Why The Junior Mint Episode Of Seinfeld Was Filmed With A Peppermint Patty
"Seinfeld" has many famous episodes, each well-remembered for their unique, hilarious plots, including "The Puffy Shirt" and "The Soup Nazi." But "The Junior Mint" is regarded as a sitcom classic. The Season 4 episode features Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and Kramer (Michael Richards) attending the open surgery of Elaine's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) ex-boyfriend, Roy (Sherman Howard). However, Kramer's insistence on eating Junior Mints, then giving Jerry one, causes the candy to drop into Roy's body during the operation.
However, this iconic food moment from "Seinfeld" almost looked completely different. According to HuffPost, scriptwriter Andrew Robin originally had Kramer bring popcorn into the surgery, not candy, but on the advice of his brother, decided "Junior Mints are just funnier." The candy company was reluctant at first about, well, showing their product falling into an open body, but they eventually approved the script.
The brand officially made it into an episode of "Seinfeld" and became a part of comedy legend. However, the show's crew didn't actually film using real Junior Mints.
They used a York Peppermint Patty instead of a Junior Mint
The specificity of the candy in the episode is arguably what helps make "The Junior Mint" so funny. However, when it was time to shoot the legendary scene, the production used a different minty treat instead.
Director Tom Cherones explained in a Season 4 DVD extra how "I wanted to shoot the mint flipping in the air as he drops it." The slow-motion fall of the Junior Mint is one of the most crucial shots of the episode. But even while working with his camera operator, the mint was too small, and they couldn't make the movement look right on the screen.
After several bad takes with the real thing, they finally bought a York Peppermint Patty, a much larger candy piece. Cherones said, "We flipped that, and [the operator] got it the first time." They had to reverse the footage to make it seem like it was falling, but the infamous shot of the "Junior Mint" was finally achieved.
It might seem ridiculous that the candy on the "Seinfeld" set wasn't even a Junior Mint, but that seems appropriate for one of the most absurd, and best, "Seinfeld" episodes.