It's All The Colours, Yet Not As Impressive As I'd Hoped - Rainbow Nerds

I keep trying to tell myself that packages have nothing to do with the candy, but then I'm presented with Nerds, and all of those ideas have to go out the door. I think I'm officially going to change my stance on this subject, from now on, packages do matter. If you're a candy company and you want me to enjoy something, you better deliver on the package as well... unless you don't have a package... hmmm, this creates a bit of a problem. 

Click here to find out why Nerds packages matter.

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Why not check out the Patreon page too.

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5 Strange Candy Choices For Valentines Day - Part 4 - Fun Dip Valentine Mystery Flavor

I don't really associate Fun Dip with Valentine's Day. Sure you could probably find a sexual innuendo in there, but it's not very romantic. The candy itself is also a little strange when you're sharing with someone you love.  Licking a paddle with powder stuck to it is not like feeding your loved one a nice chocolate out of a heart shaped box.

The other detail that's a little odd for Valentine's Day is the "Mystery Flavor" part of this candy. Nothing says romance like eating something that can't be identified.

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Quick Review Before We Left - Kazoozles "Cherry Punch"

Lately we've been trying to do a few reviews on the weekends, and try to keep a theme. This weekend however we only managed one, and that's really happened for two reasons. First of all we have to leave for an adventure, but most importantly this candy doesn't really go with anything else. It's not the kind of candy one can compare to other candies, nor does it really go with any other candy.

Click here to read about this very strange Wonka candy.

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Wish They Still Made It - Part 3 - Xploder

This bar is one that keeps coming back every once in a while, that or I keep finding old boxes of these in various candy shops around the world.  Today you would say that this bar isn't really that original, as lots of bars now contain Pop Rock like candy, but when it came out it was cutting edge.  In fact when I first tasted this bar, I was convinced that I wouldn't like it at all.  It seemed really strange to add Pop Rocks to any kind of chocolate bar, but it worked.  Best of all the quality of the chocolate in this bar was pretty good as well.  It was like the candy industry saying that it was OK to mix novelty candy with fine milk chocolate.

Today that's become a bit of the norm, and it's all thanks to this legendary bar.  So this is more about giving this bar a bit of respect, and credit.  Next time you eat a bar that fizzes in your mouth, remember that at one point the folks at Wonka tried it first.

Here's my poem about this fizzy bar:

Of all of the companies in the candy bizz,
Wonka was the first to make chocolate with fizz.
While most chocolates were playing it cool,
Xploder bar came about making a fool.
When chocolate bar companies would make it plain,
The Xploder bar would blow up your brain.

Click here to read the Candy Critic review.

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A Cool Candy Thing - Halloween Costume Eddition

There's something rather evil looking about this costume.  If I remember correctly, Willy Wonka wasn't really very nice to children, at the end of the story he even yelled at Charlie, who was nothing but the nicest boy in the world.  So the idea of a child wanting to emulate a character that's mean to children seems a little strange.  Maybe this could inspire a new book, maybe we could learn about Willy Wonka as a child, and find out why a man who really doesn't like children would get into the candy industry.  If you made a movie about it you wouldn't have to worry about hiring a designer to design his wardrobe, it's right here.

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A Cool Candy Thing - Movie Edition Part 2

This week on the Cool Candy Thing Movie Edition we're going to look at the most candy related film ever made, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... or is it called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  It seems there's a bit of a title discrepancy here.  There's also a great debate in the candy world (and probably the film world) as to which of these films is best.  Many people put down the Tim Burton film as being too weird and mean, but if you watch the original version, it's pretty strange and mean too.  Frankly I like them both, but for very different reasons.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory


This movie is great because it looks like a musical.  The sets look like something you could really walk into.


Charlie and the Chocolate Factory


This movie is great because it takes the basic story and enhances it.  The factory was always supposed to be unreal, and this movie makes it bigger than life.


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Classic/Creative Candy Advertisement

Since this week we're starting our list of classic candy films, I thought I'd look at an advertisement featuring two of the most candy related films ever made.  We'll they're sort of two films, really they're just one... it's a little complicated.  I'll have more about this next week when I feature both of these movies on our Cool Candy Thing post.  For now just enjoy the retro cool of the old Willy Wonka poster, and the artsy weird of the current one.

I found this poster here.

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Candy News

Serious Eats examines sugar, and it's a pretty sweet article.

Here's an interview with Gene Wilder where he mentions his stipulations for playing Willy Wonka.

According to a new study, men's brains crave coffee, and women's brains crave chocolate... I'm not sure I agree.

The BBC looks at why Nutella went from small time spread, to a major global player.

Hershey has decided to spread the love that is Peanut Butter Cups to Brazil.

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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Thursday's Candy Links

Have you ever needed a nut butter on the go, well you're problems are solved.

It's come to the point where every restaurant in the USA will have a bacon sundae.

The original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of my all time favorite movies, now I realize how much Gene Wilder contributed to it.

Have you seen the "Peanut Butter Cup Bandit"?  He's been stealing hundreds of dollars worth of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups from gas stations in Ohio.

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Monday's Candy Links

See how you score in the Mental Floss 40th aniversary Willy Wonka quiz, I only got 33%, that's not good.

How can you make cupcakes even better?  Why not add candy to your cupcake recipe?

A look at the science that makes things taste really good.

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Reverse Product Placement

How many times have you been watching a movie when one of the characters pulls out a bottle of Coke, or a bag of Doritos.  Product placement doesn't really bother me that much, but fake product placement can sometimes get on my nerves.  Fake product placement is when a movie pulls out a product that doesn't exist, but I truly wish it did.  Mental Floss has a list of fake product placement products that eventually came to life and are now available.

Click here to check out the list and go eat some Cheesy Poofs.

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New Wonka Website

I just finished checking out a new Youtube Channel from Wonka and I have to say that I'm a little confused by it.  I'm not sure if it's the fact that it's first thing in the morning and I had a late night, or if the navigation is confusing and the games don't make any sense at all.  Sure it's state of the art, but I didn't really have that much fun clicking around.  I guess I'll just stick to Wonka candy for now.

Click here to check it out for yourself, and let me know what you thought... Should I try it again?

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Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory Quiz

Mental Floss posted a new quiz all about Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the movie).  I got 6 out of 12 of the answers right.  Now you may think that I'm a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory expert given my love of candy, but really that's not true.  I've only seen the movie a few times, and that was a long time ago.

Click here to take the quiz yourself.

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Some Cool Candy Stickers

I just discovered this great collection of vintage stickers on Flikr.  Jason, the creator of this Flikr collection has some really great stuff posted.  A whole bunch of it is also candy related.

Click here to check out Jason's collection of vintage stickers and packages.

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Chocolate Movies

Hollywood has had a love affair with chocolate, and they use it as the central subject in so many movies.  I think it's because chocolate has so many meanings in our lives.  To some chocolate means love, to others it can mean fun, and even in some cases it can be scary.  I found a great article all about chocolate in  movies, they say that the first film to use chocolate as a central part of a movie was a film called "The Chocolate Soldier".  I haven't seen it, but I think I might rent it now.

Click here to read more about chocolate movies.

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A Classic Review

The number of times I'm e-mailed and asked "you haven't reviewed (insert any classic candy that I haven't reviewed yet here)?!!"  is astonishing.  On occasion I forget to review something, I see it around, and I may even enjoy one now and again, but I just forget to photograph it, write about it, and post the review online.  It's a lot of work to put a up a review, it's not just about eating a particular treat.  Well all of you "Nerds Rope" fans, I've done the review, and frankly I feel I should have done it sooner.

Click here to read the review.

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Opening Today

Yet another presentation of Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory.  It seems like there are many productions of this play happening right now.

Click here to read about the Kitsap production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

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Willy Wonka Playing In Woodburn

I've decided that every time I see a theater production of Willy Wonka, or any other candy related play/story posted anywhere I'm going to promote it.  I figure it's a wonderful combination of art and candy together and frankly that's what I'm all about.

Click here to read about Woodburn's production of Willy Wonka.

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Wonka Wedding

Rather than go with the traditional wedding theme a couple in the US (I think) decided instead to go with a Willy Wonka themed wedding.  They went so far as to hire Oompa Loompas and send out golden tickets to all of their guests. I think my plan is to have a candy party but theme it as a wedding just to see if it works the other way around.

Click here to read about the wedding.

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New Wonka Store Just Opened In New York

The first ever Wonka store just opened in Toy's R Us at Time Square, and it looks fantastic. I love Wonka treats and what better place to have a candy mecca than in a toy mecca. I am a little surprised they didn't open the first store in London, since the company started there. I also hope they open up more of these, in particular it would be nice to have one in the ground floor of my apartment.

Click here to see the store and read a little about it.

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