have an even number of characters, divided into pairs of letters & numbers, such as AA-BB-11, etc"

Chris Charman took issue with the report of the car being a "Morris Mini". Chris said that the "absurd little car" is actually a Citroen 2V. He has a picture of some friends standing in front of one from a vacation. Chris reports that the same model car was also used in the movie "Gotcha!"

Travis W. Fisher confirmed Chris' facts with his French teacher (whose parents owned such a car).

On the contrary, says Don Labutay a member of the "Micro Car Club". He apparently owns a Mini, and is positive that the car in question is not one of those. He insists that it's a Fiat 500.

Matt Hansen, who lives in France, wants us to know that the car is a Morris Mini, and not a Citroen. The car in the commercial, he says, does not have any of the usual Citroen Markings.

To make matters just a tad bit worse....The Turtle confirms the original report about the car being a Fiat. He says the Fiat is from the either the late 50's or early 60's, "rendering all controversy vis-a-vis the Citroen/Morris Mini Unfresh. The Fiat is smaller than either."

Stay tuned...