Quick List - The Most Disturbing Candy Package Characters

 A quick list of the most disturbing #characters depicted on candy packages out of the all the treats I've reviewed on candycritic.org.

Quick List - My Favourite Characters On Candy Packages

 A quick list of my favourite characters featured on #candy and snack packages. At least out of the all the treats I've reviewed on  candycritic.org.

McDonalds Anime Update

 Ronald McDonald is probable one of the most famous food mascots ever created. I say this because I’ve seen depictions of Ronald all over the world, and I’m pretty sure that kids and adults all over the place associate this brightly coloured clown with burgers, nuggets and fun fast food. Thailand even has some very unique Ronald statues to greet people outside of every single restaurant.

The thing is, Ronald seems to be disappearing a bit. While there are still hints of him everywhere, he’s not commonly found at every restaurant anymore. I’ve seen many documentaries about the rise and fall of Ronald and the entire McDonald Land cast, and there are many theories about why these characters seem to be falling out of favour at the restaurants. Oddly however I am finding that these characters are starting to become more popular outside the restaurants, being used in clothes, shoes, and even some fine art and collectible toys.

It seems like the licensing of Ronald and the McDonald’s Land characters is going strong, but for marketing in restaurants they seem to be completely disappearing. Again I’m not sure why this is happening for sure, but I am noticing in Asia that these classic characters are starting to be replaced by new Anime style characters.

While there are some food related characters in the mix, the main theme seems to be characters based on the people working at McDonald’s. Maybe this is not only a way to sell food, but also a way to try and get people to apply for jobs.

What I wonder is how deep this goes. While I’ve seen a few posters, cut outs and window decorations of these characters, I haven’t seen any of the obvious marketing pieces that would make sense for Anime style characters, like comics and animation. I think it might be fun to see the adventures of some characters that work at a McDonald’s that’s regular attacked by various fast food related robots and monsters.

A Cool Candy Thing

All this week I've been researching the history of M&Ms for Snack Facts (you can check out Snack Facts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook).  It got me thinking about some of the crazy candy machines I've seen featuring the M&Ms characters.  M&Ms are pretty much the perfect candy for a candy machine, and having such colorful characters that are perfect for decorating those machines makes it even better.  I like this machine because it lets me gamble and win every time.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertisement

Fujiya, a popular candy in Japan, has this strange little girl as their mascot.  While the design of this little girl isn't that odd, the fact that she always has her tong out is what makes her kind of creepy.  They also cover everything in their store with this little girl.  All of their packages, posters, and they even have little statues of this girl in front of their stores.  What do you think, could you stare at this girl and not be a little freaked out?  What's she hiding?

I found this toy photo here.

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A Cool Candy Thing

I guess this isn't really a "candy thing" but it comes in the coolest box ever.  I think there is one obvious problem with this candy though, where the heck are the fruit and ghosts?  The game revolves around Pac-Man eating ghosts and fruit, and they only give you Pac-Men to eat.  Maybe in this particular scenario you're playing the role of the ghosts, and your job is to eat the Pac-Men.  In that case I recommend wearing a sheet with eye holes cute out while you eat these, just so you can be in character.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising

Do you remember the Munchies?  I don't really know much about their history, other than the fact that they were a staple part of my childhood eating habits.  I remember the commercials, the many advertisements in the back of comic books, and in particular I remember the many strange flavored chips they would promote.  So did you have the "Munchies" where you grew up?

I found this ad here.

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Mike and Ike Names (A New Review Too)

One of the interesting things I learned while writing this review is the crazy naming convention that some Mike and Ike candies have.  I could be wrong about this, but I believe that "Mike" is represented by either the green or red candy, "Ike" by which ever one Mike is not.  So the candies from today's review are represented by "Cherri" the dark red candy, and "Bubb" the pink candy.  Is this a common trend with the Mike and Ike's family?  I've had a few other Mike and Ike treats, and I don't remember this naming format, is this new?  If it is new, then keep it up Just Born, it's a really good idea.  If it's an old idea, then I need some back story here, because this is really great.

Click here to read the review about Cherri and Bubb.

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It's Peppermint Patty Day!!!

When I first heard that today was Peppermint Patty day I wasn't sure if they meant the yummy chocolate covered mint disk, or the slightly annoying friend of Charlie Brown.  Then I wondered, is she named after the treat?  After a little research it appears that there may be a connection.  As it turns out Charles Schulz named the character after a bowl of "mint candies" he had on his desk.  I'm guessing he changed the last word from "Pattie" to "Patty" because her first name is Patricia.  It might have also helped with any legal issues at the time.

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Nestle Quick Supports Bunnies

Here at the Athens zoo, Nestle Quick has decided to sponsor the bunny exhibit.  They call it bunnyland, and they completely cover the place with images of the Nestle Quick Bunny.

They also cover all of the signs up with the latest in Nestle cereals.  Although they encourage you not to feed the bunnies, only yourself I guess.

The back wall of the exhibit is not only covered with the Nestle Quick Bunny, but other Nestle characters.

I wonder if the bunnies in the exhibit know about the Quick Bunny?  I wonder if the real Nestle Quick Bunny visits?  I wonder why the Nestle Quick Bunny can enjoy sweet treats, but these bunnies can't?

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Friday's Candy Links

More bad news about candy prices, the price of peanut butter is going up.

The 25 best selling candies from around the world, I've sampled 17 of them, how about you?

How much do you know about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?  Do you know who Miranda Piker is?

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Mental Floss asks for "Your Favorite Childhood Ice Cream Treats"

What they mean by "Your Favorite Childhood Ice Cream Treats" is those popcycle treats in the shape of characters that sometimes have a gumball placed in a particular spot to give it dimension.  I have to be honest, I was never really into these treats as a kid.  For the most part (in Toronto, Canada) these treats always seemed to come with better options.  In other words, if an ice cream truck came up through my neighborhood, I could get a banana flavoured monkey on a stick, or I could get a banana split.  So the choice was obvious.  Even when I saw these treats in corner stores, the option would be purple witch, or Drumstick... again the answer is obvious.  The only one I ever really remember buying, and only once or twice, was a Pac-man ice cream, but I'm not sure why I bought it.

Click here to see the post on Mental Floss.

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