New Halloween candy has really been a mixed bag this year. Overall I was pretty disappointed with the crop, but I have to admit that there were some pretty crazy concepts and designs floating about. There were some really fun repackaging designs as in the Halloween Nerds that popped up way back in early August…
I mean as Nerds candy goes, it’s kind of hard to find new ways to market it outside of pretending that the little candy coated grains of sugar are edible aquarium pebbles. So when Wonka put ’em in plastic test tubes with monster shaped stoppers and called them antidotes, vaccines, makeovers, and morphs, it was pretty ingenious. In essence I’m getting a little plastic monster toy, candy, and imagination fodder for pretending that the only thing keeping me from sprouting fangs and draining my wife of her life blood is the test tube of candy that is just outside my reach! Seriously though, these were a great way of getting me excited about a candy that I’ve known and loved for years. It also doesn’t hurt that the werewolf figure/stopper bears an uncanny resemblance to A.L.F.!
In that same vein (oh ho, what a bad pun), we have Confectionery Lane’s Halloween contribution this year in the form of a crazily realistic liquid candy Blood Bag!
When I saw Harris Smith write about this candy wonder over at his blog Negative Pleasure, I knew I was going to have to rush out and find the nearest Walgreen’s and procure a bag for myself. This is the essence of perfect Halloween candy, at least in concept. What kid wouldn’t squeal with glee at getting one of these realistic bags of blood plopped into their goody bag come Halloween night? Unfortunately, as Mr. Smith points out in his post, the liquid candy is pretty awful. It’s way too sour and chemically enhanced sweet that it would be quite the chore to consume the bag without puking up blood colored vomit minutes later.
Also in the fun-in-concept-but-awful-in-execution department we have yet another large gummy severed hand make a debut this year, this one from Amos Sweets…
This severed gummi hand is about the same size as this year’s severed hand gummy from Flix Candy, and just about as inedible. I’m getting the feeling that the larger gummi candy gets the more and more it starts tasting like rubber or plastic…
So, going by this thought one would think that any "normal-sized" gummy candy would probably taste fine right? Wrong. I had very high hopes for a late comer in the Halloween candy department, Sherwood Brands line of Gummi Scary Treats candy…
These four boxes of gummi candy had some of the most fun packaging designs I’ve seen in recent years. These die-cut wraparound boxes scream love and attention to detail, so it was a real disappointment when the candy housed inside was pretty bland, and a little chemical tasting.
Probably the best effort in the gummi candy department as far as merging a great concept with a good taste was the 3-foot-long Big Fat Hissie Fit Gummy Snake I found at my local Wal-Mart…
This is a pretty impressive piece of confection as it’s pretty much a life-sized gummy snake and it’s pretty good as far as over-sized gummi candy goes. I could see myself easily making my way through this monstrosity during a day watching horror flicks, though I’m sure I’d regret it soon after. How much gummi candy can one eat in a day anyway?
All in all, I think I’m too easily swayed by the wolf in sheep’s clothing when it comes to Halloween candy. I want the crazy insanity of a giant lollipop Halloween mask, but I also want the quality of your everyday Nerds or fun-sized candy bar. I think this is asking for a bit much though, at least not without a heft price tag. Who knows, there’s always next year…
