A nonexistent Japanese style trend turned into Internet meme this past week, thanks to a New York Times blog, the online version of The Guardian and other news websites. If the report — which was passed verbatim from site to site, tweet to tweet — was to be believed, the latest craze among Japanese schoolgirls was a colorful dental accessory: flashing LED lights, held in the mouth. The Japanese artists who created the device, however, say it's a stretch.

On Jan. 21, Nick Bilton of the New York Times Bits blog wrote that the glowing LED lights "are quickly becoming a sought after accessory." The post also displayed a video, which it says shows "Japanese schoolgirls" with the blinking lights in their mouths walking on a Tokyo street.

The Guardian later took the same tack: "Since being featured in an ad for a clothes shop, LED smiles have become the must-have accessory in Japan — among the more adventurous or bicuspid-challenged at least."