Remember Chupa Chups? The Spanish candy company created over 100 lollipop flavors, including unique options like Strawberries & Cream, Peach Yogurt, Choco-Vanilla, and Strawberry Yogurt. A small hole in the lollipop stick led many kids to believe that once they were finished with the candy, the plastic stick could be used as a whistle. However, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
The hole was actually intended to ensure the candy was secure by having it solidify inside and outside of the hollow stick. It’s also designed to ensure someone choking on the stick can still get air into their lungs through the hole. Not exactly a whistle, but certainly not useless!
Pasta Spoons
Ever notice the large hole in most pasta spoons? While it’s great for draining the pasta, that’s not actually its intended purpose. The hole is a measuring tool and fits roughly one serving (two ounces) of spaghetti, fettuccine, or angel hair pasta. Some pasta spoons even have multiple holes that can be used to measure different portions.
The pasta spoon is easy to use. Simply slide some dry pasta into the hole until no more can fit, and repeat based on how many people you’re cooking for. It’s the tool you never knew you needed! We have a feeling the Italians invented this because if we are going to eat their food, we better eat ti properly.
Hats With Pom-Poms
The furry pom-poms on top of some winter hats may be a fashion staple these days, but it has been used for very different reasons in the past. One of the first records of pom-poms being used was during the Viking era and is thought to have been attached to the top of hats to hide poor stitching.
They were later used by sailors as an extra layer of protection when the waters got rough. It also helped them to gauge the height of cabin ceilings when working below the deck. Pom-poms entered the fashion world during the Great Depression, as it was an inexpensive way to add embellishments to clothes. They grew in popularity during the ‘60s and have stayed in style ever since.
Box Cutters
We all have a box cutter lying around the house somewhere. Few people know, however, that this handy tool doesn’t need to be replaced each time the blade becomes too dull. In fact, each box cutter comes with about a dozen fresh blades, ready to use at a moment’s notice. Knowing how to access them, however, isn’t exactly common knowledge.
Ever wonder what the notches along a box cutter’s blade are for? These notches are actually perforated lines that allow you to break the top blade off when it becomes too dull to use. After you snap it off along the line, you’ll have a fresh blade at your disposal. Unless you use your box cutter regularly or tend to lose things, you’ll likely never need to replace it!
Ridges On Coins
Have you ever noticed that the sides of some coins have ridges while others are smooth? Specifically, quarters and dimes are made with textured sides. This design method began back in the day when coins held a true value. For example, a silver dollar was molded from one ounce of silver.
People began to take advantage of this by shaving off the edges of their money and eventually collecting enough silver or gold to melt into a new, full coin. They also spent the shaved coins at the intended value, even though they weren’t worth the full amount anymore. To discourage people from doing this, coins started to be molded with small ridges on the side. This made it easy to tell if it had been shaven.