Talk:Exploding cigar/GA1

GA Review

Hello, I will be doing the GA review for this article. First of all, I must say that this is probably the strangest article I've reviewed during my time at GAN. :) I am pleased to say that the article passes a majority of the criteria; it is well written and factually accurate and although there has been recent trouble with vandals, the article's content is stable. All of the images are also correctly tagged and suitably captioned.

However, there seems to be an issue with the lead and the subject's broadness. WP:LEAD states that the lead should be a summary of the entire article. Whereas the intro explains what an exploding cigar consists of (normally packed with a minute chemical explosive charge near the lighting end or with a non-chemical device that ruptures the cigar when exposed to heat), there is no passage/section that addresses this. Similarly, there is no mention in the lead of the cigar's manufacturing. Outside of the lead, I'm confused about the genesis of this prank item. Is it mentioned anywhere when/where the exploding cigar was invented or developed? Is this solely an American product or does it have universal appeal? The first line in "Manufacturing" states: The largest manufacturer and purveyor of exploding cigars in the United States during the middle of the century... which century? Can we at least get a broad overview of when it first became popular? Although the article explains the cigar's boom fifty or so years ago, it does not discuss its popularity (or lack thereof) nowadays. Are they still being sold? Marketed? How have they evolved over time? The change in ingredients is briefly touched upon in "Manufacture", but I think something should be included to connect the toy's present day appeal -- if there is any, of course! I have no idea.

In conclusion, I think a little more needs to be included in this article for it to be considered broad enough in its coverage. Until the above concerns can be addressed, I will put the article's nomination on hold. If you have any questions please contact me via my talk page. María (habla conmigo) 16:58, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Hello María. I am at work and am constrained to a very short response. I would just note that detail from the lead on what the cigar consists of is in the manufacturing section. I often write articles on obscure topics in which, unlike many topics where there are a feast of sources you can choose from, there are a very limited number. When I do articles like this, I take a different approach than most: I gather every source I can find first, and then I shape the article from the dearth of information available. I attempted to include every verifiable fact I found, and the result is what you see. So I'll attempt to address your concerns, but I can tell you flat out that, for example, I searched high and low for a history to include—the origin, development and decline over time, etc.—and I found bupkis. So, ultimately, I simply may not be able to deliver what you seek, though I agree that the article would be improved if verifiable information could be added on all points you raise. Oh, and thank you for taking the time to do the review!--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 18:17, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Trust me, I understand the lack of information available; I simply needed to be assured everything that could be covered has been covered. If you're still unable to find information regarding when it was first developed, etc, then perhaps something along the lines of "Although it is unknown/uncertain when the exploding cigar was first made/manufactured..." etc, would be appropriate? This would help assure future readers that this is, to the best of Wikipedia's ability, comprehensive. María (habla conmigo) 18:27, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Any updates on the status of this article? It's been on hold for eight days now with no edits during that time. María (habla conmigo) 12:39, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

Note: this article's GA nomination has been withdrawn rather than failed, pending possible updates and a second review. See User talk:Fuhghettaboutit/Archive 10#Exploding cigar GA review for details. María (habla conmigo) 14:19, 6 August 2008 (UTC)