In the 6th grade, the curse of alphabetical seating forced me to sit next to a boy named Jason who was my constant tormentor. His favorite pastimes included scribbling on my homework papers, throwing small wads of paper at me during class, and calling me “Rachel Pachel” (my name does not lend itself well to rhyming taunts). All of these annoyances paled in comparison to Jason’s main passion.

He loved nothing more than to spend class eating lip balm. You heard me—eating it. Usually he brought his own Chapstick for this. However, he greatly preferred my Cotton Candy flavored Bonne Bell lip balm (with just a hint of sparkle). Jason would sneak into my backpack, extract my lip balm, and munch away on his waxy snack.

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Have you ever wanted to own your own candy shop? Imagine, gazing at the veritable rainbow of candies all around you, just waiting to be eaten. You could dole out candy into a little bag, weigh it, stick a bow on it and send it on its way to be enjoyed by a fellow Candy Addict. Or, you could hide behind the counter, secretly sampling your merchandise. For quality control purposes, of course.

Well, now that dream can become a reality (sort of) thanks to “My First Candy Shop!” Within a diminutive plastic carrying case you will find all the things you need to have your very own mini candy shop! The kit includes a tiny working scale, teensy scoop, little plastic bags, and a small container filled with multi-colored candies that look a lot like Tart-n-Tinys, though I suspect they taste much more generic, and not nearly as delicious.

For me, the likelihood that I will enjoy something increases exponentially if it has been miniaturized to adorable proportions (this rule does not apply to mini candy bars, which are not so much adorable as they are infuriating). This is why I find the mini candy store especially appealing. If you had some tiny friends, like the Keebler Elves, you could invite them over for some candy. Maybe negotiate a trade for some of their cookies. Or, you could pretend you were a giant, dwarfing “My First Candy Shop” with your extreme size! Not that I have ever done anything like that. I certainly never terrorized my little sister’s Polly Pocket Village, Godzilla style. Ahem, moving on.

Even if the candy is not the tastiest, “My First Candy Shop” is really adorable and that’s enough for me. After all, can you really put a price on cute? Apparently you can, and that price is $2.99!

Buy “My First Candy Shop” online:

• at Stupid.com
• in bulk at Candy Direct

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