Monthly Archives: June 2007

Starburst Little Lad: Creepy or Cool?

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The Little Lad Berries N Creme Commercial

I’ve been putting this off for a long time, but I must face my fear if I’m ever going to get over it. I have a confession to make. I’m disturbed by the Starburst Berries and Creme Little Lad. Extremely disturbed.

The screechy voice, the bizarre dance, his troubling addiction to Starburst, and especially his little pants and leggings, they all just creep me out. I now have an aversion to trying the Berries N Creme Starburst. I don’t think I have Little Ladaphobia, but the mere thought of supporting the creation of more commercials with the Little Lad makes me want to boycott Starburst. Unfortunately, I do love those original fruit chews (orange being my favorite), so I’m in a bit of a dilemma.

I shouldn’t fault the company for putting together a memorable ad campaign, but the commercial (and the accompanying dance) isn’t making me want to try Berries and Creme. Am I the only one out there who feels like this? Am I alone in my distress? Comment and share, and maybe we can work through our problems together.


The Little Lad Dance Tutorial

starburst, commercial, video, berries

Candy Gadget – Picture Frame Gumball Dispenser

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Gumball Frame

Do you love gumballs but don’t have the room for the floor stand or tabletop variety? Or are you just looking to display your favorite candy like a work of art? Coming in at around 12 inches, the Gum-Wall has the appearance of a flattened gumball machine mounted against a mirror and stuck into a picture frame.

The machine is fairly flat, and it appears that you can only add one layer of gumballs, but that still should add up to enough to last you quite some time (and it’s refillable). This would go great in a kids room or you could put it in your cubicle and be everyone’s new favorite coworker.

Buy The Gumball Frame online:

gum, gumball

Chocolate: the future of toothpaste?

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toothpaste

I remember my mom buying me bubblegum-flavored toothpaste just to get me into the toothbrushing habit. I guess she figured mint was too harsh for my childhood choppers and decided to get me something sweet instead. Her plan didn’t work, by the way. I ended up swallowing more of it instead of brushing with it, and I soon grew to like the taste of mint as I got older anyway.

Still, if chocolate toothpaste existed back then, I might have begged Mom to get it for me. Researchers at Tulane University discovered that a compound in chocolate can prevent tooth decay better than fluoride. According to a Science News article, the compound, known as theobromine, strengthens teeth and protects the enamel from acid erosion.

Good news, right? Just eat a Hershey’s Kiss instead of trudging into the bathroom twice a day to brush? Not entirely. The sugars in your average hunk of chocolate can feed plaque-causing bacteria, which cancels out any benefit from the theobromine. Still, if they can create toothpaste out of chocolate, it might make one heck of a marketing campaign.

chocolate, tooth, teeth, healthy

Find chocolate near you with Chocomap.com

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Chocomap result for Walnut Creek, CA

Chocomap is probably the best use of GoogleMaps technology I’ve seen so far. The website’s goal is to have a comprehensive collection of chocolate shops in cities around the world. However, this won’t give you the location of the nearest 7-11 where you can pick up a Snickers bar. Chocomap focuses on the artisan shops and specialty stores where chocolate is still handmade with love and care. I can definitely see how this site can be useful if you’re visiting another city and want to satisfy a craving.

In addition to the GoogleMap, the site also stands as a tribute to the art of chocolate-making itself. Sections feature favorite places to get bonbons and bars as well as an introduction to chocolate called Chocolate 101.

I only managed to find one chocolate shop in the city closest to my home, even though I know of at least two more. It looks like Chocomap relies on the shops themselves to input their information into the database. So the only thing I can do is to encourage my favorite small shops to visit this site and fill out the online form. Perhaps other Candy Addicts out there can do the same for their favorite chocolatiers if they’re not already listed.

chocolate, shop, store

Candy Review: Pretzel Pete Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Gems

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Pretzel Pete Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel GemsDo you ever have a moment when you realize your restraint has been taken from you by something so delicious that “control” is no longer in your vocabulary? I had just such a moment when I discovered Pretzel Pete Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Gemsin my parents’ pantry. At first, I was wary of stale or over-salted pretzels, bland peanut butter, and cheap chocolate. I’ve had bad experiences with the pretzel, peanut butter, and chocolate combination before. Pretzel Pete’s Gems made me forget that my lunch was still in the microwave. They are Awesomely Addictive, without question.

The pretzel nuggets are standard pretzel nugget size and are generously filled with peanut butter and completely coated in milk chocolate. When I first saw them, I remembered pigging out on Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream years ago. Pretzel Pete kicked Chubby Hubby into a mere memory.

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