You know, it’s my job to think about candy and candy news. Thanksgiving weekend is not traditionally a candy holiday, but what a perfect weekend this is for candy. It must be the time of year coupled with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, that got me thinking about Bertie Bott’s Jelly Beans and our review of them. Trying those awful beans with my brother reminded me of being a kid and daring each other into eating and doing stupid things. We once talked about trying out for Fear Factor but realized pretty quickly we’d both be done in by the gross foods. It’s funny what brings a family together – bonding over candy. I think that’s what makes candy so appealing to so many people.
A great example of this is Candyman: The David Klein Story showing 11/27/2010 on the Documentary channel at 8 PM, EST and PST. If you’re like me, you’ve probably never heard of David Klein, until now. In fact, though he invented the Jelly Belly jellybean, he isn’t even mentioned by name on Jelly Belly’s website under company history; he is referred to only as “a Los Angeles candy distributor”.
I won’t spoil it for everyone, but here’s the quick and dirty of the movie. Believing he had a great idea, despite everyone thinking he was crazy when he came up with the idea of individual, naturally-flavored jellybeans, Dave listened to his heart and eventually sold the Jelly Belly trademark to what is now known as Jelly Belly (formerly Herman Goelitz Candy Co). The documentary is about his rise and fall; how he “lost his beans, but kept his soul”.
And to bring this post full-circle, Candyman also has “Weird Al” Yankovic in it. Another thing that reminds me of my childhood and family as I was introduced to him by my brother, the founder of Candy Addict. It’s a good season for remembering what’s important, celebrating the entrepreneur, and dreaming big. Maybe I’ll watch Candyman tonight with my favorite Jelly Belly jellybean, Buttered-Popcorn, in your honor, Dave! Though you may not get the credit you deserve for the Jelly Belly, I hope you feel a little better knowing your creation has touched so many people’s mouths, if not hearts.
- Candyman: The David Klein Story movie website
- Documentary Channel website and movie trailer
- Jelly Belly website
- David Klein’s candy store
Great movie
November 28th, 2010 at 12:27 pmGood story
David seems like a great guy
I will never eat Jelly Belly’s again, they screwed David
I enjoyed the movie immensely. It’s an interesting insight into the life of the “Candyman”. I would definitely recommend this to my friends.
November 28th, 2010 at 3:45 pm