A graphic which has circulated since 2014 shows a box of Tampax “Pumpkin Spice” tampons. Is this product real or fake?
It is not real.
The image was produced for a humorous article written by Jen Lewis of BuzzFeed back in September 2014. That article was entitled, “16 Pumpkin Spice Products That Don’t Exist And Should Never Exist.”
The article also suggested other fictitious “Pumpkin Spice” products, including toothpaste, Skittles, Capri Sun, and Doritos. It appears to be a follow-up or acknowledgement to an earlier BuzzFeed post from October 2013 entitled, “15 Items That Show Pumpkin Spice Has Gone Too Far” in which a handful of real pumpkin spice products were shown. Those included M&M’s, Pringles, and even shampoo.
With the arrival of Fall, customers are accustomed to store shelves featuring a variety of pumpkin spice products, such as coffee creamers or candles. Some internet readers have shared the pumpkin spice tampon graphic with the assumption that this is just another bizarre offering in that category.
In September 2015, as the Halloween season approached, the graphic began circulating again on social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook. As you can see from the Google Trends chart below, search interest in the graphic has peaked in late 2014 and late 2015.
Bottom Line
Pumpkin Spice tampons do not exist. The concept was suggested in a humorous BuzzFeed article about pumpkin spice products which do not exist.
Your Turn
What do you feel is the most unusual pumpkin spice item on the market?
Updated September 21, 2015
Originally posted October 2014