On Sun, 26 Apr 1992 19:37:58 EST, christine romano <CROMANO@UCONNVM> wrote:
>not that this is particularly significant, but, what's the Neiman-Marcus
>cookie story????????????
 
On 4 Jan 1992, [log in to unmask] posted an article to the
"alt.folklore.urban" USENET newsgroup, stating that:
  a "Mrs. Fields" (instead of N-M) version of this story has been distributed
  in the EMACS package for as long as I can remember.  The story is also the
  mutant bastard child of the famous Waldorf-Astoria Red Velvet Cake story;
  see Jan Harold Brunvand's _Oregon Folklore Bulletin_, 1963 -- a good summary
  is in WPoundstone's _Bigger Secrets_, 1986.
 
Yes, '1963' is the year in the posting.
 
P.S. Don't ask about "dying boy wants postcards/business cards"!