Imagine a huge room filled with thousands of pounds of candy. Then imagine it is your job to taste-test your faves.
KidNews recruited Maureen O., 10, of Evanston to be our candy correspondent at the All Candy Expo. Held recently at Navy Pier, the national candy convention brought together gobs of candy makers.
It didn’t take us long to figure out that candy isn’t just for eating anymore. Many of the new products don’t just toy with your appetite – they ARE toys. Look for ’em where candy is sold.
Sound Bites ($10, OddzOn): In the Sound Bite’s booth, Maureen riffed out to a rock concert in her head. Sound Bites inventor Dave Capper said he and his partner thought of the lollipop holders after remembering a simple principle: Sound travels from your teeth to your inner ear. So, when Maureen bit down on the lollipop with her back teeth and pressed the buttons on the Sound Bites holder, she heard sound effects. Her verdict: “I like that you can actually hear the sounds in your ear. It’s excellent.”
Candy Stamper (about $1, Concord Confections): Maureen licked a Candy Stamp, pressed it to her cheek and, voila, was sporting wearable art. (It wipes right off.) The makers say each stamp can be used dozens of times on notebooks and stuff. But Maureen gobbled hers after a few uses. Her verdict: “They taste kind of like a SweeTart. They were sweet and sour.”
Holopop (about $3, Lightvision Confections; see main photo): Microgrooves etched into the Holopop create a hologram, or 3-D image, when light hits it. Maureen watched as a ghostly image of the Statue of Liberty sprang off her lollipop when she held it under a table lamp. Her verdict: “Pretty cool.”
Mega Warheads Sour Gummy Wally (59 cents for a 1.5-ounce package, The Foreign Candy Co.): The makers of the supersour Mega Warheads have come up with a new challenge for your tastebuds: Sour Gummy Wallys. Maureen, a fan of the original Warheads, had no trouble hanging in there till the sour coating dissolved into sweetness. Her verdict: Wallys “were easier than the Warheads.”
Chocolate Chip Cookie Doh Candy (89 cents, Amurol Confections Co.): Cookie Doh Candy has the look and taste of raw cookie dough. Maureen thought the taste was close to the real thing but was supersweet. Her verdict: “Mom’s recipe is better. I wouldn’t recommend it. I think it’s more for adults, because they kinda like more squishy things like this.”
Gummi Watch (about $3, Beacon): The Gummi Watch won’t keep time, but you can eat it. Strap this neon-colored gummy candy around your wrist until you’re ready to munch. Maureen’s verdict: When she got it on her wrist, “it wasn’t sticky at all.”
Whadya mean I’m hyper??!!?
If you get wound up or stressed out, don’t blame the candy bar you just are.
Scientists say the idea that surgar causes hyperactivity is bogus beyond belief.
(However, there is still plenty of proof that it can rot your teeth.)
