File this under coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Miam! is the amazing work of a team of French filmmakers. The animated short follows a young boy as he journeys up the shelves of the candy aisle and into a magical world of candy. Along with a candy princess, he goes on an adventure through this land of candy, eventually fighting the Great Blob of Mockolate to save the princess. (Ok, maybe it’s supposed to be chocolate and not mockolate, but could chocolate really be so evil? I say nay! ‘Tis the work of the evil mockolate!)

And boy is there candy! Every kind you can think of, amazingly rendered and animated. From gummi bears to licorice to gumdrops and lollipops, it definitely looks good enough to eat. It’s like a Candy Addict’s dream come to life… on film, at least.

Many thanks to Laurent, one of the creators, for sharing this with us!

• Miam! Website

Well, Day 1 of the All Candy Expo is officially over, so I thought I’d share with you the most amusing part of the day. At the Mars press conference, we got to see this very funny “public service announcement” featuring Neil Patrick Harris. It’s part of the Real Chocolate Relief Act we reported on a couple of weeks ago.

Just to refresh your memory: from now until September, Mars is giving away 250,000 free coupons for full size chocolate on Fridays at realchocolate.com. That’s a total of 7 million bars of free chocolate! In addition, there will be special events at various cities, and some great savings on Mars chocolate at your local stores. So go check it out and enjoy some good Mars chocolate – still mockolate-free!

Watch this video and I dare you not to have this song stuck in your head… “Oh, I’m a gummi bear. Yes I’m a gummi bear…”

Oh, how I love this commercial. An old school gem from the early 80’s, this is the type of M&M’s commercial that carried the brand through the decade: happy jingles, close up shots of the (now retro!) bag of Plain M&M’s being poured into someone’s hand, and the happy M&M’s themselves, dancing about. Though our M&M friends have gotten a makeover over the past 25 years, what with computer animation, a slightly darker sense of humor, and clearly lower voices, the heart of these commercials remains the same: M&M’s are a fun and delicious candy, and, as the jingle here states: all the world loves them.

Be sure to look for my buddy, Tan M&M, who makes an appearance in this commercial. We will never forget you, Tan M&M! Though I’m not sure if it’s you in the commercial, or Orange M&M, I’m going to choose to believe it’s you! That’s how desperate I am to see a Tan M&M, people!

Also worth noting in this commercial is the computer the two kids are using. I’m pretty sure I played Oregon Trail on that computer in 1986. And I’m also pretty sure that I did it with a bag of M&M’s by my side.

If anyone missed my appearance on TV as a candy expert, it’s on YouTube now – take a look. I first appear at 1:20, in case you’re impatient.

• Video of Candy Addict on CNBC [on YouTube]
• Recap of how it all came about (with pics)
• Photo gallery of being on CNBC
• Candy Addict review of CrackHeads Candy

While surfing the interwebs, I ran across this homemade video. Funny stuff. I thought for sure he was going down the Diet Coke and Mentos road but not so.

What you see above is the work of four graduate students in the Texas A&M Viz Lab, over the course of a year and a half. It’s an incredible story about the battles and wars that go on behind the doors of the Goobee vending machine. Simply amazing.

Candy canes glisten, green frosted hills sparkle, and battered steel weapons glint in the setting sun. Tensions flare on both sides of the battlefield. Gumdrops glare with hatred at the Chocolates. Chocolates wait with confidence, eager to slaughter their opponent. High above in the crimson sky candy corn vultures circle in anticipation of the devastation to come. On a far away hill bright white eyes wait. They wait…

• GoobeesFilm.com [via BoingBoing TV] (Thanks, Xeni!)

video, animation

Confession: I am a terrible dancer. But whenever I hear this song, my body and my mind separate, and my feet seem to disregard what my brain keeps telling them: “You have no rhythm! You have no style! Stop moving! Stop it!”

But alas, there is not enough brainpower in the world to keep me from dancing around to one of the best songs ever: the Archies’ “Sugar Sugar”, the catchiest, peppiest, greatest shout out to candy girls the world has ever seen.

I honestly can’t think of anything better than a song about sugar, sung by a cartoon band, with a music video that involves Veronica dancing in front of what looks like super-powered floating salt water taffy, and Betty with an X-Men like ability to turn Archie into a bunny rabbit through her kisses.

I don’t know exactly what’s going on in this video, Sugar Sugar, but I do know that it is awesome and I love it, Honey Honey.

I hope you do too.

cartoon, video, music

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we present to you this 50 second stop-motion video called “Chocolate Love”. I must admit though, after watching this I felt dirty – like I watched something I wasn’t supposed to see. If you have kids, you may want to have them leave the room while you watch it.

chocolate, video

He’s mysterious, he’s innovative, he’s probably a little insane, and he’s rich. According to Forbes Magazine, Mr. Willy Wonka is currently the 13th richest fictional character in the universe, ranking just above Lucius Malfoy. Take that, Slytherin!

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Wonka has big bucks: anyone with their own flying glass elevator, teleportation device, and chocolate river is probably making some serious cash.

His famous candies, including the Scrumdiddlyumptious bar, fizzy-lifting drinks, and lickable wallpaper (personal favorite flavor: snozzberry) have set him apart from his lesser, more traditional competitors.

Sadly, Wonka’s rank on the Forbes list dropped from 2006, due to what Forbes notes as “strained labor relations” from Oompa Loompas insisting “on being paid in cash rather than in cocoa beans,” along with a disinterest in candy making from “heir apparent Charlie Bucket” who seems “more interested in girls and less in Oopma-Loompas.”

The report did not state if ongoing lawsuits from several factory visitors, including Violet Beauregarde, who still has a blue-tinted face after a nasty gum incident at Wonka’s factory, have anything to do with Wonka’s financial issues.

Still, there is always hope when Wonka is involved.

Tough times have threatened the business before, but through such innovative marketing schemes as the famed “Golden Ticket” promotion, Wonka has always managed to bounce back with new and exciting ideas that continue to propel his business through the 21st century.

It is safe to say that regardless of his position on Forbes’ list, Wonka’s brilliance, creativity, and products will last through the ages, much like this Everlasting Gobstopper that I started eating in 1985.

What can I say? The man is a genius!

• The Forbes Fictional 15: Willy Wonka

Wonka