Friday, February 26, 2010

Doublemint Ads are a Little Strange

Does nobody find it odd that two twins would meet up with two twins? What if they wanted to marry, is that kind of thing legal?

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

People Recognize a Lot Of Candy

According to this article a massive survey has been done to rank the most recognizable brands in America. The top two spots where candy and snacks and candy had many mentions in the top 25.

Click here for more details.

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R and D Labs

You really don't imagine all of the business that goes into making a new treat however if you wanted to learn about it there's an interesting seminar happening. Most notably I'd love to spend a day at this companies R and D lab just to hang out, eat, and make crazy candy concoctions.

Click here to learn about these seminars.

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Cool Videos From Skittles

Skittles has this great contest going where you make a video of yourself either sharing or eating Skittles. Then you upload your video, on the site they play the videos side by side so it looks like people are sharing their Skittles across the Interweb.

Click here to check out the site.

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Stuff Your Face And Get On TV

In Australia Cadbury has a great campaign where they challenge their viewers to munch down an entire Picnic Chocolate bar in 30 seconds or less. Video tape your munching and it could end up on TV. Apparently however it's not as easy as one might think. I've never tried a Picnic bar and I can't imagine having to eat anything like that so fast.

Click here to check out the challenge.

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Nerds Rule

See, even in this 1950’s gum ad, the nerd got the girl.

Ad from Vintage Ad Browser

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Kit Kat Collection That Any Candy Critic Would be Jealous Of

I stumbled upon this absolutely awesome Flickr collection today. It has to be one of the largest collections of Kit Kat’s ever and I’m ashamed to say I haven’t tried even half of them.

Click here to check it out.

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Video Game Competition Sponsored By Doritos?

I have a few friends that would love the entire concept of this thing to the point of making it a lifestyle. If Doritos ever wants to make this a full time professional sport type thing then I know a few people you can talk to.

Click here to read about this contest.

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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Compostable Bags, That’s So Convenient

It’s convenient because my hometown (Ottawa Ontario Canada) has just recently implemented the whole compost pickup thing and this gives me a great idea. I can buy bags of chips, eat the chips and use the bags as collection bags in my kitchen. Then I save a few trees and eat a lot of chips all at the same time.

Click here to read about it.

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All Is Fair At Cadbury

Cadbury has not only been using fair trade chocolate for a year now in their treats but now they’re offering an incentive for you to switch to fair trade products as well. If you check out the site bellow and tell them what fair trade products you now use they’ll let you download some music free.

Click here to read about it.

Click here to check out the official Cadbury site.

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The Snack Guru

My buddy Simon stars in this great video that has been entered into the Doritos Guru contest for a nice cash prize. I recommend trying to make one yourself and giving it a whirl or if you don’t check out my buddies movie and give him a little support.

Click here to check out Simon's video.

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I Just Got An E-mail From Peta2

They asked me to mention a recent award that was given to the folks at Jolly Ranchers. Here’s what they had to say:

"HERSHEY'S JOLLY RANCHER HARD CANDY GRABS PETA2 AWARD

Maker of Mouthwatering Candy Given Top Honor in Annual Libby Awards‘Hershey, Pa. — The Hershey Company's Jolly Rancher Hard Candy haswon the Libby Award for Best Vegan Candy from peta2, the world'slargest youth animal rights organization. The fourth annual LibbyAwards ("Libby" is short for "liberation") honor animal-friendlypeople and products. Visitors to peta2.com helped the group determinethe winners by voting for their favorites in each category.

The Jolly Rancher Candy Company originally made ice cream, chocolate,and hard candy. As hard candy became more popular, the company decidedto focus on developing its "Famous for Flavor" line of vegan hardcandies—which is good news for cows who are abused on factory farms.

"It's reassuring to know that The Hershey Company offers products suchas Jolly Rancher Hard Candy that are as good to animals as they are toyour taste buds," says peta2 Director Dan Shannon. "We at peta2 areproud to recognize this progressive business."

Jolly Rancher Hard Candy won out over Laffy Taffy, Giant Chewy Nerds,and strawberry Twizzlers. (Twizzlers are also made by The HersheyCompany.)"

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Ginger Ale Halls?

As of the last few weeks I seem to be fighting a cold that just won’t go away. Needless to say candy once again has the cure for what ails me. So while looking for some cough drops at the store the other day I came across these little treats. Apparently Halls now come in Ginger Ale flavours.In particular Canada Dry ginger ale flavour. Now I know when I have an upset stomach a glass of ginger ale always does the trick but I’m not sure if this is also the same with colds. More importantly I thought the big health factor to ginger ale was the fizzy water. Well I guess we’ll see if these help my cold, and if they do you can bet I’ll let you know.

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Cliché or Classic

Hostess has a contest where one person could walk away with a million bucks. The game is that old time game where one person is picked to make a set of shots at a basketball game and if this person succeeds the money is theirs. I’ve seen this idea a few… no many time before and each time it can be a nail biter. I guess if it entertains a crowd and gets some publicity it’s ok, even if it’s been done 100 times before.

Click here to read about the contest.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Low Fat Chocolate… Mostly Water… Tastes Good… I Doubt It

I know I often come across as the negative candy critic but maybe it’s not that, maybe I just don’t buy the hype till it bites me in the butt. I tend to remain sceptical of things until I’m proven wrong and then I’m the first to say I was wrong. So after reading this article about a new super healthy low fat chocolate bar I have to admit I really doubt it’s as good as regular chocolate, I’m just waiting for them to say “considering how low fat it is it’s pretty good.” To me that just doesn’t cut it.

Click here to read about it.

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Even Candy Fanatics Should Eat Right In School

Now I know I talk a lot about candy and how great it is, but I’m not stupid. I know the value of eating a good food for meals. Well I just came across this site that is all about how crappy school lunches are and I’m frankly astonished. Seriously go out and get a Kit Kat bar but eat a decent meal first.

Click here to check out Fed Up: School Lunch Project.

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Candy’s Best Marketing Is To Be On The Shelf?

I just read this article where they talk about why people are choosing to buy new snacks and I was shocked to read that the number one reason is because “saw it on the shelf or display.” So basically most people will simply buy candy because they see it? What has this world turned into; choose good candy people not just whatever is thrown in your face, for the betterment of society.


Click here to read more.


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Don’t Eat The Brown Mike and Ikes

It appears that a kid was not only spied on by his school through his laptop but he was accused of taking drugs when he was in fact munching on some Mike and Ikes. Now I know I’ve said candy is fun for the whole family but maybe I’m wrong about that.

Click here to check out a Boing Boing post about it.

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This Muffin Is Not A Muffin

I love cupcakes, and I love muffins, what I had this morning is something new. It was something that they called a muffin at the Tim Horton's where I bought this definition is wrong. How could you possibly call something covered with granules of sugar and filled with chocolate chips a muffin? On the other hand from what I know you can't really call it a cupcake either. A cupcake needs icing, it needs to be a little more fun, it needs to be something you wouldn't be disappointed with if you got a giant one on your birthday. This “cake” I got this morning is an anomaly, for now I'll call it a “mini sugar cake”, but I think it needs a better name.

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Cargill Expands Cocoa Growers Education

I'm sitting here in a class thinking to myself, why in the world am I reading from books and listening to lectures in order to earn money so I can buy even more candy when I could move to a nice warm place and learn to grow my own. I think I have what it takes to be a cocoa grower... well I don't have the strength, and I'm kind of lazy, but I have the drive to eat chocolate and that's gotta count for something.

Click here to read about cocoa farming.

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Candy Events All The Time

There are so many cool candy shows happening all over the world. My dream would be to visit them all and try every candy imaginable.

Click here to read about another show.

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Crazy Candy Canes Are Alright

According to the Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft, Spangler's crazy flavors of candy canes are a gold star winner. It's about time the world realized that candy canes don't have to be just mint. Although I must say that the flavor “natural cola” has me wondering.

Click here to read more.

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Satisfying Crunch?

I recently picked up a bag of corn chips for lunch and I noticed something kind of interesting on the package.
It say’s that these chips have a “satisfying crunch”. I would understand if it said something like loud crunch, but what exactly would one call a satisfying crunch.

Is this satisfying?

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Sunday, February 21, 2010

What’s that You Say… A New Review?

It’s once again time for me to post a new review. Today I’m posting a great treat that I would have never thought of purchasing but now that I’ve tried them I plan on purchasing them again. It’s also one of those reviews where I expect to get many complaints over the idea that they might be cookies and not candy. I’m ready to take on any naysayers so bring them on, I’ll fight tooth and nail over the idea that these are in fact candy, I don’t care what the Colorado state governments think.

Click here to read the review.

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Friday, February 19, 2010

Boing Boing, Manly Cupcakes, and a Guy With Great Ideas

So Boing Boing posted an interesting link that I thought you guys might like, it’s a place called Butch Bakery that makes manly cupcakes. I see a note on the Boing Boing post to check out the 20th comments and I’m absolutely blown away. While I do like these manly cupcakes from the Butch Bakery, I love the suggestions this poster has even more.

Click here to check out this great Boing Boing post (read comment 20)

Click here to check out the Butch Bakery

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About The Label

This particular article doesn’t really deal with candy labels but it does talk about how Campbell’s (and no doubt other food companies) is using Neuromarketing to design their food labels.

Click here to check it out.

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If You Didn’t Already Think The Candy Business Was Huge Money

This article might give you an idea of how big it can be. Apparently a promotion company has bought the rights to promote single colour M&Ms. Not the whole brand, not even the candy alone, but just the candy when sold as individual colours. Just that one small branch of M&Ms is worth fighting for the promotional rights, that’s crazy.

Click here to read more.

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Happy Chocolate Mint Day!

Apparently today is Chocolate Mint Day, so get out and eat something chocolaty but also something that will make your breath smell great!

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Burnt Chocolate Does Some Good

Lindt is looking to do their part in a new and cool way. Apparently they’re testing out the idea of burning Cocoa shells in one of their coal boilers instead of using coal. It would reduce carbon emission, and use material that would normally be thrown out. It’s a pretty cool idea in my books and a good way for a company to go green without having to change their products.

Click here to read more.

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Colorado OK’s Candy Tax

I worry a little for the idea of a candy tax spreading to every state and eventually into Canada. What about other junk food, what about fast food, why aren’t they taxed? Have they ironed out what the definition of “candy” is, because I’ve been writing about candy for years and I still can’t get that straight. Good luck all you Coloradian candy fanatics.

Click here to read some sad details.

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A Friday Video Two-fer

This week I came across two videos that really appealed to me. The cool thing is they’re from competing companies.

We start with this Pepsi ad from Spain where apparently they’re going to change the name of Pepsi to “Pesi” in a strange twist. I’ve read that they’re continuing beyond the commercials and even promoting the drink minus the middle “p”.

The second video I have is from coke and it’s some kind of crazy viral video about a bunch of college students that get to experience the best coke machine ever. I can only hope that the situation is real because it makes me believe it could happen to me some day.

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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Food That Makes You Sleepy

Here’s a list of foods that apparently can put you into a nice deep sleep. Not surprised by most of them however bananas, almonds and potatoes are a little strange. I can’t imagine curling up with my bowl of mashed potatoes hopping to get some well deserved rest.

Click here to read the list.

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Guessing Flavours

I just read a piece about a company called “Wild Flavours Inc” that predicts what the next big trend in flavours is going to be. What I don’t understand is why worry about what’s popular and cool amongst the masses. I’d be more interested in finding out what new flavours are being invented. Why not focus on things like making a banana and watermelon flavour that doesn’t suck, or maybe find some new fruits that have never been made into candies. It’s just my opinion but being adventurous seems much more interesting then popular.

Click here to see the popular flavours.

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Candy Can Take You Places

Apparently Hershey is giving away Caribbean trips and all you have to do is fill out a form. It’s strange that they giveaway a trip to a warm place where the chocolate bars are sure to melt. You’d think someplace a little more temperate would be appropriate, although I wouldn’t rush out to my local store to fill out a form for a trip to Delaware.

Click here to learn about the contest.

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Expired Food Is Ok

According to this article in Slate, the expiration date on food is a bit of a silly and useless idea. They say that very often food eaten after is actually ok, and even legally there is nothing binding food manufactures or consumers to this date. Makes me feel pretty good about that yoghurt I ate for breakfast this morning.

Click here to read about it.

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Monster Candy Ad

I have no idea what this “Monster” thing is but I love the ad. Vincent Price could pretty much convince me to buy anything let alone candy.

Ad found on the Vintage Ad Browser

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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Cake Problem

I love a good looking cake, the only thing better is a great tasting cake. If you combine the two together I’m pretty much unable to control myself and I explode since I don’t know if I should eat it or just look at it.

Click here for an example of a cool looking cake. Does it taste good? I hope not.

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That Candy Tax Is No Fair!

I just read an article about the proposed candy bill in Colorado and it really didn’t sit well with me. It seems pretty unfair and would steer certain treats towards doing better than others. Apparently if there is any cookie type product found in it then it’s not considered candy and thus wouldn’t be taxed. That sets free the Kit Kat Bar yet traps the Butterfinger.

Click here to read the article that made me mad.

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Cool Chocolate Pictures

Here’s a collection of photos of some great chocolate creations. Making chocolate in itself is an art (as shown earlier today) but then turning it into visual art is fantastic.

Click here to check out this chocolate gallery.

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Candy Standardization

Now I’m not an expert in making candy, I know a bit about eating it but truly if you handed me the ingredients for a peanut butter cup it would not look good and probably taste worse. So it appears that many candy companies, including the one mentioned in this article, are creating standard levels of chocolate, and candy products. This is ok in some cases but what really happens to the idea of new and creative candies when standardization is used. Standardization in my mind is a scary word, it leads to homogenization and that leads to boring snacks.

Click here to read more.

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Take a Traditional Tour of a Chocolate Factory

Who would have thought that in New York city one would find people making chocolate the old fashioned way. This photo tour of the Mast Brothers chocolate factory(65 photos in total) documents what looks like one of the most traditional hand made chocolate factories I’ve ever seen. Well worth checking out and I plan to check out this factory next time I’m in NY.

Click here to take the tour.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Swiss Chocolate Sales Are Down

Swiss Chocolate sales are down and that begs one question. Are we lowering are standards in the quality of chocolate that we eat, or are more companies around the world making better chocolate. You decide.

Click here to read more about the slump.

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Bugs For Valentines Day

CNN GO has an interesting article about a candy fad in Japan. Apparently these very realistic bug candies and cakes are all the rage to give to your man (as tradition goes in Japanese Valentines or as they call it “White Day”). I love the fact that they look so real yet contain no real bug bits at all.

Click here to read more.

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Winterlude is Back Here In Ottawa

Every year here in Ottawa we celebrate all things ridiculously cold in a little event called Winterlude. It’s full of ice-skating, snow slides, ice sculptures, but best of all classic Canadian treats.
In particular this is the best time of year to get “Tire sur Neige” in Ottawa, It’s basically maple sugar that is dumped onto snow and then wrapped around a stick. It’s super simple but tastes fantastic.
It’s also the perfect time to get a Beaver Tail, what could possibly be the least healthy snack available in the great white north.
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Monday, February 15, 2010

Chicago, the Best Candy Town?

Many, including myself, would say that in general Chicago is the candy capital of at least North America. Many great treats come from Chicago, heck their field is named after a candy company. This link has an interview with an expert talking about the great virtues of this candy town.

Click here to listen to an intersting Podcast.

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Lower The Chances of Dieing From A Stroke

Not only dose chocolate lower the chances of a stroke but apparently it also lowers the chances of dying from a stroke as well. I figure this kind of science is new and still needs more research but I’m also going to eat a ton of chocolate just in case.

Click here to read more.

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I Put Up a New Review Today

I did it today instead of yesterday because it was Valentines Day. I also wanted to have an excuse to wish my Dad a happy birthday. I can’t imagine having a birthday the day after Valentines Day but I can imagine giving my dad cinnamon hearts almost constantly for his birthday. I wonder if it got old for him?

Click here to read the review.

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Nobody’s Gonna Lay a Finger on My Slogan

Or at least that’s what the folks at Butterfinger might say after reading this and threatening to sue me. Apparently they’re brining back their classic slogan and I couldn’t be happier, in fact I think 2010 should be the year that all candy companies bring back some of their more popular slogans so we can all enjoy some great advertising.

Click here to read more.

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Cadbury Proof

Since Kraft announced its purchase of Cadbury one of the biggest controversies has been the quality of the chocolate that will come out after. Well I’ve decided to help keep the folks at Kraft on their toes. See I bought this bar a week ago, just after the Kraft purchase. Basically it’s a Cadbury made chocolate bar.Now I’m going to keep the wrapper for this bar in a safe place with the ingredient list. In a year or so I’m going to get a new Cadbury bar and see if there are any differences in order or in ingredients. If I spot differences then I know they’ve been messing with this brand. I’m not saying they’re going to change the bars, I’m just saying if they do I’ll know.

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Friday, February 12, 2010

Jell-O San Francisco

Succeed Blog has a great photograph of a Jell-O San Francisco posted. My dream would be to be a giant monster destroying and eating this city to the ground, and you know I could eat the whole thing, because there’s always room for Jell-O.

Click here to check it out.

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Candy And Fruit

TV1: Beach from sixty40 on Vimeo.

I love the use of gummies in this spot for an Australian TV station. Can you pick out the candy used?

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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Chocolate Sushi Wins Top Honours

At ISM’s New Product Showcase an innovative candy maker came up with a chocolate sushi selection of treats. Fortunately there is no fish to be found in these munchables; instead it’s a pretty cool range of flavours such as pineapple and mango, just to name a few.

Click here to read more about it.

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Banana Or Kit Kat?

The Prime Minster of England is apparently trying to get off a 4 Kit Kat a day habit and I say that’s a bad idea politically. I mean bananas are imported products whereas the Kit Kat is manufactured in England. So is the Prime Minister trying to say that British products aren’t good enough for him and that maybe foreign products are the way to go?

Click here to read more.

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Awww It’s So Cute

Look at the cute little boy hand the cute little girl a stick of gum. I don’t know what’s sweeter the picture of the slogan.

Ad found on Vintage Ad Browser

TCHO Sexy Packaging

I just love the new packaging for TCHO’s valentine’s selection. It’s sexy and clever but best of all it’s filled with chocolate.

Click here to check out more on their site.

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Skittles New Website

I just got some news that Skittles reworked their website so I figured I’d take this opportunity to start off something I’ve always wanted to do on this site, and that’s review candy websites. This particular one is about as strange as you can imagine.Basically you start at the top and continue to scroll down through many random images, texts and all kind of crazy stuff. The thing is as soon as you think you’re near the bottom it loads up a new section and there’s more to see. The content starts to repeat a bit but I’m sure you’ll be bored of the idea of scrolling down before you get bored of the content repeating. It’s a good site, and I like the forever scrolling thing because I’m pretty much a glutton for punishment.

Click here to check it out for yourself.

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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Not So Lovely Review Photo Shoot

I thought this year for Valentines Day I’d review gummy lips. It’s a candy classic that even when I was a kid I thought it would be a good gift for my best gal.I went to the bulk store and blindly put a scoop of lips into a bag and went home. However when I got home and started to examine my lips I noticed that many weren’t exactly in the best of shape. I think if presented this kind of lip on Valentines Day I may think twice about that particular relationship.

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What Goes With What

I know this might come to a shock to many of you in the candy world but the truth is I’m not really a classy guy. I don’t know what fork to use and when and I’m pretty much ok with slurping my noodles, even when it’s not soup. So when I read this article about a site that has the scoop about food pairing I knew I could boost up my social status. The best part about this new food pairing site is that it specializes in chocolate.

Click here to become a little more refined.

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Love Comes From the Heart, and Chocolate Is Good For It

Here’s a fun little twist on chocolate and health. The idea in this article is that a cup of Hot Chocolate is as good for you as a single glass of wine. Why not warm up with your sweetie this Valentines Day with a hot cup of cocoa instead?

Click here to find out why.

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Our Friends At Sucre Are Celebrating A Superbowl Win

The folks at Sucre have made up some great looking football cakes to celebrate their home team Superbowl win. They also tell me that with Mardi Gras and Valentines Day close at hand big things are happening in New Orleans. If you happen to be in their neck of the woods, stop in and try their rose and pistachio chocolate bar.

Click here to read more.

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Limited Edition Bars Drive Me Nuts

They drive me nuts for two reasons. First of all I often find that limited addition variations of chocolate bars are not very creative. It often involves just slapping some peanut butter or caramel somewhere new, or flavouring the chocolate something strange. I’d rather see fresh different ideas. The second reason limited edition treats make me made is if they taste great they seem to disappear quickly and then I can never find them again. It’s pretty much a lose/lose situation for me.

Click here to see some new "Limited Edition" treats.

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Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Snack Ads Officially Do OK

It would appear I’m not the only fan of all those candy/snack Superbowl ads. According to the kind of people who look into this sort of thing many candy/snack ads ranked high in lists compiled by people who list things like best Superbowl Ad. It means that the industry is doing something right I’m sure.

Click here to read more.

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This Site Contains 12g Fat/Lipides__________ 18%

It would appear that some people aren’t really clear about nutritional information found on their food. This seems to be a big issue and apparently one that might get dealt with soon.

Click here to read about what some people are doing about this.

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Too Much Candy Hearts

I picked up a bag of candy hearts the other day because I just love reading the cute little messages on them. I also think they make the greatest gift for that special someone because you can munch on a bag and say nice things to each other like:That’s so cute.
Wow, French, how exotic.Hey wait a minute… That’s a little too much commitment from a candy heart if you ask me.

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Monday, February 08, 2010

The Candy Critic Superbowl Commercial Extravaganza!

Well the dust has settled, the players have gone home to do whatever it is football players do when they’re not playing football, and I have a bunch of cool snack/candy advertisements to watch on the Internet. I’ve decided this year I’m going to post my favourites for you guys to check out, just in case you missed them last night.

My favourite spot this year has to be the Snickers spot featuring Betty White. I know I posted the previews and wrote about it earlier but it really delivered too.

Next this Doritos ad that features what could possibly be the best ninja star ever.

This emerald nuts add is great only because it’s so dam strange.

And finally this Dr Pepper ad featuring midgets and the band Kiss, I mean really do I have to convince you any more to check it out?

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Oh Canadonut

Today at Tim Horton’s I got myself what could possibly be the most patriotic donut ever. Well I guess it’s only patriotic if you’re Canadian, but hey I can share my patriotism.
In fact I invite any of you American folks out there that live close to the border (or even if you don’t) to come up to Canada, walk into a Tim Horton’s and get yourself a Canada donut. You don’t have to think that Canada is the best place in the world, just take a bite and agree that it’s ok.

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Did You Just Drink A Glass of Milk From China?

Well you might want to get yourself checked out or something because apparently there are yet again problems with contaminated milk coming from China. I don’t want to tell you to panic or anything but you just might want to be a little careful. Worst of all it appears that this problem is actually a continuation of the last problem they had about a year ago.

Click here to read about it.

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Sunday, February 07, 2010

Have a Super Valentines Day

I wonder who decided that the Superbowl and Valentines Day should be so close to each other. Two very special days (both of which I feel should be real holidays) filled with drama, tension, and lots of advertising for great treats. Really they’re a lot more similar than one might think. Many people expecting great things to happen on both these days and chances are at least half of them will be disappointed. Many people setting up great events on both days, hopping to impress. In some cases body tackles are involved with both holidays, but really that’s a personal choice. Well even though the Superbowl is upon us I’ve decided to focus the review on Valentines Day. Honestly I find Valentines Day treats to be much more creative than Superbowl treats and thus giving me more to write about.

Click here to read this latest review.

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Saturday, February 06, 2010

Superbowl Preview From Snickers


I can’t tell you how excited this ad made me when I saw this preview. Snickers and Betty White is about the best idea I could possibly imagine. Can’t wait to see it.

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Friday, February 05, 2010

Displaying Your Superbowl Snacks

Here’s a fun little tip on how to get your Superbowl snacks into the spirit of things. Sure you could just use a bowl but what would be the fun in that?

Click here to see how to make a Superbowl Snack Stadium.

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Once Again I’m Snubbed From the Candy Hall Of Fame

It’s not that I’m really that upset or anything… I’ll get over it… I mean I have been writing about candy for many years now. I’ve traveled the world in order to find cool treats. I’m the poster boy for candy and yet still… No nomination. Well maybe next year.

Click here to find out who made it this year.

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A Little Nostalgia About Cadbury

The Guardian has an article about how the Cadbury/Kraft deal is affecting some of the people in Bourneville England. This little town has been the capitol of Cadbury for many years and generations of families have worked at the plant making some dam fine chocolate. There is obviously some animosity towards the deal from these people because they worry that this institution will leave them behind.

Click here to read about Bourneville.

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Just Say No To Drugs and Yes To Chocolate

Apparently in Peru a small group of farmers have decided to stop growing coca (for the production of cocaine) and decided instead to grow cocoa (for the production of chocolate. These cocoa plants have apparently been awarded high ranking as some of the worlds best. It’s good to see that chocolate really can change the world into a better place.

Click here to read more.

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Chocolate Lobster

I just got an e-mail from the folks at the Bath Sweet Shoppe all about their chocolate lobsters. Now according to them “Out Chocolate Lobster Dinner, while awesome, does not contain actual lobster.” But it looks really cool either way. I like the extra accessories the most; the butter, corn, and lemon are all candy and edible too. Apparently it also comes with a bib, which would be good for me… actually with the way I eat snacks I could probably use a bib all the time.

Click here to check out their site.

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A Little Help On Valentines Day

Here’s a list of 10 of the most aphrodisiac filled foods. I for one am happy to note that many of these ingredients can be found in candies all over the world. That just proves to me that candy (and in particular chocolate) is super sexy.

Click here to read more and get ready for some sexy good times.

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One Up Bacon Lollypop

So how can you top a bacon lollypop? Well why not add a little caffeine to it. These folks at Lollyphile really have some crazy ideas about suckers and I look forward to seeing how far they’ll push the envelope.

Click here to check out their other flavours too.

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Chocolate is a Treat We Can Afford

People in hard financial times still need something to make them happy. Actually people in hard financial times need even more to keep them happy, and it would appear chocolate is filling that gap. Sales are up in the chocolate world and hopefully that will lead to even more new chocolate treats hitting the market to make sure all those people losing their wallets can still have a good day.

Click here to read more of the good news for chocoalte.

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Scary Commercial About Food Makes Me Hungry

I know the point of this commercial is supposed to make me want healthy good food but honestly it really didn’t work for me at all. I now crave purple salad dressing.

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Thursday, February 04, 2010

Neilson’s Superbowl Snack Numbers

So it appears that people are planning to spend the same amount of money or less on Superbowl treats this year than last year. They say chips and that kind of snack are on the top of the list for most popular. This is all well and good but I’d be more interested in knowing what kind of strange snacks people have planned for the big game instead of the standards. I’m thinking this year I’ll go for a touchdown crepe.

Click here to read the stats.

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What Bugs Candy Fanatics

The Chive has a fun collection of photos featuring candies and bugs. I’ve tried a few bug infested treats in my day however I still have not braved eating a scorpion. The whole idea of eating a poisoned stinger freaks me out.

Click here to check it out for yourself.

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Giant Food For Regular People

I have a theory about comedy, I think if you make a giant version of anything it’s a sure fire laugh. Running this site you can image that I also have a love of food. So when I found this photo collection of giant food I not only laughed but I also drooled. This can be seen as a pretty embarrassing way to be sitting in front of your computer and I’m just happy I’m at home by myself right now.

Click here to check it out and scroll down to check out the giant Jolly Rancher Lollypop.

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Sticky Sweet Vintage Add

They may give me 5 cents to make it, but I’m thinking I’m going to need a few more bucks to eat it. I’m sure it tastes fine but it looks kind of gross.

Add found on Vintage Ad Browser

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Wednesday, February 03, 2010

30 Seconds and That’s It

For those that don’t know a 30 second spot on the Superbowl will cost you just under 3 million dollars. Diamond foods knows this and they know that it’s not a cheap investment. What they’re doing this year is they’re going advertise two of their products (Pop Secret and Emeralds Nuts) into one spot and save a few bucks. This lead me to think, let’s say next year I collect images from a bunch of you guys and you each pay me $3334.00 an image. Your image will be on the screen for approximately one thirtieth of a second and we all win.

Click here to learn about Diamonds Spot.

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Ginger in Ginger Ale?

I’ve never really thought of Ginger Ale tasting like Ginger ever before. However after purchasing a nice bottle of Canada Dry I discovered on the label a little “Made from Real Ginger” tag.I guess if you think about it while drinking it you can kind of taste a slight ginger flavour. I always thought of Ginger Ale as just being Ginger Ale flavoured, now it’s making me wonder about cola as a flavour too.

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See What Did I Say About Candy Tax Laws

I said that if one state got the idea others would follow until Canada takes on the idea and suddenly we all have to pay more for a nice little snack. Apparently Colorado is now on board to raise taxes on candy and soda.

Click here and read, but try not to weep.

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It’s a Good Day To Be An American Candy Company

As I noted earlier the deal between Kraft and Cadbury seems to be officially in the bag and going full steam. Also today I learned that Hershey is apparently very profitable lately and they’re doing great sales. I’m not disappointed at all that large candy companies are doing well, I just hope that this type of sales increase is also working out for all the little companies too.

Click here to read about Hershey sales.

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Candy And Your Mouth

Here’s a little information about how candy affects your mouth. Some say it’s the worst for your teeth and gums while I disagree. The worst thing for you to do is eat something you think is good for your teeth when it’s not. At least you know after eating a sweet treat that you should brush your teeth and limit the sweet treats as well. With some snacks people think they’re healthy but really they can be just as bad as candy for your gums and teeth.

Click here to read more about your mouth and sweet treats.

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Expected Valentines Day Habits

I was reading through this article about the expected amount people are going to spend on Valentines Day this year and it occurred to me… How do they know what people might spend? Then it occurred to me that maybe this was a plot by women to get men to buy more this year than last. I only say this because I can see no other purpose to these statistics than perpetuating this idea.

Click here and see for yourself.

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The Story of Krafbury Continues

I think it’s official, official now. Apparently Cadbury shareholders have agreed to the whole Kraft buyout (or at least 71.7% have) so the deal is done and thing are apparently going to get rolling. From what I also understand for this deal to go through Kraft didn’t even have to get any approval either, the more I read about modern business the more I just get confused.

Click here to become as confused about this deal as I am.

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Give a Buck to A Charity For Free

The folks at Surf Sweets will give a dollar to a charity simply by signing up to their Facebook fan page. Both of the charities are ones I’ve never heard of but sound like they do some pretty cool things. Join up and check it out, then get a bag of organic gummy bears and chow down.

Click here if you got the Facebook thing.

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Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Green Coke?

I like this idea, apparently coke is going to try and make their stamp in the Olympics this year only in our hearts and not on the environment. They have all kinds of plans that are all green, although I’m still disappointed they don’t actually have green coke, I’d drink it.

Click here to find out how coke is going green.

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Caffeinated Beef Jerky

Sometimes I have to put a whole great description about an article here to try and entice you to check out a link. Sometimes I only have to write a few words and I know you’ll check it out, this is one of those occasions.

Click here to learn about Caffeinated Beef Jerky.

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Allison’s Hobby

For those that don’t know Allison doesn’t eat any candy. Allison if you don’t know is the woman of my dreams and the only person silly enough to put up with me. But also, Allison doesn’t really eat any candy. She’ll try something now and again but for the most part she just stays away.I’ve always felt bad about dragging her along on some of my sillier candy critic adventures since she doesn’t really eat that much.
However I’ve discovered something.
Allison may not eat candy but she seems to really like taking pictures of my silly facial expressions when I eat candy. So apparently this is her hobby/way of getting back at me for dragging her to many candy related events and adventures.
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You Choose… The Closest Snack To You

According to some statistics most people when choosing treats choose based off of convenience. I sure hope nobody reading this fits into this category or I have taught you nothing. Seriously people don’t just get the first sweet treat you see, be choosy so that way only the best treats survive.

Click here to read more.

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Monday, February 01, 2010

The Chive Posted Some Funny Candy Pictures

Here’s a little roundup of some funny candy related pictures I’ve found on the Chive recently. The first one (pictured above) is a great example of why candy companies should be sure to pay attention when they paint faces on the edible characters they create. Also here are a couple of candy related tattoos that are just so wrong. Sure I’m a candy fanatic too but I have my limits.

Click here to see the bunnies.

Click here to see the worst M&M Tattoo ever.

Click here to see a man that loves Pez a whole lot.

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