Thursday, October 17, 2024

The Stories I Don't Understand

 One of the interesting things about how candy is marketed involves stories. Candy is a little different than many food items in that one of the big selling points to candy is often the story that goes with it. That story could centre around a popular slogan like "bet you can't eat just one", "take a break" or "sometimes you feel like a nut". Sometimes that story can be based on mascots, for example the M&M's guys, the Sour Patch Kids or the Tootsie Rolls Owl. While many of these brands may not have started with the mascots or slogans we now know, in many ways these marketing ideas have become part of the treat itself now. There is one thing about marketing like this that can become problematic, and that's international shoppers.

It's very possible or I would even say likely that there are several people who have read the slogans or list of candy mascots I've just listed above and have no idea what I'm talking about. While these slogans and characters are well known where I grew up, in the time I grew up, there are many people who fall outside of that circle. One of the things about having a website where you taste test candies from all over the world is that you're often given treats that have slogans or mascots that just don't make any sense, that have cultural touchpoints that fall out of my circle.

I'm sure if you grew up with these slogans or mascots you would have the cultural and historical context to make sense of them, but for someone who's outside of your bubble, it's confusing. Don't get me wrong, I now know that many of my candy and snack mascots and slogans are weird, but at one point I didn't. If this is a little confusing to you, let me suggest an example, or actually two Percy Pig and Colin the Caterpillar. 

When I wrote those two names, there were a group of mostly British people who don't really understand where this is going. That is because these two characters are British mascots for the sweet treats sold at Marks and Spencer stores in the UK. There are a few Marks and Spencer stores outside of the UK too that sell these character themed snacks, but let's assume that people who buy them outside of the UK either don't know who they are or maybe lived in the UK for a while and have grown to love them.

While they're not offensive mascots by any means, objectively they're a little weird. From what I can tell Percy Pig came from some gummy pigs that Marks and Spencer have been selling for many years now. Why they're pigs and not other farm animals doesn't make any sense to me. Colin the Caterpillar makes even less sense to me as I can't really figure out where his origins come from. My only guess, since most of the products featuring him are baked, is that he was once features in a cake form. I'm not really sure why you'd want to eat a giant caterpillar cake in the first place, but who am I to judge.

Objectively these two characters really shouldn't be as popular as they are in England. I imagine that most British kids and many adults of a certain age would know exactly what you where talking about if you said Percy Pig or Colin the Caterpillar. The strange thing is that unlike characters from television shows or books, these characters seem to be based on sweet treats. As an outsider I can't for the life of me figure out how their origin story (either fictional or real) might have come up.

Every time I walk into a Marks and Spencer food section I'm slightly baffled by all of the different candy and treat choices featuring these characters. Why did they become so popular, how good are those gummies (review coming soon) or that cake. It's really a confusing thing that while I accept on the surface, it confuses me when I think about it.

The thing is, I realize that I too have characters and slogans embedded in my cultural history that British kids just don't understand. I can't see them because they're just part of who I am. One of the great things about the candy world is that even if you don't understand what's going on, you can still try and enjoy it. If you enjoy it enough you can do the research and maybe become a fan. I can tell you that becoming a fan of another cultures treats or snacks can be hugely rewarding.

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

A Halloween Treat... Sort Of

 In this episode of Chris, Why Would You Eat That I eat another Halloween Kiss, for the fourth time. It's part 4 of a 14 year series where I'll eat a Molasses Kiss candy from the same bag till they get stale or until I finish them all.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Get Ready For Some Blue Orchid


 Have you picked up your copy of Blue Orchid, my awesome comic about a girl who fights monsters?

If not, you can pick up all things Blue Orchid at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon.

Monday, October 14, 2024

A New Candy?

Whenever I travel, I always have a hard time knowing if some candies are new, or if they're just new to me. Take my latest candy review, Hitschies. I've never tried these before, or even seen them before, however I've learned that they come in multiple flavours and have likely been around for a while. When I first saw them on the shelf, I had no idea that they weren't brand new. Hitschies have never crossed my path before, but now I truly wish they had, since they're pretty good. This happens a lot with exploring new candies from all over the world, and it's pretty awesome.

Friday, October 11, 2024

Still Creepiest

 Every year I post this commercial around Halloween, and I'll continue to do so until someone makes a commercial that's even creepier.

Tuesday, October 08, 2024

The Treats and The Beasts

 


Do you know someone who loves animals and sweet treats, and maybe they could use a brushing up on their alphabet too. Why not get them my awesome alphabet book called Treats and Beasts.

Pick it up right now on Amazon or at bewarethecheese.com/treatsnbeasts/.

Monday, October 07, 2024

Butter, Is It Better

Butter is an odd ingredient. I feel like most cookie, cake or general baked treat needs butter to work well. However I imagine that most baked treats don't actually use any real butter at all. From what I know, butter is not really shelf stable, meaning anything made with butter runs the risk of going rancid or mouldy. Yet, when it comes to baked goods, a buttery flavour is something many people really enjoy, myself included. I'll often talk a lot about how buttery a particular cookie or cake is, when trying to decide if I like it or not (the more buttery the better). Having said that, rancid butter is awful, so I probably wouldn't actually want to eat real butter in most of the treats I review. It's a bit of a conundrum really.