National Lollipop Day is July 20th!

The 4th of July, President’s Day and Labor Day fills the calendar and provides an extra day off for most workers but for sheer fun and entertainment, the favorite has to be National Lollipop Day which occurs yearly on the 20^th of July.

 Why not have a Lollipop Party and treat all the kids to their choice of cool and fun lollipops. Start them out with Charms Blow Pops in the amazing Black Cherry flavor then introduce them to the sweet treat of heart shaped lollipops. Provide goody bags filled with nothing but lollipops, including the Gourmet Lollipops that we offer year round!  Ice cream may be popular for summer parties, but for National Lollipop Day, why not choose the Ice Cream Sundae lollipops.

 Surprise the little fellows in your life with Ford F-150 truck lollipops and little girls can take playing house to a whole new level with Glo Popcifier lollipops while NBL fans can enjoy baseball motif lollipops. Sports fans of all ages will get a kick out of the Sports Glo Popcifiers.

 Business owners can take full advantage of this annual Lollipop day to have some fun and spread some cheer. Cupcake lollipops are the perfect giveaway for bakeries while every florist should have some Daisy Pops on hand.

Theater owners can pick up some Dum Dum Shrek Pops to celebrate the sweetest of all holidays. Every Hispanic store or restaurant can delight people by giving away Jalapeno lollipops.

 There is no limit to the creativity that such a day inspires so forget about lemonade stands and celebrate the Lollipop with a lollipop stand!

 Be sure to pick up some Scorpion lollipops for those people in your life who truly appreciate the more interesting things in life and Slithering Snake Suckers are also a great choice for anyone who enjoys reptiles and amphibians.

 Are you going to be in Vegas for the big day? Take along some Sin City Dice lollipops in regular or Pina Colada flavors to delight everyone in your party. It’s true that the 4th of July has already passed, but the flag is popular every day of the year.

If your baby is expected to arrive around the 20th of July, have a few lollipops on hand to mark the occasion and to proudly announce the birth of your girl or boy so you can share the happy news.

However you choose to celebrate National Lollipop Day, why not browse our huge lollipop selection and stock on all your favorites.

For those of you who are keeping up, researching the new guy here, and cyber stalking me, you already know that I once took a trip to Thailand to become a Buddhist monk. It was a heck of an exciting trip to take for many reasons. However, it was not all fun and games, not that you likely expect a lot of fun and games in a Buddhist monastery. I experienced a good bit of loneliness and culture shock there, even though I was among friends and knew a good bit about the culture I was in.

Something that helped me out was chewing gum. No, I am not making this up. I had gum for my plane ride and took to having some from time to time as a reminder of home. It was easy to find in the country, as almost every town had a 7-11, Lotte, or other convenience store. It reminded me of where I came from and gave me a little taste of home, something to savor among the sing-song syllables of a foreign land. It grounded me and made me feel a bit less lost during my stay.

Have you ever had a particular taste that reminded you of home?

According to Gourmet Live, the first American chocolate bunny was made in the mid-1840s by Whitman, but the fad did not catch on until they were mass-produced and marketed in 1916 by Bortz. The tradition of chocolate bunnies started in Germany in the early 1800s, though. Probably they were more like sinewy, gangly hares than soft cute bunnies, though.

Whatever the history, you can’t deny that they are an Easter classic. How do you eat them? Ears first or feet first? Back in the day when I worked at NCA we had quite a lively office debate on the topic. I still eat them feet first. You don’t want the little guy scampering off. But tell us your method and reasoning. I think of the ears as a perfect handle to get the cute little feet taken care of but some say that’s the wrong way.

Bunny by dearbarbie.

I love gum drops and love how they look.This was a staple flavor of my childhood – gumdrops and other jelly candies, since my father had a special affinity for them. Even today I can count on a candy jar filled with spice drops or gum drops when I make the trek to Pennsylvania for a visit.

What I really like about this picture is the shallow depth of field, including the very intense magnification of the sugar crystals, showing a crust of sweetness – a crystalline exoskeleton -  above the soft jelly interior. This photographer really nailed it in making this picture. other eye-appealing elements include the rule of thirds, diagonal lines and a variety of colors. Good job, Ana G.R.!

Want to see your photos here? We do too! Submit your photos to the Candy Favorites Flickr Pool and you might see them featured here.

I recently shared a mango drink with a coworker and we got on the subject of sweet treats, talking about what we like as an occasional snack. She said her favorite was Snickers, one of my favorites as well. One thing I loved about working in the candy industry was the passion people have for their favorite sweets. It’s not just a preference, but a real love. My friend who was talking about Snickers rolled her eyes up as she talked about it, as if she were looking into the gates of heaven itself. Her joy, even from the discussion, was plain to see.

Candy makes us happy. It gives us a little sweetness for our day, a little joy that either picks us up or amplifies our good vibes. Because candy is so pleasing, the sensation gets stored in part of our brains that processes emotions, or at least seems to. Don’t believe me about that connection? Go talk to someone about their favorite candy. I’m no psychologist; I just know people and candy.

Snickers by Leonid Mamchenkov.

When I was a kid my brother and I ate almost nothing but candy, especially the yummy Easter chocolates probably until about mid-afternoon when our mother made us put down the sweet stuff in exchange for a plate of ham or something. Really? Trade chocolate for ham? Who wants to do that? One thing I always wanted to see in my Easter basket was one of those giant chocolate bunnies like the woman in the photo has. I practically dreamt of devouring one of those, eating it feet first so it couldn’t hop away.

That would have been awesome. Maybe Mom will read this and know what to send me. Despite my age, I would still accept an Easter basket if anyone offered. Yes, that’s a hint. Maybe Jon will send me some candy.

Photo by Theresa Thompson.

I can’t believe this is real. The Candy Favorites site is a great visual meal but nowhere near as good as actually having the candy in hand, or rather in mouth. I was excited to see this – a chocolate egg (perfect Easter theme, right?) with a gummi dinosaur center. I already knew Jelly Belly to be a leader in creativity in flavoring but didn’t know they made things like this, which combine two great candies into one package, yet keep them separate enough to be enjoyed independently of each other. I think it’s brilliant.

Are these making their way into Easter baskets at your place? Not at mine, simply because I graduated from a basket to a shopping bag, but these will definitely cross my pallet come easter morning!

Forget Pallet Cleanser with these delicious Richardson's Jelly Mints

Sharability: 10

Denture Danger: 7

Convenience: 4

Novelty: 7

Overall: 9

“It tastes like what those valentines hearts should taste like, the perfect amount of chalkyness and sweetness and crumbles so perfectly with the slightest bite.” I couldn’t have said it better myself, my friend Conrad has a wonderful way with words.

Each mint has a chewy flavored center with green ones tasting like peppermint candy canes, black ones with anise flavor, and other fruity minty blends.

This is a simple yet extremely satisfying after dinner mint. It might not serve as great pallet cleanser because it is so tasty that it holds its own full flavor.

The Mallows Family is Creating a Buzz

Sharability: 4

Denture Danger: 7

Convenience: 10

Novelty: 9

Overall: 7

Coffee, Mocca, and Java make a marvelous mallow trio. These squares may look like brownies, but don’t let looks fool you that easily, these are cubes of gooey coffee flavored marshmallows. Substitute your morning coffee with morning candy with the same amount of caffeine, and choose between three mallow flavors; the Java which is energized with a double shot of espresso, coffee which is a double coffee boost and the mocca which is a real espresso and cocoa blast!

The mocca is my favorite, the bitter taste of the chocolate helps to ease a bit of the intense marshmallowy sweetness away. The Java and the coffee are both quite tasty as well (although I can’t really find much of a taste distinguishment between the two), sweet, gooey energy shot; how can you complain?

If you want to hear about how people all over America love caffemallows you can watch caffeine hyped individuals rave about this product on youtube.com. You can also check out what they are up to on their twitter page (http://twitter.com/coffeemallows) or on the facebook page (http://on.fb.me/coffeemallows). The internet sure does makes it easy to market a product these days.

The Coffee Mallows come in three individual wrapped packages within a nice plastic box. From an environmentalist’s standpoint, all of this wrapping seems a bit excessive, but from consumer perspective it comes off as a quality, high class candy product.

For those of you that just can’t start your day without a caffeine fix, these mallows are perfect because they save you the trouble of having to make a cup of coffee in the morning if you are in a rush to get going. Instant energy hits with these sugary caffeine marshmallows.

Caffex introduced these mallows in mid-April 2010 and without any promotion, a box of twenty packages was sold by mid July. With promotions for this new fix running across the internet and coffee shops, coffee addicts are going to be jittering with joy about the new mallow buzz all over America.

My stomach must be bigger than my eyes for the Big Tex Jumbo Jelly Bean

Sharability: 10

Denture Danger: 10

Convenience: 8

Novelty: 10

Overall: 8

Imagine a world where Jelly Beans were so big that you could not only not eat a handful at a time, but you could to take multiple satisfying bites of one jellybean. Well, as they say, if there is a will, there is a way, and the jellybeans must have eaten a bite of Alice’s cake because they have grown exponentially in size.

Limey green, grapey purple, sweet vanilla white (not to be confused with Vanna White), cherry red, licorice black, lemony yellow and a pink that I believe is an attempt at strawberry; these fun flavors fill these supersized jelly beans.

Don’t think that the growth of the bean has reduced the potency of the taste because each bean is bursting with flavor. The thick, soft shell protects the chewy jelly gum inside, which holds the life of the party.

I think this is a good candy for the bite-and-pass technique because that way you can get a taste of every flavor without overdoing the candy eating and wearing out a flavor. (As long as no one is sick, the bite and pass is my favorite way to share because you get just enough to want a little more, which is the perfect amount).