[5] Released in the spring of 1996, the song became a crossover hit for the band on pop radio, when it reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay.

[6] The song became well known for its music video, which parodies Mentos advertisements, turning them into commercials for "Footos," with the "Freshmaker" slogan being rendered as "The Fresh Fighter".

[7] The concept came from director Jesse Peretz, who had originally pitched the idea to another band, and the Foo Fighters accepted the concept because, according to Dave Grohl, "We had some difficulty finding a treatment that would suit the song, which is this short, tongue-in-cheek, ridiculously candy-coated pop tune.

The video, which was entirely filmed on location in Sydney Central Business District, McMahons Point, Kirribilli, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,[8] debuted on MTV on February 14, 1996, and quickly became a Buzz Bin clip.

The video's success led to many fans throwing Mentos at the band whenever they played the song live.