When I was a kid, my candy preferences consisted of the longest-lasting candies I could afford on my meager candy allowance. But when I felt like splurging, that splurge was often Bridge Mixture.

To my childhood self, there was something sophisticated about Bridge Mixture – the mixture of dark and milk chocolate coatings, the way that you never quite knew which filling you were going to get, just like in a “grown-up” box of chocolates, the fact that it was named after a complicated grown-up card game at a time when I only knew how to play Old Maid and Crazy Eights.

Bridge Mixture seems to evoke a love-it-or-hate-it response in people, so I vowed to track down the elusive candy and see if it lived up to my childhood memories. But first, a little background info. Bridge Mixture, for those of you who don’t know, is nothing more than an assortment of chocolate-coated centers – caramel, a selection of fondants, peanuts and raisins, and two flavors of what the Internet calls “Turkish Delight,” but has always seemed to me like a pretty standard jelly. (Note that they have no relation to the Licorice Bridge Mix we’ve previously reviewed.)

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Not to be outshone by its fellow Mars cousin, Twix, Snickers is reissuing its own dark chocolate spin-off that seems to only appear around this time of year: Snickers Dark Almond. Playing off the whole miniature, trick-or-treat-sized Halloween candy idea, Mars has released a bag of minis entitled Snickers Dark Mix, which I bought at Target.

The Snickers Dark Mix is comprised of Snickers regular (which makes me wonder how they can then call the whole bag dark), Snickers Dark, and the aforementioned new flavor. I have never really been a big fan of the original Snickers, but have always enjoyed the Dark line, so I was willing to give these a chance.

Lately, it seems to be all the rage in the candy world for marketers to modify or remodel their confectionery lineup by replacing the milk chocolate with dark chocolate. Do I have a problem with this? In theory, no I do not. Being only half-American and spending a lot of time outside of the country, I tend to prefer dark chocolate.

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Gather around the campfire, little Candy Addicts. Did you all bring marshmallows? Of course you did! Now get in close, everyone, because Camp Counselor Laurie’s going to tell you all a spooooky story. It’s the story of Leftovers body-part-shaped gummies.

Did I mention it was spooooky? Because it is. It’s not too late for all of you to go back to your cabins and have a Snickers instead. Nobody’s leaving? Well, OK then, but don’t blame me if you all get nightmares.

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The Nobel Prizes are being handed out, and sometimes I wonder if they’ll ever come up with a category for candy and snack innovation. Until they do, you can keep abreast of all the news and find some of those Nobel-worthy snacks at our sister site, Snackerrific. As an added bonus, until October 13, you can enter to win free ice cream!

And while you’re over there, I recommend you stop and check out some other recent articles where you’ll be surprised to discover where you too can purchase a highly-praised cappuccino from an unexpected vendor at a good price during a time when our economy isn’t doing so well, get caught up on the latest health alerts in the snack world, and find out what PETA thinks should go in your freezer.

See, that’s the peace, economics, and the medicine prize right there, though I’m not sure which category PETA would fall under in the Nobel scope….

Recent Snackerrific Articles:

• Top 10 Gas Station Snacks
• The Dao of Debbie
• McDonald’s McCafe Cappuccino Review
• Mother’s Iced Lemonade Cookies Review
• Ice Cream Coupon Giveaway
• PETA Asks Ben & Jerry’s to Make Ice Cream with Human Breast Milk
• Buen Appetito Quesadilla Cheese Cake Review
• RECALL ALERT: Toxic Milk in Japanese Snacks
• Top 13 Funniest Snack T-shirts
• Barry’s Bakery California Almond French Twists Review
• Trader Joe’s Sea Salt and Pepper Crisps Made With Rice Review
• Prices on Airline Snacks are Up, Up, and Away

• Snackerrific

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Remember those plastic wrist bands that everyone was wearing a year or two ago? First available in yellow and bearing the inspirational message “Livestrong,” they were sold by the Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise money for cancer research. The campaign was so successful that other organizations also began to sell bracelets in various colors - pink for breast cancer, green for kidney donation, and so forth.

Even satirical newscaster Stephen Colbert got in on the action - after breaking his wrist, Colbert attempted to convince celebrities and fellow newscasters to wear “Wriststrong” bracelets in support of awareness against “wrist-related violence.” (The proceeds were actually donated to a fund that aids in the rehabilitation of injured American soldiers.)

Perhaps due to the wide availability of flea-market and dollar-store knockoffs, the bracelet fad has faded. However, the candy industry, usually pretty fad-conscious, has only now given us these: Boo Bands edible gummy bracelets. The individually-wrapped bracelets come in blue, red, orange, and purple, and bear the inspirational messages of “SPOOKY,” “TRICK,” “TREAT,” and, of course, “BOO!” (Oh well… who wants to be preached at by Halloween candy anyway?)

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As a true Candy Addict, I like to make sure I have candy on me everywhere I go. I usually have some snack size bars stashed in my desk drawer at work, some candies hanging out at the bottom of my purse, and a few sweets stashed in my glove compartment. And now, thanks to the help of Aquolina’s Chocolovers perfume, I can literally keep the sweet scent of chocolate on me at all times.

I bought my first bottle of Chocolovers last spring, en route to the All Candy Expo. I was at Sephora (where the perfume is sold) picking up a few things for my trip when I encountered the adorable, heart covered bottle. I’m not going to lie to you guys - I saw the word “choco” on the bottle and bought it without even smelling it. I can’t help it!

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Ok, confession time: I’m not into the whole organic/natural food thing, for two main reasons. One, I don’t believe in quick-fix solutions to the complex health, environmental and sociological issues that plague today’s food industry; and two, I just love my artificial flavors and colors too darn much. After all, the candy aisle would be a pretty boring place without them.

Still, the idea of a candy that’s truly guilt-free (I’m talking eco-guilt, not calorie-guilt) remains a tempting one, even if it’s just an illusion. So when I noticed a display of products from Shopper’s Drug Mart’s new organic line, Nativa, it was naturally the candy that jumped out at me. Though Nativa also makes organic gummy bears and fruit gummies with natural flavors and colors, it was the cola bottles (or “soda bottles,” as they’re called on the bag) that grabbed me.

Now, gummy cola bottles are among my all-time favorite candies, especially the sour variety. (Confession number two: I once ate an entire industrial-sized tub of sour cherry cola bottles from Costco – AND I’D DO IT AGAIN.) So I was very curious as to how the organic variety would stack up to the real thing. At $2.99 for a 100 g bag, they were pricey (a common problem with organic foods), but I decided to give them a try.

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Wrigley’s recent purchase by Mars is just the most recent instance of a candy company being “congloberrated” by a larger one. Though you might not realize it, many of your favorite candies were once manufactured independently of the big names that now produce them. Jolly Ranchers is just one popular example.

This also helps to explain one of the most annoying naming blunders in the history of candy. I am talking about Hershey’s and Reese’s. To the untrained eye, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong about this, but Reese’s is owned by Hershey’s. Maybe I am also a grammar addict, but I don’t like having to say Hershey’s Reese’s products.

But there is more to my rant, including a valid point. You see, as Reese’s operated on its own merits for so many years, its original products were not supposed to match Hershey’s line, as they were two different entities. Reese’s was the peanut butter candy company that carved a niche for itself with its unique flavor.

When purchased by Hershey’s in 1957, Hershey’s did not change the brand names because Reese’s was already associated with such a popular product that it would be bad marketing to make people start buying Hershey’s Peanut Cutter Cups or Hershey’s Pieces (it just doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?).

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Butterfingers are gross. There, I said it. They stick to your teeth, they somehow make even peanut butter taste fake, and those orange shards of brittle blah are covered with cheap chocolate that I wouldn’t feed to a trapped miner.

I mention this candy nemesis of mine because today I’m reviewing Chick-O-Stick, a candy that might remind some people of Butterfingers (since both contain peanuts and sugar, both are partly orange, and both have an unusual texture). But I want you to rest assured that I have nothing against peanutty orange candy per se. Just awful peanutty orange candy.

In contrast, Chick-O-Stick is strangely toothsome. They have a chewy peanut-butter-esque thing going on inside, and a quite pleasing toasted coconut-coated exterior.

But what’s with the name?

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The last of the three expired limited edition pieces of candy I purchased from the Dollar Tree Store was the now defunct Reese’s Big Cup with Caramel and Nuts. Honestly, I don’t remember hearing about them when they were out.

Also being frank, I wasn’t too thrilled to get my hands on these any more than I am with any new candy that presents itself. At least with the Hershey’s Special Dark Raspberry Flavored Macadamia Bar and 100 Grand Dark Bar they sounded appetizing. But a Reese’s Big Cup? With caramel? And with peanuts?

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