Footnotes to the TV series
MRS. KIM: You look flushed. … You eat candy? … Doughnut? … Hostess fruit pie?
Hostess fruit pies are small turnover-shaped fruit pies, originally produced by the Continental Baking Company in the post-war era, with its advertising targeted at children from the 1970s onward. The Hostess brand was acquired by the Interstate Bakeries Corporation in 1995.
MRS. KIM: They [the girls] could be anywhere, they could be doing anything. Smoking, or drinking, or buying drugs!
LORELAI: They’re at the movies. There’s no drugs there. They don’t even have the real Red Vines.
Red Vines is a brand of red licorice candy made by the American Licorice Company. The current flavour has been used since 1952.
Lorelai and Rory seem to be very fond of them as Lorelai said Dean had saved their movie night when he gave Lorelai the Red Vines she had forgotten at the supermarket. Red Vines are also one of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s favourite candies. The Black-White-Read Bookstore apparently only sells generic red licorice.
LORELAI: Diva Glam.
RORY: I’ve got it.
LORELAI: Bring it up.
This seems to be the lipstick that Lorelai and Rory favour. I think it was made by MAC Cosmetics; the company was founded in Canada in 1984, and by 1998 were owned by Estee Lauder. Famous for their celebrity endorsements, and widely available in department stores such as Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, MAC is one of the biggest-selling make-up brands world-wide. You will remember that Rory linked Lorelai’s make-up to RuPaul, who was the face of MAC in the late 1990s.
(Michel tries to get Lorelai’s attention while she is studying)
MICHEL: Because learning the eating patterns of the average Taco Bell consumer is a vital lesson that –
LORELAI: Michel. What do you want?
Taco Bell is a chain of fast food restaurants that sell Tex-Mex foods such as as tacos, burritos, and nachos, serving 2 billion customers each year at over 7000 restaurants. It was founded in 1962 by restaurateur Glenn Bell, and first franchised in 1964. Since 1978 it has been part of the fast-food arm of PepsiCo.
While Rory and Lane are talking and listening to music, Lorelai comes in to complain that she has to study for a big test on “the Walmart phenomenon” to be held on Friday (it’s a new semester at college, and her classes have changed from Tuesday and Thursday to Friday and some other day: somehow going to night school on Fridays will not clash with Friday night dinners).
Walmart is a multinational retail company which operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores, founded in 1962. It is the world’s largest company by revenue, and the largest employer in the world.
When looking at the “Walmart phenomenon”, a business studies class might examine the profitability of the company and the methods by which they keep prices low, but also how that could impact on the wider community. For example, foreign product sourcing could hurt the US economy, low prices might force smaller stores out of business, and low wages mean that workers often need welfare payments as well to survive, placing further pressure on the economy.
(Lorelai walks into cafeteria)
LORELAI: Hey, did you save me some Jell-O?
Jello-O is an American brand of gelatine desserts owned by Kraft Foods. The word is usually applied to the fruit-flavoured gel that is often called jelly in some other countries.
Rory tells Lorelai that Paris Geller’s father is a bigwig at a huge pharmaceutical company. There are no pharmaceutical companies in Hartford, and very few in Connecticut. The biggest would probably be Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., a global company which then had its headquarters in New Haven, less than an hour’s drive from Hartford.
LUKE: It’s a nice tie.
EMILY: It’s Brooks Brothers.
Brooks Brothers are the oldest men’s clothing company in the US. Founded in Manhattan in 1818, Brooks Brothers have outfitted 40 of the 45 American presidents. Their neckties are made in either Britain or Italy. In 2000, Brooks Brothers was owned by British firm Marks & Spencer.
There are a number of Brooks Brothers store near Hartford where Emily might have bought Richard’s tie – their store at the mall in Farmington is only about 20 minutes drive away. However, it is just as likely that she bought it from a department store in Hartford.
RORY: The coffee machine was jammed so I got us some chicken soup and some Pez.
Pez is an Austrian candy sold in dispenser machines around the world. The first factory in the US was in Orange, Connecticut, founded in 1973. The dispensers themselves have become cultural icons and valuable collectibles.
RORY: I’d like to do something?
LORELAI: Like Rollerblade?
Rollerblade is a brand of inline roller skates, started in the US in 1982. In the beginning, Rollerblade was the only brand of inline skates that had worldwide distribution, allowing them to grab a huge share of the global market, and gain almost total dominance in North America. The brand name is used as both a noun and a verb. The brand is now owned by Italian company Nordica.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 