Shimmer is a
floor wax and a
dessert topping. Pulvapies was a
foot powder and a
mayoral candidate.
Let's step into the
Wayback Machine and visit
Ecuador in 1967, where the small coastal town of
Picoazà (Population: 4,000) was holding its mayoral election, along with many other towns and cities. A
foot deodorant company called Pulvapies began a new
advertising campaign that featured the
slogan "Vote for any candidate, but if you want
well-being and
hygiene, vote for Pulvapies." One the day before the
election, they distributed flyers that were the same color and size as the official election
ballot which read: "For Mayor: Honorable Pulvapies."
Pulvapies was elected
mayor of Picoazà and received votes in other towns and cities.
It was an occasion for
scandal. I don't know if the foot powder company survived -- many candidates threatened to sue, and I can find no references to Pulvapies outside of the mayoral scandal. It's a pretty good bet that the second-place candidate was sworn in as mayor of Picoazà -- though I don't know how long you'd want to be "the Mayor who Got Beat by Foot Powder."
It sounds like an
urban legend, but Snopes says it's the real deal. It's hard to imagine how a foot powder would be worse than some other
politicians -- it would at least keep your feet dry...
Research from the Snopes Urban Legends Reference Page (http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/footpowder.asp)