A silly millimeter longer

In 1966, Benson & Hedges introduced the "100" — an extralong, 100-millimeter cigarette. Their tongue-in-cheek commercials focused on the supposed disadvantages of such a long cigarette.

Not to be outdone, the makers of Chesterfields responded by introducing the "101", which was 101 millimeters long. As they put it, it was a "silly millimeter longer."

As far as I know, no one ever introduced a "102" cigarette.

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 04, 2020
Category: Smoking and Tobacco | 1960s

Comments

I loved those commercials! None of that "these taste great," "smoke these to get laid," or "9 out of 10 scientists on our payroll say they're good for you" messages.

There have been very few ad campaigns which promise the product will be frustrating to use or create problems in your life, but this was one of the best.

Posted by Phideaux on 09/04/20 at 10:04 AM

Large roll-your-own papers are 110 mm these days, do DIY must be better...

Yes, those old B&H commercials were great.

Posted by Virtual in Carnate on 09/04/20 at 10:32 AM

I prefer cigars myself, they burn a lot longer than the longest cigarette.

Posted by KDP on 09/04/20 at 10:44 AM

When these first came out the anti-tobacco folks objected but they companies quietly pointed out that they contain the same amount of tobacco as a reguar cigarette.
They are so loosely packed that you can actually bend them into a 'U' without breaking the paper.

Posted by Kevin on 09/04/20 at 09:35 PM

I seem to remember my grandmother smoking the old More 120s. They were super long and skinny.

Posted by Geneva James on 09/05/20 at 10:46 PM

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