MISSING LINKS: "MARS"/"MONK"

"With Milton Hershey's success came a profound sense of moral responsibility and benevolence. His ambitions were not limited to producing chocolate: Hershey envisioned a complete new community around his factory.

He built a model town for his employees that included comfortable homes, an inexpensive public transportation system, a quality public school system and extensive recreational and cultural opportunities. Unlike other industrialists of his time, Hershey avoided building a faceless company town with row houses. He wanted a "real home town" with tree-lined streets, single- and two-family brick houses, and manicured lawns.

He was concerned about providing adequate recreation and diversions, so he built a park that opened on April 24, 1907, and expanded rapidly over the next several years. Amusement rides, a swimming pool, and a ballroom were added. Soon, trolley cars and trains were bringing thousands of out-of-town visitors to the park.

Many of the town's impressive structures were built during the Great Depression, as part of Milton Hershey's "Great Building Campaign," to provide jobs. It was then that monumental structures such as the community center, theatre, sports arena and stadium were constructed, transforming the town into a major tourist attraction that continues to grow in popularity each year.

The town of Hershey continues to be a special place for its residents and a popular attraction for millions of visitors annually."

- from the Hershey website

Here endeth the history lesson.

With the 'Monk' episode "Mr. Monk Goes Home Again", the producers had no trouble using the name of a real trash bag company; they even showed a close-up of the product. Since that scene was followed immediately by a commercial for that same trash bag, it was obviously a very overt case of product placement.

But God forbid the candy bar that played a pivotal role in the episode be a real chocolate bar! The fact that the chocolate was poisoned probably played a prime role in the decision.

(Ya think?)

So a fictitious one was created - the Neptune bar.

The first connection would be to think of the Mars Bar which is no longer officially on the shelves in this country.

But I started thinking in terms of the Hershey Company as well, and that they had a whole town with the name of the chocolate bar named after it.

Could something similar have happened with the fictitious Neptune bar?

Instead of the town being named after the chocolate, perhaps the chocolate took its name from the town in which it was first produced.

Neptune, California, 90909.

And that's the town where 'Veronica Mars' has hung her shingle to be a high schoolin' private eye.

Like many of the crossovers I bring up here in the Inner Toob, it's just a hypothetical link. Nothing to confirm it.

But I gotta figure Neptune's a big enough suburb of Los Angeles that we'd never learn that there WASN'T a Neptune Chocolate Bar Company in town.....

BCnU!
Tele-Toby