Pixelated Gummy Bear Shirts All Week - Part Yellow

Pixelated Red Gummy Bear Tees by candycritic
Look at more Pixel T-Shirts at zazzle

I love gummy bears.  I love everything about them.  Their texture is fantastic, they often taste fruity, they have cute little faces, and fun colours too boot.

Click here to check out all of the shirts we have available.

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Remembering 2013 in Treats

Best chocolate bar that should be an international classic.

It doesn't happen often, but once in a while I sample a bar that seems like it should be an instant classic.  Sometimes this bar is something brand new, and sometimes it's only new to me.  In this case, the Catch bar is only new to me.  Apparently these have been a classic treat in Ireland for a while, they just haven't caught on in the rest of the world.  But that may change, the company that makes these informs me that they're trying to spread them all over the world.  If you're lucky enough to find one now, make sure to give it a try.

Click here to read the Catch bar review.

Best new chocolate bar idea.

As candy fans, we are generally inundated with variations on chocolate bars.  I've complained countless times about the poor choices candy companies make with these variations, most of which are uninspired and lazy.  This variation on the other hand is not uninspired at all, although it could have been executed a little bit better.  This is an idea that is very strange, yet it makes perfect sense at the same time.  Next year when I post this list again, you may not find the category of "best bar idea" because it happens so rarely in the candy industry.

Click here to read the Lacta Sandwich review.

Most creative homemade/small candy company treat.

One of the joys of running this site is those occasional e-mails I recieve from small candy companies looking to promote their treats.  These independent candy companies often create some inspiring treats that taste great and/or can be super creative.  This lollipop is a great example of a small company treat that excels in both taste and creativity.  It's strange, it's tasty, and it works very well.

Click here to read the salted caramel lollipop review.

Favorite foreign treat.

As you may know, I travel a lot.  While all my travel isn't officially for Candy Critic, I never travel anywhere without tasting the local treats.  2013 started in Australia for me, and I also managed to visit Scotland, Northern England, Berlin, the Greek Islands, and Turkey.  Of all those places that I visited, the most memorable treat I sampled was Turkish Delight.  I've sampled many Turkish Delights in the past, but this pistachio filled, pomegranate flavoured, covered in rose (pedals and leaves), was truly one of the most creative flavour's I'd ever sampled.

Click here to read the pomegranate and rose Turkish delight review.

Worst idea that could have been good.

It's really fun to be creative with flavours.  Today the popular trend is to blend savory and sweet flavours together.  One of the best ways to do this is by using chocolate as your sweet flavour.  Chocolate is so popular that people are willing to try just about anything covered in chocolate.  Chocolate is also so versatile that it almost always works, no matter what kind of salty snack you mix it with.  Notice I used the word "almost" in the last sentence, that's because of the Tayto bar.  While potato chips and chocolate are a pretty sure thing, when you ad cheese and onion flavours into the mix, things don't work as well at all.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I tried this bar, I'm just glad that I won't ever have to try one again.

Click here to read the Tayto review.

Best classic treat that I had not tried before.

As I mentioned before, I love getting free candy from small candy companies, but I also love getting treats from big companies as well.  While I've tried many of the worlds most popular treats, occasionally one gets past me.  Every now and then someone sends me an e-mail, asking why I haven't sampled a particular treat, because it's a classic.  Walnettos was just such a situation.  I got an e-mail from a candy company asking me if I'd like to try a few treats, they also asked if I'd like a bag of Walnettos just to enjoy on my own.  I had no idea what a Walnetto was, and they were astonished.  I was promptly sent a bag of these wonderful little cubes, and devoured them immediately.

Click here to read the Walnettos review.

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Pixelated Gummy Bear Shirts All Week - Part Red

Pixelated Red Gummy Bear T-shirt by candycritic
Make a unique single custom t shirt at Zazzle

I always lean towards red candies, and gummy bears are no exception.  If I could buy a bag filled with just red gummy bears, I'd be a happy boy.

Click here to check out all of the shirts we have available.

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This Week In Candy

I hope everybody had a great holiday, or maybe you're still enjoying a great holiday.  This week I've got a few things going up on Candy Critic.  First of all, for the first time ever, I've decided to post a list of highlight reviews from this year.  I went through my archive of reviews and picked out some treats of note. They're not necessarily the "best" treats, but they are treats that are worth tasting.  If I can, and I remember, I think I might make this an annual event.

I'm also getting a few of the projects that I've promised ready for the new year.  New t-shirts, YouTube videos, and more podcasts should be on their way.  To start things off, I'm releasing a series of t-shirts this week, with a new one coming out every day. I also have a few review-a-thons planned for the new year as well.  I was debating weather I should have review-a-thons or an extra Wednesday review with a theme, and I think review-a-thons are a much better idea.  I may bring back the Wednesday themed review later, but for now review-a-thons are the thing for me.

Finally, it's looking like Candy Critic is going to go through some pretty big changes this year.  Some will be super secret, others are listed above.  Either way I thank everybody who's taken the time to keep up with my snacking fanaticism, and I hope this new year brings on more snacks for all of us.

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I Just Love The Word Caramelicious

I can't say that I've ever heard a more appetizing word ever than "caramelicious".  It just sounds like warm sweetness melting in your mouth.  I'm sure that the name of this week's review "Caramelicious Slab" probably set my expectation of this bar pretty high.  Fortunately it wasn't too bad, although I'm not sure if it merits the caramelicious title.

Click here to read about the Caramelicious Slab.

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Candy News

I know Christmas is passed, but I still have more holiday links to post.  Like this one about how to build an indestructible gingerbread house. And this article about one of the greatest Canadian Christmas treats ever.

Got some eggnog left over?  Why not make some ice cream?

Could 2014 be the year of white chocolate? It appears that chocolatiers are finding a use for this confectionery that most people consider faux chocolate.

I always get a kick out of reading articles about people that are taking traditional candies and bringing them back.

If you happened to get any chocolate for Christmas this year, you might want to hang onto it as an investment.

Is the world really a better place when candy fights cavities, instead of causing them?

Disney is well known for some pretty spectacular treats, and now your car can smell like one.

Have you ever tried astronaut ice cream, have any astronauts?

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday Candy Video

Here's a lot of information about that powdered cheese, some of it will shock you, like that many powdered cheeses actually contain cheese.  It's pretty fascinating, and now I have to go to the store and get myself a bag of cheesies.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

Was this the scene at your house this Christmas morning?  It wasn't at mine.  I didn't have a bad Christmas morning by any stretch, I just didn't have a box of Whitman's chocolates for Allison.  Instead we went for a nice plate scrambled eggs and bacon, but other than that this is pretty much how it went.

I found this ad here.

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Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad, Happy Kwanzaa, Have a Joyous Festivus!

I hope you all have a great holiday season, and I hope that whatever you're celebrating ends with a spectacular dessert.

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Worried About Eating Too Much Food Over The Holidays?

Gummy Bear Weight Loss T-shirts by candycritic
Make your own t shirt design at Zazzle

We all feel just a little guilty about over eating on the holidays, particularly when there are more than one variety of pie available.  During these over indulgent times is when I wish I could be a gummy bear.  That way, when I ate too much, I could just ask my friends or neighbors to take a bite out of me.  It would be a win/win situation, I'd lose a few pounds, and my friend would get a bite of tasty gummy bear.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Sweet & Spicy Chocolate Bars - Two Snooty Chefs - I like candy that plays with sweet, sour, spice, and salty, it messes with my senses, in a good way. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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This Week In Candy

From what I can tell, much of the Eastern Seaboard of US and Canada are going to have a white Christmas this year.  I'm sad that I'm not there to enjoy it, and I'm envious of all the photos people have been posting of backyards filled with snow.  I have not really seen a good snowfall in 4 years, but not for a lack of trying.  Two years ago I went to Vienna in hopes of having an awesome Christmas adventure.  I did have a really good time, and I saw lots of great Christmas markets, but no snow.  But for those of you that are covered in snow, my friend Michelle sent me this super simple recipe to make your own soft serve ice cream out of snow.  It's very simple, take 12 cups of snow, and pour on one can of condensed milk, stir and enjoy.  I can assure you that this is exactly what I'm going to be doing the next time I see a massive snowfall... Well I might make a snow angel first.

As for the blog this week, I think it's going to be a little slow.  I think a nice quite holiday season is just what I need to recharge myself and get back into gear.  I will still post many of the regular blog entries this week, but I don't think there will be too much more happening.

I should tell you that in the new year we have a lot ready to go.  I'm hoping to roll out some new T-shirts, a podcast or two, and possibly a new YouTube series.  Also our sister site, bewarethecheese.com, is going to be having a candy themed release of photos in the new year.  We'll let you know when the photos are up.

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Gingerbread Is The Theme This Holiday Season

This year I have been inundated with picture, links, and news articles about awesome gingerbread creations.  I thought it would be appropriate then for me to make sure that this year's Christmas review was also gingerbread themed.  When I was a kid I had a love/hate relationship with gingerbread.  I wasn't a huge fan of the ginger flavour, but I loved the copious amounts of crunchy icing found on a gingerbread house.  I also didn't mind the fact that the house was often covered in various candies as well.  If I could have had it my way, I would have preferred a house made of just icing and candy, but that's just not as traditional.

Click here to read our official Christmas candy review.

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Candy News

I don't want to call these gingerbread houses, I'd rather call them gingerbread art.  Here's the first, and here's the second.

Just in case you want to make your own gingerbread art, here's how you can make a ginger D20.

Quick cookie tip, this is particularly good if you bake a lot of Christmas cookies this season.

I'm probably one of the worst food bloggers when it comes to typos, fortunately I'm not the only one.

The secret origin of candy canes.

How well do you know Yankee candle? I can only assume since you're reading this blog about candy that you know your Jelly Belly flavours.

Just when you thought all of the news this week would be happy, and be about Christmas, Mars has to go and shrink their bars, for profit.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday Candy Video

I think this might be one of the best Christmas candy commercials ever made.  In researching this post, I learned that there aren't that many Christmas candy commercials out there, and most of them aren't really that creative.  This one is simple, but effective, and it sells Christmas and Hershey's kisses at the same time.  I like it!

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

While I enjoy a Necco wafer as much as the next guy, if you'll notice, all these kids got in their stocking was Necco wafers, and nothing else.  I think a little variety is in order, maybe a chocolate bar, small toy, anything would be better than a stocking full of just Necco wafers.  Having said that, if the Necco company would like to send me a stocking full of Necco wafers, I'm willing to retract this whole statement.

I found this ad here.

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Cool Candy "Christmas" Thing

Does your pooping reindeer need a friend?  Last week I posted about the wonderful pooping reindeer candy dispenser, and today I thought I'd follow up with a pooping snow man.  Yes the world is a jollier place knowing that snow men poop tasty white jelly beans.  I always thought that they would poop snow balls, but it looks like I'm wrong.

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Christmas Variations I Want To See

For the last 10 years candy companies have turned out hundreds of variations of classic candy treats.  These variations might be taking a bar like a Kit Kat, or Aero bar, and slapping a layer of caramel on top, or adding some orange flavour to the chocolate.  For the most part I look at these variations as being a little lazy creatively.  But sometimes there are variations for a reason, often these reasons are associated with holidays, and these variations can often be kind of fun.  So it made me think, what classic candies haven't had a Christmas variation but should?

Kit Kat - I'm very surprised that one, if not the, best selling candy bar in the world does not offer a Christmas edition.  You could easily dress this bar up with some eggnog flavoured chocolate, or mix some gingerbread into the wafers to create the perfect festive treat.  It's not like the Kit Kat bar hasn't offered variations in the past either.  In fact I'm pretty sure that the Kit Kat is the bar with the most variations ever, with all kinds of strange flavour combinations.  So why are they avoiding the Christmas holidays?

Dairy Milk bar - The Dairy Milk bar is another treat that has had many different varieties over the years. While most people associate Dairy Milk bars with having classic ingredients like nuts and dried fruit, they have on occasion done some pretty interesting varieties as well. Most recently they've had some bars featuring jellybeans, Pop Rocks, and other fun treats.  They've even made a Dairy Milk bar for Easter; it was filled with Cadbury Cream egg filling.  I just can't see why they wouldn't want to try something with a holiday theme, maybe some Christmas spices, or fruitcake.

Jelly belly - This treat seems like the most obvious candy to have a holiday version.  As far as I know I've never seen holiday themed Jelly Belly treats (correct me if you've seen them).  I just think that this treat has so much potential to take on Christmas flavours.  The good thing about these is you could go with classic Christmas flavours like candy cane, cinnamon, or shortbread, but you could also go with crazy flavours like pine tree, Christmas goose, or cranberry sauce.  It just seems like the perfect fit.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Pringles Christmas Flavours - Pringles - Because I believe that every brand in the world should get into the holiday spirit. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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A Candy Poster For The Holidays

Gummy Bears Escaping Print by bewarethecheese
Look for more gallery posters at Zazzle

What better way to to say "Happy Holidays", than a giant poster of a gummy bears escaping from a bowl.  Just in case Santa happens to be reading this, I'm sure that there are many boys and girls that love gummy bears, and I'm sure they would be very happy with getting one of these under their tree.  Best of all Santa, Zazzle offers bulk discounts.

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This Week In Candy

I'm not sure if it's just the circles I'm in, but it appears that gingerbread houses are really the big thing this holiday season, even my nephew (pictured above) is getting into the spirit.  It's not that gingerbread wasn't a big thing before, but this year it seems like everybody in the world is doing something creative with gingerbread.  I've been posting links to cool gingerbread projects on our Twitter feed as well as our weekly news link roundup.  Also, this years Christmas candy review, yup, gingerbread themed.

As for the Christmas season in our house, it looks like it's going to be a nice quite one. It seems over the last few years I've been away during the Christmas season, but not this year.  That should leave me lots of time to write up a few blog ideas, work on my book projects, and just generally enjoy all the festivities around the house.

Finally, I've been inspired to start a new YouTube series of videos.  I'm hoping that over the Christmas holidays I'll have the chance to work on them and figure out exactly how I want them to work out.  If everything goes as planned, I want to have the first few videos posted in January.  I'm also looking to record a few podcasts over the holidays and I'm hoping that in the new year they'll happen more regularly.

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A Fun Fizzy Review

I think people really don't understand the power that a good texture can have on a candy.  More importantly people don't realize how much a bad texture can completely ruin a candy. I've had a few treats in my day that probably would have received a much higher review score all around if they only worried about how the treat felt in my mouth.  Fortunately this week's review did worry about it, and it was a better treat because of that.

Click here to read this week's new review.

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Candy News

Because it appears that each "Candy News" post leading up to Christmas needs more Gingerbread links:  Here's some Sci-Fi Gingerbread, and here's the world's largest gingerbread house.  Also, if you've ever wondered how much gingerbread it would take to rebuild your own home, here's a calculator to figure it out.

More people are eating chocolate than ever before, particularly the dark stuff.

Chocolate isn't the only classic treat to be trending right now, licorice is apparently pretty hot too.

Did you know how much theaters are over charging for popcorn, you may not want to know.

When North American candy gets imported to foreign countries, you can only hope that awesome variations are coming soon.

Did you know that Portland is now considered  the "nation’s epicenter of artisan chocolate-making"? Maybe there's good reason.

Remember that Nutella bar I talked about last week?  Well apparently it was so popular that they had to shut it down, because everything sold out.

Speaking of Nutella, most people assume that the stuff is Italian, but actually it's a pretty global product.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Sour Patch Gum - Stride - I love it when two candy varieties combine into a meta candy. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Friday Candy Video

Our friend, and regular contributor to Candy Critic, sent us this advertisement for something called "Space Dust".  The name "Space Dust" alone inspires images of drug use, and this commercial doesn't help at all.  I know that the makers of this commercial thought that they where creating something fun for kids, but frankly it's terrifying.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Linkydoodles - Kencraft - I'm always a sucker for new candy cane designs. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

It looks like that Christmas stocking is made of cellophane.  I can't argue that I often dream of candy for Christmas as well.  It's strange, I never thought to ask Santa for candy for Christmas, I always just thought about toys.  Maybe this year I'll ask him for all kinds of sweet treats instead.

I found this ad here.

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5 Of The Strangest Holiday Treats I've Reviewed

Most people might argue that there's nothing really that strange about chocolate snowmen, but I think there is.  I'm sure many of your have been eating these since you were a kid, so you're used to the idea of eating brown snowmen, but think about it.  If you saw a large brown pile of snow, made into a snow man, you'd probably walk away.

Click here to read the review.

I really find any eggnog treat to be rather strange, in fact if you think about it, eggnog is rather strange.  What does milk mixed with eggs have to do with Christmas, and why do we then want to take this strange combination, and make it in candy form?

Click here to read the review.

I mention in this review that this treat is a little strange.  The name, when said in English comes out as something you probably wouldn't want to eat.  The candy itself looks like a bag of little naked Santa Clauses, so that doesn't help either.

Click here to read the review.

Marzipan pigs are more of a New Years thing, but you can find them for sale all over Europe at Christmas markets.  I've never found out why many European countries associate the pig with New Years, and why they're obsessed with it being made of Almond paste.

Click here to read the review.

Of all the Christmas candies I've ever sampled in my entire life, this one is the strangest.  I think I'd be hard pressed to find a Christmas candy any stranger ever again.  Why would anybody think that making a candy that simulates Santa Clause's beard I really can't figure out at all.

Click here to read the review.





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Cool Candy "Christmas" Thing

Nothing is funnier than something that poops.  So why not take one of the funniest concepts in humour and give it a Christmas candy twist.  I mean who hasn't thought of the fact that brown jelly beans look like various types of poop, and who doesn't love reindeer?  It's a pretty obvious concept.

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New Candy T-Shirt!

Your Candy Sucks T Shirt by candycritic
Design your own tee shirt online at Zazzle.

Make sure to check out the back of this T-shirt as well.  I have to say that many a time I've been uttering these words under my breath.  You'd think that eating candy all the time would be a wonderfully fun event 24/7.  Truth is, sometimes candies can go horribly wrong.  Fortunately, I can now register my complaint without writing a word.

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This Week In Candy

With December upon us it's time to think about what we're doing over the holidays.  Myself, I'm taking it slow and easy.  I've got lots of writing to do, and baking as well.  As you may or may not know, I'm working on a cookbook right now, and that means lots and lots of testing and tweaking of recipes.  I've decided to use this month as a hard core month of baking and photographing what I bake.  For the holidays themselves, I think Allison and I are going to stay home and just enjoy the eating all of the stuff that I bake.

Holli, the grand winner in our retro candy gift box contest, has sent us a review of the new Presidents Choice Decadent chocolate soda.  I haven't been back to Canada in a while I haven't had the chance to sample it myself, but since I plan on returning in the next 10 month or so, I hope I still can.

"My review of Presidents Choice Decadent chocolate soda. On it's own, not so great. Would be awesome as a mixer. Vanilla ice cream is suggested, or some sort of alcohol (I'm thinking Kahlua or Bailey's would be a good choice, then again I don't drink much so what do I know...) Don't get this to drink on it's own. The novelty wears off after the first sip or two." - Holli

You should also notice that this month we'll be focusing on Christmas and the holidays with our regular posts. If you come across a great holiday candy related tidbit, be it an advertisement, video, or even a cool thing, let us know.

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Is It Snowing Where You Are?

Here I've got nothing.  Sure it's a little cooler, but no snow, and I probably won't have any until after Christmas, and when it does come it's pretty minimal.  I can't complain entirely, since I hate shoveling snow, but I do miss the white stuff.  Fortunately for me, I always think about snow whenever I eat a white chocolate treat.  I know it's a little cliche, but it's true.  Too bad I don't have a review score for nostalgia, because this treat might have done a little better.

Click here to read today's white chocolate review.

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Candy News

This is your brain... This is your brain on chocolate... See it works so much better.

So what is a candy cane, where did they come from?  Here's all the information you're going to need.

This years trendy DIY sweet treat for the holidays?  Gingerbread.  Not that it wasn't popular before, but these year it seems to be exploding.  Here's some proof, here even more, and even more.

It turns out that the new folks at Hostess are looking to expand into the global market, that means that all you folks in Europe, Asia, and Australia won't have to pay premium prices for Twinkies anymore.

Nutella Bar opens in Chicago, on an unrelated note, anybody out there have a spare room in Chicago that I could move into?

I'm not sure how I feel about the trend to mix alcoholic drinks and sweet treats together, no matter how silly or strange the combination might be.  Sometimes it works naturally, other times...

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday Candy Video

I just love watching factory footage.  There's just something mesmerizing about watching belts and gears work at making something.  If you add chocolate to this equation, I find myself mesmerized and drooling at the same time.  If you've never visited a chocolate factory in person yourself, I highly recommend it.  Not only do you get to see gears going, watch chocolate being made, but the smell is fantastic as well.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Edible Chocolate Art Supplies - Nendo - It's as if they made this product just for me, I'm an artist, and I write about candy.. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

It seems like I'm just repeating last week's themes.  Last week on "A Cool Candy Thing" I posted about a Star Wars silicon mold, this week on "A Cool Candy Thing" I posted about another Star Wars silicon mold.  Last week I posted a really strange Spangles advertisement, this week I'm posting another really strange Spangles advertisement.  I guess the difference about this week's advertisement is that it's Christmas themed, and now that the holidays are coming, I'm pretty sure all of the Classic/Creative Candy Advertising I'm going to post is going to be Christmas themed.

I found this ad here.

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A Cool Candy Thing

Last week we posted a link to a Death Star ice mold that could be used for so many other products, like chocolate, or cakes.  This week I've found an even cooler mold, the Millennium Falcon.  This mold is cooler because the Millennium Falcon played a more mobile role in the movies.  The Death Star just hung in the air not really doing much except the occasional deadly laser blast.  The Millennium Falcon on the other hand swooped around shooting things and being generally cool.  So you could easily play with whatever you make using this mold in so many more ways.  You could even recreate the scene where the giant worm eats the Falcon, and you could play the worm..

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More Candy Art Is Coming

The Lemon and the Gummy Bears Print by bewarethecheese
Check out other Gummy Posters at zazzle.com

Our sister site bewarethecheese.com has just gone through a bit of an update.  They've reworked the way posters and greeting cards are being sold.  Right now things are just warming up over there, but soon they'll be full of all kinds of cool new images for sale.  Make sure to drop by their site, and maybe pick up a cool looking poster or greeting card.

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This Week In Candy

What the heck is "Green Cola"?  I've seen this can of cola on the shelf of my local grocery store for a few years now, but I've never had the nerve to buy it.  When I first noticed the design, I thought that it was an official Coca-Cola product, but on closer inspection I realized that it wasn't.  It sure looks official though.  I still couldn't figure out why it was called "Green". So after sampling it, do I know?  Not at all.  The cola is not green, the can doesn't seem more environmentally friendly, it's basically just a can of Coke 0.

About 3 weeks ago I announced a contest that would net the winner a huge box of retro candy from our friends at candycrate.com.  We asked people to write about their favorite candy memory, and we got some great answers.  But alas we could only have one winner, and it was a nice mix of nostalgia and sentiment.  Congratulations Holli, and thanks for telling us a little bit about your fond candy memories:

"Ahh retro candy...  My fondest memory is of Cadbury Astros.  Remember those?  Chocolate outside, crispy centered, multicolored balls?  It was a favorite treat on family nights. Once a month or so, we would bring our mattresses down to the living room, and my sister, mom, and I would eat junk food and watch movies. This was the only time we ever had Astros, so they were a coveted treat. We were never a very close family, but those nights were always fun. Even the cats would get in on it. One loved to steal a red Twizzlers and run off to eat it.  Apparently, you can now only get Astros in Africa. Sad times :("

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Swedish Bar "Bork, bork, bork!!!"

This particular bar was a gift from a friend of mine named Alex.  Alex is the most Swedish guy I know, also one of the most kind people I know.  He gave me this bar even after I asked him what he thought about the Swedish Chef.  I'm sure the Swedish people are smart enough to know that it's a parody, and might even find him funny, but I'm also sure that they're sick of North American's asking them constantly about him.  But Alex is a good guy, and he still gave me a fun bar to try, even though I actually said "bork, bork, bork" to his face.

Click here to read the new Swedish review.

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Candy News

Science is looking to make it possible for you to taste things over the internet.  Some things I've very excited about, others I'm terrified.

Speaking of science, here's an explanation of the science behind one of the greatest things ever, cookies.

Are you wasting your life?  Not sure?  Why not take a look at your time on earth using jelly beans.

So you want to get into the snack food business, you want to be the biggest company in the world.  Well you have to get past PepsiCo. first.

Here's in interesting look at how the cocoa from your chocolate bar is born.

Yet another awesome looking Star Wars themed gingerbread house, tis the season, I guess.

In Europe, you can't have a low fat chocolate, chocolate must have 25% fat to be considered chocolate, and low fat must be below 23%.

Nuts might be the thing to keep you living longer... that and a little happiness.

A restaurant dedicated to the cocoa bean, that means chocolate for appetizer, mains, and dessert.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday Candy Video

Last week I posted a video of chocolates being made, this week it's potato chips.  Potato chips hold a certain feeling of nostalgia for me.  Whenever I smell them, see them, or even think about them, it reminds me of traveling on the train.  My father used to buy us bags of chips before we would get on a train to visit our grandparents.  The smell and taste of chips always reminds me traveling on the rails in Southern Ontario.  Also, whenever I ride a train, I'm always craving chips.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Dr. Pepper, Orange Crush, Grape Crush and Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red Licorice - KLN Family Group - While I have a hard time believing that these are "licorice", they do look tasty. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

When it's the dead of winter and you see a advertisement full of summer fun and summer fruit, does it make you feel better or worse?  Do you look at this and remember last summer, the warm days outside eating fresh fruits?  Or do you pine for the warm, wishing the bitter cold would just end already?  I guess depending on which way you feel affects the possibility that you might ever want to try Spangles.

I found this ad here, but I'm not even sure if Spangles still exist.

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A Cool Candy Thing

While this product is labeled as an ice mold, you can use it for so many other application.  Why not make a fun Death Star ice pop, what about a Death Star chocolate, or why not a Death Star cake-pop.  The applications are only limited to your imagination.  Then you can devour your treat like Luke Skywalker devoured the real Death Star... and the you can "go home!"

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Stuff I Want To Try

Candy Crush Candies - Dylan's Candy Bar - For a month I was really into this game, eating the candies would finish my addiction. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Sleep Little Gummy Bear, Sleep

If Gummy Bears Could Dream T Shirts by candycritic
Put your favorite photo on t shirt designs at Zazzle

I designed this t-shirt based on a dream I had.  It's strange to have a dream about what a gummy bear might dream.

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This Week In Candy

This week I got an e-mail from my friends Justin and his father Eric.  Justin was given some rather strange treats as a gift and they wanted to share them with me.  I've actually heard of "Box of Boogers", but I'd never heard of "Ground Gremlin" before.  I asked Justin to give me his opinion and he sent me this:  "It's like spaghetti...and sugary...and it's licorice...and...hamburger meat...but you can't make hamburgers out of it...because it is candy... It tasted like candy but there was a lot of sugar...it was like....like... I don't know...it was like a little bit of....it tasted like chewy strawberries...with ah.....ah.....crunchy sugar."

I think this week I'm going to brainstorm.  I'm going to open my mind and just write out article concepts for this blog.  I welcome any suggestions, and I even welcome anybody to contribute and idea that they'd like to write about.  I can't guarantee anything, but most of my guest writers at some point have received free candy.

Not to get off the subject of candycritic.org, but over the next few months our sister site bewarethecheese.com is going to be getting a bit of a face lift.  That might lead to a link or two on this site going out.  I'll try to fix them where I can.  When the new changes are up on bewarethecheeese.com, make sure to stop by and maybe even buy yourself a nice piece of art.

Well I just finished a batch of applesauce, so I'm going to go sit in my kitchen and just smell.

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A Double Review Today

That's two, two, two reviews in one!  The folks at Salazon chocolate sent us a whole bunch of bars to review, and I was stumped. When a company sends me a bunch of treats, I generally only pick one to review.  I appreciate that they've sent me a whole mess of treats, but I figure I'll pick out the most unique treat out of the bunch.  This collection of bars was a little harder since they all had the same theme.  I decided that I would pick the bar I thought would be my favorite, and the bar I thought would be my least favorite, and review them both at the same time.  As it turns out, I really liked the one I thought would be my favorite, and thought the other one was OK, but not fantastic.

Click here to read about the bar I knew I was going to like.

Click here to read about the treat I figured I wouldn't like.

Candy News

Here's a fun game to play, how many of these UK chocolate bars have you sampled?

A few weeks back I had a debate over weather or not you "have" to toast Pop Tarts.  Apparently toasting isn't the only option.

American's will soon be celebrating Thanksgiving, and here's a few strange dessert ideas to serve with dinner.

Apparently there are rules about how children are allowed to consume candy, crushing up their Smarties (the American kind) and snorting them is apparently not cool.

The fact that I'm a visual artist and a candy food writer makes these sketchbooks made of cocoa the perfect Christmas gift.

Good idea: Enjoying your sweet treats fresh out of the package.  Bad idea: Microwaving them first.

Have you ever wondered who invented the cupcake, or when the jawbreakers first hit the scene?  Well wonder no more.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday Candy Video

Does gum make you more fun?  This is an interesting experiment if you think about it.  If you take these conclusions, and move them to the animal world, that means that cows are the most fun looking animal ever.  I also noticed that they don't ask the question "which one of these people is most likely to litter leaving something sticky at the bottom of your shoe?"

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Stuff I Want To Try

Italian balsamic chocolate with raspberry puree - Purdy’s Chocolates - Canadians making creative chocolates, what could possibly go wrong. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

I've never tried Smooooth N'Juicy before.  I don't think they make it anymore.  Too bad, I would have been interested in seeing what gum would be like if it was smoother and juicier than normal.  I think one thing that may have lead to this treats demise is the name, way too many "o's".

I found this ad here.

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If You Like Waiting Till The Last Minute... This Is It!

Midnight tonight is your last chance to win yourself some free retro candy from Candy Critic and our friends at candycrate.com.  If you're just holding back because you wanted your entry to be perfect, now is the time to cross your final "t's" and dot your last "i's".

If you want to come up with a last minute entry, here's the rules.

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A Cool Candy Thing

I've seen a few different candy themed "intimate apparel" clothing pieces in my day, but this one seems to make the most sense.  After all, if you're into the hand cuff thing, and into candy, what fun it will be to eat yourself free.

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Pregnant Gummy Bear T-Shirt

Baby Gummy Bear Tshirt by candycritic
Put your favorite photo on t-shirt designs at zazzle.com

Imagine this, your lovely wife (or girlfriend) is having a baby.  Congratulations!  I'm sure she's going to be craving all kinds of foods, I imagine gummy bears might even be on that list.  Wouldn't it be fun to get her a T-shirt that both deals with her cravings, and the fact that she's pregnant?  Then you would be the most clever man in her life.  Just because you can't always predict this kind of thing, if you're wife (or girlfriend) is pregnant, why not pick up one of these shirts, just in case she starts craving gummy bears.

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Two More Days To Enter

Remember, your chance to win a box of retro candy from the fine folks at candycrate.com is coming to an end this Wednesday at midnight.  So make sure to tell us about your fondest candy related memory, so you have a chance to pig out on some awesome snacks.

Click here to learn more about the contest.

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This Week In Candy

I had a bit of a sad moment this morning when a bunch of photos I took disappeared.  Well they didn't really "disappear", instead the SD card I used on my digital camera corrupted and the only way to fix it was to re-format.  Fortunately for you guys the photos were not of some new revolutionary treat, unfortunately for me it was of a fun night out.  No matter, I still have a memories.  The photo above was taken using my water proof camera in order for me to test to make sure that the card now works perfectly after being re-formatted.  This lovely night with friends involved getting a bag of fresh artisan marshmallows, this provided me with a great subject to shoot, and something to cheer me up after the SD card debacle. On to our adventures this week.

Remember that this Wednesday is the last day for you to submit an entry in to our contest with our friends at candycrate.com.  It's a really simple contest to enter, and you can win yourself a great big box full of retro candy.  You can click here for details on how to enter, but do it soon, or you might miss out.

I've been giving it some thought, and I think I may stop the Wednesday Japanese Candy Review.  I love Japanese candy, but I'm thinking that it's not fair to focus on one particular country every week.  So starting in the New Year, I'm going to have a different country, style of candy, or even brand of candy, represented each month. So you may see the Wednesday UK Candy Review, the Wednesday Ritter Sport Review, or ever the Wednesday Ice Cream Review.  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure in the future a month full of more Japanese snacks will sneak up again.  I just like the idea of mixing it up a bit and showing off a few more treats from all over the place.

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