Mostly Game

For those following my ongoing saga as a contest entrant in Stride Gum’s “Rename the gum” contest, you know that I would eventually receive a box of gum packaged with my proposed name, Permamint. This finally arrived yesterday: one box of 12 packs of 14 pieces of Permamint gum. Woot!

I’m debating if I want save a pack for posterity. It seems weird — saving a pack of gum. We already opened one because Ryan can’t stay away from gum — “I think they added extra mint!” he said in approval. (I don’t think there was actually any formula change from Nonstop Mint to my custom Permamint.)

Anyway, it feels like a good year for my contest efforts. A dozen packs of gum and a dozen copies of a Small World expansion (plus $150) — oh, I also won a $30 gift certificate to an online retailer of my choice, from a little giveaway contest someone ran over on BGG.

Maybe I need to buy more lottery tickets this year…

Stride Gum held the drawing for the winners of $25,000 each and I was not one of the lucky five. Bummer.

I’m still curious to see which name they end up choosing for their gum. I believe InfiMint was in the lead and Permamint was in third place at the time they closed the voting. I still like Permamint the best of the top ten.

We are also sending you – and all the other folks who submitted the same names as the finalists (because yes, it seems great STRIDE® minds thought alike) – custom packs of Nonstop Mint™ featuring one of the ten final names that most resemble yours. Those custom packs (there will be 12-packs of Stride gum in a box) will be ready in about six-to-eight weeks.

That’s from a second email I received from Stride. That would be cool to get some Permamint packs of gum, even if I don’t win anything else. Of course, $25K would be cooler.

/me crosses fingers.

Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm around our Rename Nonstop Mint™ contest. We appreciate your participation, but we had a technical glitch in connection with the selection of the finalists and therefore, had to close the voting and the contest. We are really sorry about this, especially after we saw such energy for the contest, from you and all our STRIDE® fans.

We are still going to give away great stuff and money – and more than you thought. We will be conducting a drawing among all those who submitted names, and five people randomly selected each will get $25,000. Yup, you read that right – everybody who entered a name has a shot. Stay tuned, and we will reveal those people shortly.

Because you took the time to participate, we would love to offer you a coupon for a free pack of STRIDE® gum*.

Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, and now I have a chance to win cash still, woo! I think everyone who voted also got an email similar to this with a coupon for a free pack of gum.

I’ve since discovered that duplicate entries only count for the first one received, and that the ten finalists were all notified of the fact. Thus, that’s not my Permamint up for voting, it is someone elses.

Bummer.

A month or so ago, Stride Gum ran a contest to rename one of their flavors. They weren’t too happy with Nonstop Mint (rightly so, I might add). Anyway, the voting has just opened up and one of my entries is in the top ten: PERMAMINT.

http://www.stridegum.com/#/nonstopmint/

So, go register and vote for me*, please! (Limit one vote per person.) I can’t remember what the top prize is, something like $1000 or a pack of gum. Anyway, it doesn’t matter – vote me up! I was in third place when I voted.

* – at least, I hope it’s me. I don’t know what happens if more than one person submits the same name. Hopefully it’s not first come, first served (or if it is, mine was first, heh).