Category Archives: Candy Art

When candy and art collide

Candy Art: Jason Mecier Profile

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Christina Aguilera Candy Mosaic
I’m not a huge art lover. I mean, I can ponder the meaning of Mona Lisa’s smile with the best of a Communications major. And who couldn’t just stare at Whistler’s Mother for the rest of eternity? But if you had to place me on the art appreciation continuum, I’d definitely fall closer to the-gift-shop-is-the-highlight-of-the-museum. Things changed for me a few months back, though, when I reported on a genre of art with which I wasn’t previously familiar: the Jelly Belly portrait. This, for me, was mesmerizing, and made me wonder what other decadent masterpieces might be out there, just waiting for a keen eye such as mine. And my ravenous search quickly led me to the online gallery of one Jason Mecier.

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Candy Book Review: Candyfreak

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candyfreak book cover

The last time I did a book report I think I must have been a freshman in high school. However, Candyfreak (it’s one word, not two) is definitely something I have had my eyes on for a while, but never had a chance to pick up until now.

I first met Steve Almond, the author of the book, because a friend of mine had reviewed his first collection of short stories (Mr. Almond is more a fiction writer than he is a candy author), and she introduced the two of us. We went out for drinks and attended one of his book readings, and I can personally attest to him being a top-of–the-line guy.

It wasn’t until speaking with Steve and learning more about what he wrote that I learned about Candyfreak. The premise of the work surprised me, as the short fiction through which he had built a name for himself contained some very adult-rated material, i.e., not suitable for candy-loving children. True to my word, I told him I would buy and read a copy if he signed it, which he did, and the work sat on my bookshelf until now.

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Candy Review: Kai’s Campaign ’08 Candies

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Kai’s Campaign Candies - Obama

In our continuing coverage of the ’08 election (hey, everyone else is covering it, why shouldn’t we?), today we bring you Kai’s Campaign ’08 Candies. Kai’s makes traditional handmade Japanese rolled candy (kumi ame) in various cute and fun designs. For this election season, they’re offering both Lick Obama and Lick McCain candy sets. I got a chance to try the Obama set, and while I can’t claim the candies set new heights in confectionery deliciousness, I will admit that they’re pretty darn amusing!

The Obama set includes several lollipops with a cartoon Obama face, a bunch of little blue lozenge-shaped hard candies with the Democratic donkey, and similar candies in red, white and blue with the word “Vote.” For now the Obama set also includes a McCain pop, and the website says that they’re redoing the McCain face – in the meantime, only the Obama set is available.

The candies themselves taste fairly typical – the Obama ‘pop is mostly just sweet (the website says it’s lemon-lime flavored), while the lozenges have very slight flavors – lemon-lime for the donkeys and lemon for the vote candies (the lemon-lime of the lozenge tastes different than the lemon-lime of the Obama lollipop). McCain’s ‘pop sports a flavor that seems to be that of burnt sugar, though the website claims it’s strawberry. It’s not totally unpleasant, but I’m not sure I would ever have come up with strawberry if I hadn’t read it.

What’s cool about these is that the images go all the way through the pop, so even after you’ve sucked on them for a while, you can still take it out of your mouth and proudly display it for coworkers or admirers. And while the flavor may not be astounding, they’re certainly good in a general sugary kind of way. But really, we aren’t buying these for their flavors, are we?

Candy Art: Candidate Figurines

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Cindy Things

Art is by no means limited to the canvas depicting bowls of fruit, and candy artist Cindy Atmore proves this. Like L.A. Burdick’s Campaign Chocolates, she has used the upcoming November election as an inspiration, fashioning mini figurines out of fondant depicting all the major twenty-three candidates who ran for the presidential nomination. Each figure bears a remarkable resemblance to the respective candidate and works as fine pieces to display on your work desk or adorn a coffee table. They even give off an alluring smell of candy.

Even better, they’re all edible! The figurines have been described as tasting like the marshmallow pieces found in Lucky Charms cereal (and is there really a better marshmallow cereal?). For the calorie conscious, Cindy estimates that each one contains roughly 400 calories, which isn’t bad when you consider the volume of sugar per candidate.

Also posted on her website that features these lovable works are figurines of mentalists and magicians. If you’re not interested in purchasing a figurine, I still highly recommend that you check out her galleries to see the high quality of craftsmanship and hilarious use of props (my favorite is Harry Blackstone sawing a Peeps bunny in half).

Cindy’s work has appeared in a variety of magazines and you might even catch her on an upcoming special on The Food Network. Obviously, she is a rising star in the candy art world, and you don’t want to miss her work. Even those who don’t like candy (if there are such people out there), will appreciate the levity and skill inherent in her art, and the fact that they’re made of candy just makes them all the better.

Sweet and Stylish Candy Jewelry

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Looking to sweeten up your summer wardrobe? Why not add a little sugar with some candy-inspired jewelry! I’ve scoured the internet for fun, colorful and playful items that, when worn, may cause you to chase after ice cream trucks, build a tree fort, or play in a sprinkler. Yes, they are that inspiring and adorable.


Candyware Summer Gum Fancy NecklaceThis Summer Gum Fancy Necklace from Candyware truly is simple and sweet. I love the bright colors of the gum pendants, and frankly, this necklace seems conservative enough to even be worn during office hours. Personally, I would buy all three colors and wear them like medals of candy honor. And I’ll be checking back at the site for the jewelry in development – the glass gumdrop looks so tantalizing!

Molly Brown Three Jelly Bean NecklaceI’m also enamored with the Three Jelly Bean Necklace from Molly Brown. I’ve been into charms lately and this necklace gives me the opportunity to choose my own beans. Interestingly, the “ice cream” colored bean looks similar to the delightful Jelly Belly Buttered Popcorn bean. I’m thinking that’s a good place to start color coordinating. Then I’ll get raspberry, and then orange and then… I will practice a little bit of restraint.

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