Turtle Time

When I was a kid, Turtles were all the rage. I'm not sure when they came out, but I feel like they really hit their stride in the mid 80s. There was even competition from other candy companies making Turtles rip offs, like Armadillos. Interestingly, I don't think that Nestle put out a million different variety of Turtles then, it was just the one kind of Turtle, and they promoted it like crazy. Today the way to promote yourself seems to be about making a million varieties, and changing up the size is certainly a key tool in the candy bar war. I'm not sure it always works (see this new review), but I'm happy it happens. After all, when candy companies are forced to be creative, we all win.

Click here to find out why mini Turtles may not be as good as the classics.

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Be sure to check the latest issue of Snack Facts too.

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This Tiny Candy Made Me Think Some Pretty Big Thoughts - Starburst "Minis Original"

There is the famous expression that "size doesn't matter", I do not believe that at all when it comes to candy. I think the size of a candy can make or break it for so many reasons. Health is the first thing that comes to mind, as you should really not eat an entire 5 pound Hershey bar by yourself. Next thing to think about is variety, better to have a few bites with varying flavours than eat a candy until you're sick of it (I call this the Costco effect). It also sucks to have too fleeting a taste of a candy. The last, and I argue most important thing to think about when the size of a treat changes is the ratio of ingredients. The biggest problem I find when I eat a candy treat that's had a size change is the ratio of ingredients changes and throws everything off. Strangely this treat had a problem of its own.

Click here to find out why I don't think these Starburst succeeded being mini Starburst.

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You should also check out our Micro Comic called Snack Facts, it's pretty sweet.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Twix Bites - Mars - I like to eat miniature versions of chocolate bars and pretend I'm a giant. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Little Mini Muffin

 Allison ordered a bento box at a Japanese restaurant, it sure looked tasty.  Other than the salad being a little brown, everything was scrumptious.  I should know because I insisted that I sample her food for her, you know, to make sure it's up to the standards that I'd want Allison to eat.  Only the best for my lady.

The only thing she didn't share with me, was what I can only describe as the cutest little chocolate muffin ever made.  It's strange, little tiny desserts are really cute and not a disappointment at all.  You'd think that because of their small size, i.e. less dessert, I'd be disappointed with tiny after dinner sweets, but I'm not.  They seem to make up for their lack of size with their sheer little cuteness.

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Cool Ring Art

SouZouCreations' on Etsy has a great selection of mini Japanese food jewelry.

It's funny how the words "mini Japanese food jewelry" can make sense in this particular context.  In any other context it would seem really strange.

These little pieces of art are great and would make you the envy of any of your night club friends.

Click here to check out some more of SouZouCreations'.

Do you make candy art, we'd love to hear about it.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Red Velvet Cupcake Bites - Taste of Nature - They sound so soft and cuddly - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Small Yet Awesome Candy Stores

My favorite place to explore, whenever I travel, is small independently owned candy manufacturers and candy shops.  They're really a great place to see the candy makers and store owners personalities as well as check out treats that you might not find anywhere else in the world.  Here are 4 links to articles about some small time candy entrepreneurs and they're personal heavens full of sweets:

Click here to read about a lollipop maker in Kansas City.

Click here to read about a small store in Burlingame.

Click here to read about a pair of Woodstock chocolate makers.

Click here to read about a classic shop in Iowa.

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Chocolate Fix

Some people say that they need a piece of chocolate every day.  They just get that craving and nothing else will do.  These people aren't necessarily obese or unhealthy, many of them know that a simple sweet bite will do.  But they need chocolate every single day, it's an addiction to some extent, although I don't think science calls it a real addiction.  I'm not one of those types strangely enough, I'm not into this candy thing to fill my chocolate needs.  But to those that are, just remember, moderation and quality are the key to keeping it up.

Click here to read the story of one such person.

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A Little More Information About The New Reece Mini Cups

As you may have read earlier, Reece debuted their new mini peanut butter cups at CES earlier this month and man are they tiny.  At first I thought it was a little strange, because I thought Reece's already had mini peanut butter cups, but apparently these are even smaller.  In fact they're apparently about the same size as a dime.

Click here to read more about them.

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Update On Reece and CES

As it turns out Reece announced a new treat, Reece's Minis, at CES yesterday.  I couldn't be there but fortunately the announcement got some attention so I could at least read about it... sigh.  I particularly like this photo from Boing Boing of a tiny little cup in a giant display case.

Click here to read more about the release.

Here's Boing Boing's roundup including the photo above.

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Another Small Candy Store

I will keep on promoting any candy store that I find.  In this case it's a cute little family run candy store in Schuyerville that makes all kinds of little sweets.

Click here to read more about it.

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Small Company Survives

Have you ever had a Mallo Cup?  I had one many years ago, I can't really remember what I thought of them either.  I should probably try and get my hands on one for a review.  I only mention all of this because I just finished reading the article linked below and it seems like a really interesting company that makes them.  They're doing their best to not sell out to larger companies even though they've faced a heck of a lot of problems recently.  It's nice to see small companies surviving in the candy industry, after all they help make new and creative candies that shape the industry.

Click here to read about the trials and tribulations of a small candy company.

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Stories About Small Time Candy Makers Makes me Happy

I always get a warm feeling in my heart when I read about how so many small candy companies get their start. Most small time candy makers don't do it to make it rich, instead they do it because they're passionate about candy.

Click here to read one such story.

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Really Mini Wheats

I was just at the grocery store today when I was offered a sample of smaller Mini Wheats. I didn't realized but apparently the smaller you make something the better it tastes.

Sure you might think this theory is silly, but what about mini M&Ms, and mini Chicklets. Both of these treats where fine, then they made them little and bam, they got better.

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Hand Made Lollipops

The thing about small companies making small batches of any kind of treat tends to be that it's really where one finds the creativity in candy. These people can afford to be experimental because they make their candy in small batches. So if it doesn't work out they don't have as much to lose as a larger company.

Click here to read about some tasty lollipops.

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The Pride of Any Town Should Be The Food

In this particular case the pride of Dakota is chocolate. This article is about what the candy industry is really built off of. The idea of a small company making candy by hand, doing something for the community. If you look at the history of many of the larger candy companies this is exactly how they got their start.

Click here to learn more.

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Learn From The Pros

There are really two kind of sugary treats in my mind. There are those made by large companies for mass production in packages and those made by hand by individuals. Don't get me wrong, I love them both equally, however chances are you won't really get to see how the big companies make their treats. The individuals will always be willing to put on a show, and watching people make candy is truly a sight to see.

Click here to learn about a French chef showing off his skills.

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Simple Great Looking Candy

This news piece is a great example about how simple treats can look and (probably) taste great. I love reading about small candy stores that do so much by hand and really pay attention to detail.

Click here to see the news piece.

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Toffee Makers Story

This article is a great story about a woman who made toffee for friends and then turned it into a small business. We need more small business in the candy world if you ask me.

Click here to read the story.

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Record Making Food

The Big Picture this week has a collection of photographs of record breaking events and people. Not to be missed are the worlds largest meatball, the worlds largest cup of hot chocolate, and the worlds largest cheesecake, just to name a few.

Click here to check it out.

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