There's a not-so-new buzzword attacking the world of consumer products: "Customizability." It's the latest trend and the latest push, and outside of having Burger King's meat YOUR WAY, there's never been a more clear cut example of customizability infiltrating the world of we-the-consumers as Tylenol's new "Flavor Creator" kit -- medicine that you make yourself!
Well, sort of.
The boxed set includes a standard bottle of cherry-flavored liquid Tylenol, but to boost its appeal and make the thought of sipping gross medicine a little more palatable to kids, Tylenol also includes a bag full of tiny packets filled with powdered "crystals" representing four different flavors: Strawberry, green apple, bubble gum and chocolate. Yes, chocolate.
After pouring the regular dose of liquid Tylenol, you're free to pick your desired flavor, rip the packet open and dump the generous portions of chalky, colored powder into the tiny plastic cup. As the instructions advise against stirring, the point is to mask whatever unpleasantness comes with medicine by covering your mouth in vaguely candy-flavored dust.
To a degree, it works. I gave the chocolate dirt a whirl, and though I'm not sure I tasted much in the way of chocolate, I didn't taste much in the way of Tylenol, either. Of course, the powders are messy and you'll probably need to wash off your lips afterwards, but for many, that's a small price to pay to avoid tasting "pure" Tylenol.
Personally, as the liquid medicine is already made to taste like a bowl full of cherries, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. It's interesting to whip up a cherry/chocolate syrup sundae when you need to banish a fever, but beyond the gimmick, there's not much necessity in this. Then again, a lot kids would be much more agreeable to taking medicine when they needed to if they got to act like mad lab doctors and make their "potions" first. I'm 27, and it worked for me.
Medicine is medicine, and there may be a few people who aren't crazy about turning it, even subversively, into "candy." To those who'd cry foul, I offer you this: Even if you dump each of the twenty included flavor packets into a single dose of Tylenol, it won't taste like candy. I wouldn't know what to call it, but that stuff isn't candy.
While Tylenol's Flavor Creator kit is obviously kid-skewed, adults who've grown sick of the "usual" medicine taste will be happy to learn of another of Tylenol's recent exploits: Liquid fever medicine with golden vanilla flavoring. If this keeps up, we won't need ice cream anymore.
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Posted by Matt on 04/26/2006. E-mail me!
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my personal fave was luden’s cough drops. they served no medicinal purpose whatsoever. they were so useless that they were banned from my elementary school because they were nothing more than candy. so tasty though.
theniXer – i loved you can’t do that on television. i just bought a YCDTOT t-shirt at hot topic. I don’t know how anyone can not love the show that gave alanis morisette her start!