Self-Portrait Lollipops Are Now a Thing

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Selfies are pretty cool, but you know what’s even better? A lollipop made in your likeness! That’s right, Spun candy offers “masterclasses” to teach you and your friends how to make candies that look like them. By the end of the class, you’ll all be cute enought to eat!

Spun’s ninety-minute Candy Face Making class will school you in the the basics of candy making. They company takes the educational aspect a step further by explaining the use and purpose of their ingredients as well. After this intro, the class gets real hands-on. Every student then makes their face candy, which they get to take home and eat at the end. Of course, this gives plenty of photo-ops. On top of all this, Spun provides drinks with and without alcohol, so everyone in the class can all eat, drink and be merry!

A lollipop, Yoda is now! (image source)

Spun has seven locations. This unique store can be found in Dubai, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Miami, and Egypt. There are two in London. Those lucky Brits. If none of these stores are where you live, then you can order Spun’s candy online.

So what do you guys think? Would you make a lollipop with your face or someone else’s? Let us know by leaving a comment in the form below! Also, if this post gave you a hankering for lollipops, then Candy Pros has plenty to choose from in the Lollipops and Suckers Section.

Candy Fidget Spinners Actually Exist!

If you have spent more than five minutes on the internet the past month or so, you have probably heard of fidget spinners. What you may not have known is that you can buy edible ones. But watch out, if you play with these fidget spinners for too long, they’ll melt! These fidget spinners aren’t plastic; they’re made of chocolate and other goodies such as fruity pebbles and M&Ms.

These sweet spinners sell anywhere from four to six bucks a pop. They made their retail debut in Huntington, New York at a gift shop called Sweetie’s Candy Cottage. Lisa Hodes of Sweetie’s claims that she is making “thousands” of these trendy treats. They are also available at seven other stores in New York, such as Raindew and Funky Monkey. However, not everyone has the luxury of traveling to New York.

Maybe not everyone can go to the east coast to enjoy this candified toy, but anyone can make chocolate fidget spinners at home with the help of food-safe silicone molds and Youtube tutorials. Note that this is an opportunity to go crazy on the toppings and fillings, just FYI. This trend can also be enjoyed in cookie form, thanks to a place called Clearly Cookies.

So what do you guys think? Do these spinners look good? Let us know by leaving a comment in the form below! Also, if you like chocolate, Candy Pros has many varieties to choose from!

9 Things you didn’t know about gummy bears

You’re minding your own business, and feel your stomach start to growl. Not only that, but your taste buds are sounding the alarm, indicating the vast amount of time you last tasted a sweet fruity flavor.

Of course, I am talking about the notorious chewy Gummy Bear treats.

In fact, it is likely that there are many facts about gummy bears that you have never known or heard before this writing. But rest assured, we are here to clear up any myths or misconceptions about this delectable treat.

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1. It was first invented in 1922 by German candy creator, Hans Riegel.
2. All Green Gummy Bears are actually strawberry flavored barring any Trolli sticker brand on the bag.
3. Gummy Bears can be good for your teeth!
   • That’s right. While some different variations can stick to your tooth which can cause tooth decay, a current new form containing xylitol –a germ-fighting additive- is being tested as well.
4. They can be made into cookies.
   • As if having a bag-full of them wasn’t enough, or the form wasn’t appealing to you, then you can use a recipe for making the next best thing: Gummy Bear Thumbprint Cookies.
5. You can soak them in vodka.
   • Of course, you can use vodka with many other things, so why gummy bears? Simply put, it’s perfect for the amateur party-goer. And there isn’t anything to be ashamed of on that front. But this can be the perfect alternative for people going down that route. You can find the recipe, here.
6. Gummy Bears can be morphed into aliens.
   • With a simple macaron recipe and a dash of creativity, you can embed a gummy bear on the top of one to give the feel of a jelly-like stubstance controlling a flying saucer to its will. It certainly works for any science fiction party to boot!

      7. They are perfect for cake toppings…

       8.…and candy houses

     9. Gummy Bears could theoretically take over the world.

-OK, maybe not literally, but according to HARIBO, if you were to take each gummy bear made in a year and line them up head to toe across the planet, they would encircle the earth four times! Now that’s a lot of gelatin!

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For more fun facts, as well as candy news and developments, make sure to look no further than candypros.com

Sour Patch Kids Defense game ‘pwns’

We’re in the midst of the gaming season.

And you know what that means: friends and family are wiping their bloodshot eyes to stay awake into the peak hours of the night while playing Call of Duty, Halo and other popular video games. While games like these accrue much acclaim, there are others which fly under the radar.

Well, there’s a new game on the horizon. One that combines strategy and speed in an all-in-one package.

That game is Sour Patch Kids: Candy Defense (SPKCD).

But strategy is only a surface-level way to describe this whimsical experience. Indeed, you can take advantage of different achievements (160 of them to be precise), which in turn offer upgrade rewards for your towers to keep those pesky Gummy Bears out of Sour Patch territory.

Perhaps one of the more unique additions to this traditional tower defense game is a minion you can employ to do your every whim—that is take out intruding Gummy Bears and other enemies.

However, that isn’t where the game truly takes its footing above the rest of the competition. The cartoon graphics are truly a sight to behold for every gamer—both amateur and experienced alike.

Although Gummy Bears certainly pose a threat to the Sour Patch kingdom, other adversaries –like gummy bunnies- will await you with different skills and abilities to keep you on your toes.

Additionally, you can use hero abilities and other skill sets to place ‘buffs’ on your towers to increase their defense and other aspects in pertaining to your strategy. Indeed, for a seemingly shallow game, SPKCD allows for a deep enriched experience.

With tower upgrades, a variety of enemies, extra missions for an enhanced replay ability experience, hours of gameplay, and more, SPKCD will be sure to keep you busy this holiday season.

So make sure to get it for Android and Google Play while it’s still free!

The Surprise Egg’s peculiar history

Surprise eggs, as usual, are in style.

Whether it’s Kinder Egg unboxing videos –one of the more popular YouTube topics- or figuring out how to get around the legal system to buy them in an area near you, the controversial Kinder Eggs have always been at the forefront of the candy frontier.

But the history of the Kinder egg owes its success in large part to the invention of Nutella.

Who would’ve thought of that?

Yes, Michele Ferrero, the pioneer and entrepreneur of the famous Nutella brand, was the arbiter of the Kinder egg—otherwise known as the surprise egg. Even after the quintessential candyman’s death in February of last year, the infamy of his brands have lived on with popular candies by the likes of  Tic Tacs, Nutella spread and Ferrero Rocher Chocolates (which is another phrase for Kinder eggs).

In fact, the Ferrero family was instrumental in the core ingredients of Nutella, too. His father, Pietro, came up with the ingredients for the touted product  when he began to mix other ingredients with a popular chocolate flavor in Italy called Giandujot—a rich-tasting chocolate flavor that combines cocoa and hazelnuts.

So, what was Pietro Ferrero’s contribution other than his great legacy?

Answer: Creativity with a little bit of intuition.

In a moment of an arbitrary instance of whimsical fashion, Ferrero added more hazelnuts to the ingredient list, as chocolate was in lack of supply due to the deprived food rationing during World War II in 1946. During this time, Pasta Giandujot was then coined in order to sell the product.

But true success wasn’t found until a more creamy variation was sequentially invented called “Supercrema” in 1951. However, the Nutella brand wasn’t coined until 1963, when the candy became a popular centerpiece on a worldwide scale.

Unlike its predecessors, the Kinder brand did not become a phenomenon until 1974 when it was known as “Kinder Sopresa” in Italy. Since then, the candy has been sold worldwide in many eccentric areas such as Russian deli stores or sparse regions in Europe.

The Kinder -which means “children” in German- Sopresa -meaning “surprise” in Italian- Egg’s history can be largely designated between the pre-2004 and post-2004 eras. To the former, all Kinder toys were made by Ferrero until after 2004 when a company called Magic Production Group (MPG) took priority over the virtual entirety of the toy production.

More recently, the Kinder Egg has been increasingly difficult to acquire than in the past due to a ban on foods with toys in them across the United States in 1938.

However, while the Kinder Egg is only sold in select stores worldwide, we sell a delicious, legal variation of these eggs on our website, which you can find here. Make sure to stop on by to enjoy these delectable treats!

 

 

The Dazzling Craft of Amezaiku

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Amezaiku is the Japanese art of candy sculpting, and if you haven’t heard of it before, you’re in for a treat! In this video, an amezaiku artist is interviewed about her craft, and we learn about the creative process that brings these little wonders to life. But first, a little background on the art.

“Ame” means candy, while “saiku” means a craft or piece of handiwork, hence the name Amezaiku, or candy sculpture. These clever crafts are often found at Japanese festivals, and are are a popular novelty food item! People can put in an order for a specific candy sculpture and then watch with the rest of the crowd as the artist brings the little figurine to life. Animals are still the most common requests, but characters such as Pokémon are quickly gaining popularity.

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The process is a complex one, starting with a very precise recipe for the candy itself.  If you’re one of the lucky artists to know the recipe, then your practice perfecting your craft begins. The artists have to quickly mold and shape the hot candy before it hardens into its final shape. They use simple tools such as tweezers or scissors to pull the candy base into the shape they need it to be, but they also use their fingers which means that they must become used to working with very hot sugar without burning themselves. Finally, the sculpture can be painted using an edible food coloring paint, or coloring can be added to the sugar base itself before the sculpting process.

These crystalline candy creations are as sweet as they are beautiful, since these detailed works of art are meant to be eaten! Doesn’t it make you want to collect a candy sculpture of each of the Pokémon you’ve caught so far on Pokémon Go? We definitely want to. Would you ever try taking up the art of Amezaiku? Let us know in the comments!

July 15th is National Gummi Worm Day!

Gummi candies originated in 1920, in Germany, by founder Hans Riegal Sr. of Haribo.  On July 15, 1981 (the 60th anniversary of Gummi Bears) Gummi Worms got their start!  Trolli candy created and advertised them as 5 cm long.  They were dual colored and flavored, and mixed in the center of the worm.  Since then, other brands have created an even longer worm.  They vary from 10-25 cm, have more than 2 colors, flavors and coatings such as sour with a sugar topping.

My favorite memory of Gummi Worms is when my mom made me a dirt cake for one of my birthdays growing up. “Dirt cake?”  You say?  Yes!  Dirt Cake!  It has vanilla pudding, whipped cream and Oreo cookie crumbles on top.  She puts it in a terracotta pot, sticks a fake flower in it and places the Gummi worms inside to poke out of the “dirt” (Oreo crumbles) and it is the cutest cake ever!

Candy can be extremely nostalgic and Gummi Worms are just that for me.  Go grab some today and celebrate National Gummi Worm Day!

Candypros.com

 

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Black Friday-Cyber Monday

It’s that time of year again! The holidays seem to sneak up every year. Although, we do get warnings when we see Halloween and Christmas decorations in stores long before their time, they still manage to come so quickly. If you aren’t prepared, it can be a scary last minute ordeal that ends with you wanting to tear your hair out. We’re here to help you avoid that end point. 😉 And we’re also here to help you save! With our Black Friday through Cyber Monday Special, you can get 10% off or Free shipping on any order over $150. At Checkout, use coupon code “BLACKFRIDAY10” for 10% off or “BLACKFRIDAYSHIP” for free shipping at www.candypros.com.

Everyone loves to get candy any time of year–especially those hard to find nostalgic candies that some of your loved ones crave–so why not give them what they want for the holidays? We’re certain that you’ll find the perfect sweet treat for your friends and family this holiday season whether it be Pop Rocks, Razzles, Sixlets, Zotz, Wack-O-Wax Lips, Old Fashioned Candy Sticks, Chick-O-Sticks, Nik-L-Nip, Flicks, Honees, McCraws Old Fashioned Taffy, Abba Zaba, Bit-O-Honey, or any other hard to find candies, we’re the best source to find them!

Considering doing a holiday themed Candy Buffet Bar this Christmas? We’ve got you covered. This is a great way to impress your holiday guests this year. We have a wide selection of red candy, green candy, gold candy, silver candy and white candy to meet any Christmas candy buffet bar’s need. If you don’t want to go with the traditional Christmas colors, we also have each candy color categorized on our website so that you can put together any combination you desire–including if you plan to do a Kwanza or Hanukkah themed party.

If you’re having trouble visualizing what candies you would like to use in a holiday themed candy buffet bar, please visit a board we created on Pinterest combining bulk candy in Christmas colors: Candy Buffet Bar Christmas. Don’t forget, if you shop until Cyber Monday (11/28/11) you can get 10% off or free shipping on any order $150 or more. It’s a great deal considering we have the most competitive prices for bulk candy on the web! Happy Shopping Candy Lovers! =)

Candy Buffet Bars

Hello Fellow Candy Lovers!

So, being in the candy industry, we are surrounded by many creative ideas for weddings, events, and parties. As everyone knows, the new trend is to have a candy buffet bar at your wedding or event. Candy buffet bars can range from fun and festive to elegant and classy. The possibilities for this new fad seem endless as it has become an artistic centerpiece, and we’re always excited to see what our customers come up with.

Meant to Bee by Bridal Gown Blog Spot

We have one particular customer that has created an idea so adorable that we really want to share it with all of our customers also. Her blog is full of many fun, creative ideas, but we were particularly impressed with her “Meant to Bee” theme–her posts for this begin on September 29, 2011. We recommend reading through her blog for other fun, cost effective ideas. Bridal Gown Blogspot showcases many creative ideas and she is constantly having special giveaways for her followers–so get involved, and get inspired. 🙂

Bloomingdale’s Candy Display by Love Candy Tables

We also want to congratulate Love Candy Tables for being featured in Bloomingdale’s at Fashion Valley in San Diego, CA. We remember the day she was in our warehouse selecting the candy for her Bloomingdale’s candy display with so much excitement. She has also been featured on MTV’s Quiero Mis Quince. We love being involved in the process, and want to make sure to recognize our customer’s talents and achievements. Love Candy Tables creative designer, Nema Hallak, has a brilliant eye for creating beautiful candy displays–we recommend visiting her website and contacting her for a free quote!

Just for stopping by our blog, we want to offer you 5% off of your next candy order of $100 or more with www.candypros.com. Use Coupon code “blog5” at checkout.