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Forget sweater weather and crisp autumn leaves; these days, the true arrival of fall seems marked by the arrival of Starbucks’ infamous pumpkin spice latte — at least on the social media sphere.

This year, a rumor surfaced that the sticky sweet craze had spawned an entirely different pumpkin spice-flavored item: condoms, made by Durex.

Because safe sex is important, no matter what season it is. #pumpkinspice pic.twitter.com/kzHSBgw87a

— IG:Bennett Kulcsar (@BennettKulcsar) September 8, 2014

The company did not immediately confirm or deny the existence of the product, leaving the Internet in a tizzy.

The plot thickened this morning, when Durex initially tweeted a denial but then deleted it, leading to further confusion. Finally, though, Durex put the rumors to rest: an unnamed company spokesperson told BuzzFeed that Durex would not be coming out with a pumpkin spice condom.

“Durex has heard that people are saying we launched a ‘Pumpkin Spice’ condom,” the spokesperson said. “We can’t claim this one, but we do love it when people spice it up in the bedroom.”

Even though they proved to be a myth, the Internet still had a field day with pumpkin spice condoms. Never forget.

the pumpkin spice condom is available in tall, grande, and venti
*high fives self*
*cries*
http://t.co/wFbavPiTjh

— Tabir Akhter (@tabooradley) September 8, 2014

I’m strangely disappointed that these pumpkin spice condoms aren’t actually a thing. Because come on, pumpkin spice!

— Corinne. (@corinneeee_xoxo) September 8, 2014

I guess we should all be thankful when our coworkers break out the pumpkin spice candles and not the pumpkin spice condoms

— ohkatieb (@ohkatieb) September 8, 2014

Durex now makes pumpkin spice condoms which means that no white girl is ever going to get pregnant again.

— kailin (@ayokailin) September 7, 2014

Don’t need those pumpkin spice flavored condoms. I use natural birth control like wearing Crocs and cargo shorts.

— Keith-182 (@rarekeith) September 8, 2014

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On Monday, Panera Bread became the latest U.S. company to ask customers to leave their guns at home.

The bakery-cafe chain joins Starbucks, Chipotle, Target and a handful of other restaurants and retailers in making such a request, which comes amid an increasingly heated debate over the role of guns in public places.

“Within our company, we strive to create Panera Warmth,” the company said in a statement released Monday. “This warmth means bakery-cafes where customers and associates feel comfortable and welcome. To this end, we ask that guns not be brought into this environment unless carried by an authorized law enforcement officer. Panera respects the rights of gun owners, but asks our customers to help preserve the environment we are working to create for our guests and associates.”

On one side of the debate over guns in stores is a Michael Bloomberg-funded women’s group, called Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which argues that people should not openly carry weapons in the nation’s stores or in public at all. They’re pushing back against so-called open carry supporters — pro-gun activists seeking broad social acceptance of guns in public.

A group calling itself Open Carry Texas has in recent months staged rallies at stores and inside several dining chains. The moms group circulated photos from those events, which show people carrying assault rifles and other large guns inside popular dining chains, as part of a campaign to convince the companies to adopt no-gun policies.

Last week, Moms Demand Action launched a six-figure advertising campaign to pressure Kroger, the nation’s largest grocery chain, to also ask customers to not bring guns into its stores. So far, Kroger has resisted the call.

The companies that have decided to ask customers to leave guns at home have framed the new policy as a request, saying that they do not want to put employees in the position of confronting an armed customer.

Panera, based in St. Louis, is a $2.4 billion company with nearly 2,000 locations. It has not previously been the target of a protest effort by Moms Demand Action, though in a statement, the group’s founder Shannon Watts said the decision followed “months of discussion between Panera and Moms Demand Action.”

“We will reward companies that take a stand for our families’ safety,” Watts said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.