S'Mores Candy Corn and Pumpkin Spice M&M's

Unfortunately, no stores in my area are cooperating with the Halloween season.  Walgreens and Target are my usual hot-spots but, this year, they're so far behind!  Kids have been back to school for a few days now so I have no idea why they haven't taken all those books and folders and stored them away to make room for orange boxes and decorations.  By this time last year, Walgreens was fully stocked with Halloween spirit.  This time around, it's been all about candy corn and M&M's.  And honestly, I'm getting tired of candy corn and M&M's!  Let's go, retailers! Get it together!

This bag of S'mores flavored candy corn by Brach's is the ONLY thing Walgreens had to offer in terms of Halloween.  I'll be honest with you, had they been offering more, this isn't something I'd go out of my way to buy.  But I felt so bad walking into Walgreens on September 4th and leaving without anything related to Fall.  It's not the greatest find, especially when so many other people are finding glorious treasures in their area, but it's the best I could do.  It's better than nothing, I guess.

They certainly look like candy corn, but I don't have to tell you that.  I feel like that's all I've been talking about lately and, if you've been reading, you know way more than you need to know about how candy corn looks and the way it feels.  But when it comes to flavor, these actually aren't bad.  For the most part, it still tastes like candy corn, but it has enough of a s'mores punch to separate itself from Halloween and be more of a Fall candy.  I like that about this variety because, for me, s'mores is much more related to the upcoming season than it is with Summer.  Whenever I've gone camping, it's always been during the cooler months.  I can't take the heat or, even worse, the bugs, so camping and s'mores scream Fall for me and that's what Brach's does for me, here.  Not the best candy in the world, but a change that I welcome and embrace simply for the fact that it's something new to me and, most importantly, available!!  If not for the Jersey City Walgreens' lack of work ethic, I'd probably missed out on these altogether.

If you've read The Holidaze in the past, you're familiar with the fact that I'm not a very big fan of pumpkin flavored anything.  Pumpkin spice is a bit more tolerable, but it's nothing you'll see me write home about.  Unfortunately, around this time of year, everybody releases a pumpkin flavored product and, thanks to my uncooperative taste buds, I'm left out in the cold.  But I try.. I really try.  I tell myself that pumpkin is an acquired taste and I've been committed to acquiring that taste as recent years have gone by.  Even if it means only taking a few bites or sips, I have to force myself to enjoy this flavor.  After all, there's no more prominent Fall flavor than pumpkin!

So, when I heard about Pumpkin Spice M&M's, I knew they had to be found and tried.  Of course, like I said, everybody and their Mother found them before I did because of these major retailers messing with me.  Although, for as much as I've seen them pictured, I haven't really read any reviews on them and that gave me hope.  Finally, I could find something and talk about it as if nobody else had ever seen them before.  Even if I knew that wasn't true, I had to salvage a poor start to the season with a lie.  Thankfully, my girlfriend found these at Target, last night.  Much like Walgreens, this was the only Fall / Halloween item available.  Sad.

You know me, I'm a package art kinda guy and, once again, M&M's hits a home run with their design.  It isn't overly fancy, but it hits on every mark.  The bag is a light brown, the "Pumpkin Spice" logo is colored appropriately, and the orange M&M, who's notoriously nervous, has somehow ended up in a pumpkin patch.  This guy, who's really the pretzel M&M, is so afraid of being eaten that it messes with his entire life.  Now, with his luck, he happens to look just like a pumpkin as Pumpkin Spice M&M's hit the shelves.  He can't catch a break.

Originally, I said that the Candy Corn M&M's were the perfect color for Fall, but that was until I saw Pumpkin Spice M&M's.  Green, orange, and brown - these are juuuuust right.  They represent the Fall, but they also symbolize pumpkins.  It's not rocket science, but it's done the right way and I like that.  You don't even have to be a fan of pumpkins to appreciate the way these would look in a bowl on your table.  Light a fall-scented Yankee Candle and you'll have those leaves falling off trees whether they like it or not!

I was going to remove that ugly, smashed, beat-up M&M from the photo, but I felt bad for him.  I also think he's responsible for the aroma emitting from the bag as soon as it's opened.  He's like that rotten pumpkin, surrounded by gnats, that you find on farms.  Appetizing, right?  But these do have a very cool "Fall" smell to them.  It's "spicy" and even if that doesn't make sense, it's appropriate given the name of this candy.

Now, when it comes to flavor, you and I are most likely going to differ.  But the positive I take away from that is, chances are, neither of us are going to hate them.  At the very worst, you're going to love them and I'm simply going to like them.  That's an absolute win, in my book!  I'll take that any day of the week!  These are hard to describe, but they're good!  The reason I like them more than I expected is because of the spice.  That's crucial for me because "pumpkin" and "pumpkin spice" have always treated me differently.  Spice is always so much more kind.

Pumpkin Spice M&M's aren't something I'd eat consistently or a lot of in one time, but they're good to have around on a cool, Fall day.  The enhance the season and that's all I can really ask for.  Now, if you're one of those huge pumpkin fans who went crazy when Starbucks ran out of Pumpkin Spice Latte's, then you obviously have to try these.  They were made for you!

In the meantime, I need retailers to wake up around here because I'll be running out of topics before we even get started =)

In a Dark, Dark Room

When I was a kid, about 7-years-old, we used to hold one English class in the Library every week.  To show how much the times have changed, our assignments included learning the dewey decimal system and actually researching topics by checking out books, reading, and presenting our findings in the form of a short story the following week.  I hated reading novels when I could be drawing pictures, so I usually checked out books that taught you how to draw or talked about sports.  I had no interest in learning about poetry in the 2nd grade.  But, in that year, I stumbled across a book that I must have checked out 60 different times between then and 8th-grade graduation.  It was one that I loved for so many reasons and couldn't get enough of.  Yesterday, I found that book.

"In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories" is a book that I've been talking about for years.  Whenever I see old classmates, this has a tendency of coming up because we used to argue over who got to check it out that week and why.  Because it was so great, we all fought over owning it for the next 7 days, regardless of how many times we'd already read it.  By just having it in our possession, it turned any time of year into a spooky time of year.  It's something I've been meaning to write about on The Holidaze, but never got around to ordering online.  Luckily, as we were looking for Halloween candy and decorations, we happened to find it at Michael's Craft Store. The memories came flooding back as soon as I saw the cover.

Basically, "In a Dark, Dark Room" is a collection of 7 scary stories written to scare the hell out of little kids.  I don't remember if they frightened me or not, but smart money says they did because they obviously stuck with me and one in particular.  The stories were short, but gave you enough information to let your imagination run wild.  With a bit more elaboration, every one of these tales could have been featured on "Are You Afraid of the Dark."  Even reading as an adult, they still hold up in a way some nostalgia doesn't.

The first story, "The Teeth," is pretty ridiculous, but I was younger than the character in the tale and put myself in his shoes.  This kid is hurrying home in the dark, attempting to avoid confrontation, when he comes across three different men who all end up grinning at him.  The first man had teeth measuring 3-inches-long, with the next two having gradually bigger grills.  As it says, he took one look and ran all the way home.

Sure, maybe these men were harmless people with poor hygiene, but he wasn't taking any chances.  Imagine seeing somebody with teeth bigger than your head!?  As an adult, that's insane to think about.  As a 7-year-old, that's ALL I was thinking about.  Thankfully I only lived one block away from school or I would have been going out of my mind.  If nothing else, this is a tale that reminds kids to brush their teeth or they'll end up like the begging bums standing in front of a toothpaste ad.

The next story entitled "In The Graveyard" creeped me out because of the art.  If you look at the images from "In a Dark, Dark Room," you can see why kids would be afraid.  While they're cartoony, the illustrations, along with the style and color, still manage to maintain a sense of realism.  I remember the first time I saw the dead corpses lying in their caskets.  At that age, I don't think I'd ever seen a dead body so this might have been my first visual.

To make things spookier, the story features a woman, sitting in the graveyard, talking to the dead corpses. Why in the world is there a woman talking to corpses in the graveyard?? That's scary enough, but then she asks "Will I be like you when I am dead?"  I was starting to wonder the same thing.

The response?

"You will be like us, when you are dead!"

Man, listen, this was art that stood out in my mind for a long time.  One guy is kicking his legs back, another looks like he's sorry for what he's about to do, and the third has red eyes; motioning in a way only vampire's do before they feast.  As soon as I got home and went through the pages, this brought it all back to me.  As a fan of Halloween, I respect the art and love what it did for me as a kid, but I can remember how scared I was to walk in the cemetery.  Tonight, I'll just tell myself they're homeless triplets who needed a place to sleep.

Skipping around here, let's move on to the next story, "In a Dark, Dark Room," which goes like this..

"In a dark, dark wood,

there was a dark, dark house.

And in that dark, dark house,

there was a dark, dark, room.

And in that dark, dark room,

there was a dark, dark chest.

And in that dark, dark chest,

there was a dark, dark shelf.

And on that dark, dark shelf,

there was a dark, dark box.

And in that dark, dark box,

there was a --

Okay, not the greatest of stories, but I remember my teacher reading it to us aloud on Halloween.  Like every good teacher, she spoke the words and showed us all the pictures by holding the book high and moving it from side to side.  There's always that one kid who says he can't see.

When she got to the last page, she screamed "A GHOST!" and flipped the book around as fast as she could!  Looking back, I think she found great joy in jolting our tiny hearts to beat out of our chests.  The tale may be dull, but the delivery was top-notch.  When I have kids, they're getting the same treatment.  It's only fair.

Next, we have "The Night it Rained" and this was a scary one.  This is actually so familiar that it may have been adapted into a television episode on one series or another.  Basically, as a man drove by the cemetery, he finds a young boy named Jim standing outside in the rain.  Feeling bad for him, he stops the car and asks him where he lives.  The boy tells him and gets in the car.  Because he's all wet and cold, the man gives him his old sweater and tells him he'll pick it up tomorrow.

When the man arrives to pick up his sweater, a woman answers the door.  The man asks for Jim, but the woman says it must have been another boy because here Son, Jim, has been dead for over a year.  She said, "He's buried in the cemetery."

Feeling horrible, the man went to pay his respects..

Creeeeepy! I have a similar story to share.  When I was a teenager, my family and I went to Salem, MA for their Halloween festivities.  We parked near a Dunkin Donuts and used that as our landmark to find the car later.  Well, little did we know there are a billion Dunkin Donuts' in Massachusetts.  We walked around for well over an hour, in the freezing cold, with absolutely no idea where we were.  

Finally, we found an old diner.  Being that this was before cell phones had taken over the world, we needed to ask for help.  My Dad talked to one of the waitresses and described the location.  She had a fairly good idea as to where we parked and offered to drive us there.  Thanks to her, we found the car and made it back to our hotel safe and sound.

The next day, we went back to the diner to eat and thank the waitress, but the diner had been closed for years...

Nahh, I'm just kidding, she was there and was very happy to help.  But how awesome would that have been?  That makes for a much better story.  I'm gonna stick with the lie.

I'm skipping "The Pirate" and "The Ghost of John" because they're not that great, but "The Green Ribbon" makes up for both of them.  This is the one that truly stuck with me.  In fact, when I talk about this book, this is the only story I care to mention because this really stood out as one of the scariest, freakiest, emotionally disturbing tales I'd ever read.  To this day, I don't think there's any "Goosebumps" episode creepier than this one.

Instead of summing it up for you, check out this video for the complete story!! I found it on YouTube so the volume's not great, but the story is worth hearing through the deep voice of the narrator.  Great stuff!

So, what do you think?  Did it scare you, by any chance?

I highly recommend buying this book, especially if you have kids who are old enough to read, but young enough to be scarred for life.  As for me, I finally own a 1984 classic and the whole world knows that I can read!

Candy Corn M&M's

Last year, I heard all about Candy Corn M&M's.  I saw them, I picked them up, and read the bag.  It clearly said "white chocolate" M&M's.  I thought, if these are just a collection of M&M's that I can get at any time of year, seasonally colored to represent candy corn, then it's not worth buying to try and write about.

But soon after I passed up on the M&M's, I read various reviews that described the flavor and they believed they were actually candy corn flavored.  Well now we're talking.  This year, I wasn't going to let others describe and review for me, I was going to do that myself.  Luckily, I found a tiny bag at Michael's Craft Store and was able to pick it up for cheap.

One thing I never discounted last year was the bag design.  On both the large and small bags, they went all out as they usually do with their seasonal M&M's.  Of course, they went with the obvious color scheme of yellow, white, and orange.  I wouldn't expect anything different, but the fact that they dressed the red M&M in a candy corn costume is pretty cool.  We all know this guy.  He's been in 100s of commercials and he's quite the complainer.  It seems like he's never happy.  But somehow, they convinced him to put this costume on and act like he's proud to be laying in an M&M ball pit.  He's even throwing up the RVD thumb as if to say "Yeah, check me out, ladies."  They must have paid him in gum.

You'd probably notice the size of these M&M's first, but I want you to notice the fact that I flipped every M&M over to be M-Side Up.  That's dedication to The Holidaze, so lie and tell me you noticed that first, okay?

Second, you'll notice the strong scent of sugar once you rip this open.  It kinda smells like cake frosting battling with the stronger scent of vanilla extract.  It's strong, but I like it.

Lastly, before you try one, you have to respect the colors.  Comparing these M&M's to candy corn is easy, but they're perfect for fall as well.  Besides brown, I can't think of three better colors to pour in a bowl and display on your table as a decorative item.  You don't even have to be a fan of Halloween or candy corn, you just have to enjoy the season itself.  And if you don't like Fall, then I have no idea how you stumbled on this site.

Okay, now for the reason behind purchasing these suckers at all - the taste!!  I gotta be honest, all I'm tasting is white chocolate.  I've seen a dozen sites saying that they taste candy corn, but I'm really pushing it if I say I do, too.  I mean, you might get a hint of it every now and then, but I truly feel like I'm tricking myself into believing it.  A lot of people have said "Yeah, it's white chocolate and candy corn combined."  I'll take your word for it and, if that's the case, then I now know what those two flavors taste like when put together, but I can't make the same claim.  

Regardless of what I taste, you taste, I think, or you think, these M&M's are still very good and they're worth buying for the colors and design alone.  I didn't think so last year, but I've had a change of heart after writing about them.  If not for the season, I'd probably avoid them and stick with the classics, but I can't turn down Halloween candy two-years in a row.  Now, from what I'm hearing, there are new pumpkin spice M&M's out for 2013 and those I'll have to try.  I've been on the lookout, but no luck just yet.  When it comes to stocking shelves, stores have been slower than ever.  But soon, Halloween will strike and strike hard.  Until then, go ahead and pick these up.  I'm curious to see what you think.

Cadbury S'Creme Eggs

Have you seen the Cadbury "Screme" Eggs?  You probably have.  They're nothing new, but I passed up on them last year and regretted it soon after the season ended.  I remember seeing them on multiple blogs and, on every one, people wrote about how cool it was to have a chocolate candy with green slime.  Why in the world I'd ever turn that down is beyond me, but I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.  For whatever reason, the Cadbury Screme Egg was among the first of Halloween candies found and has been sitting in my 'fridge for about 3-weeks.

I think everybody associates Cadbury with Easter which is why this variation on the traditional creme egg is so awesome.  I love it when companies think outside the box and branch out into seasons that don't belong to them.  Go on and claim your spot, Cadbury, and keep your rabbit on the box to prove you belong.  I love that!  Everything about their set-up is designed perfectly for Halloween.  From the purple and green color scheme to the haunted woods in the background, it's a great contrast that creates an eye-popping display that quickly catches the eyes of customers.  It lured me in right away and I immediately recognized their logo and brand thanks to that rabbit.  Plus, they gave her a witchy hat.

If I'm being honest, I don't think I've ever had a Cadbury Creme Egg, let alone one that added an "S" to their title.  I might have once or twice in the past, but cream-filled candy isn't usually my thing.  I'm more inclined to stick with their chocolate rabbits and, because of them, I know Cadbury isn't some knock-off company producing gross candy.  I knew this would be worth buying for various reasons, and their reputation is definitely one of them.  Besides, I am crazy over the packaging.  The green, purple, and silver wrapper makes it look like a Halloween-dyed Easter Egg.  You can't say no, especially when the "Creme's Gone Green!"

Not gonna lie - that looks pretty gross.  These tasted amazing, but refrigerating these babies doesn't make for much of a visual.  The chocolate always gets that chalky, dusty, ashy look to it.  It appears as though the candy has gone bad in a matter of weeks, and I've always hated that about cold chocolate, but the flavor is on point!  As soon as I cracked this egg in half, the green creme made my day.  After keeping this for so long, just waiting for the right time to unwrap and write, I felt like a proud farmer who had finally seen his ugly green chicken crack free.  The bright color, almost neon green, is the perfect shade for Halloween.

Despite being kept cold, the filling was still creamy enough to live up to its name.  As the box describes, it's really just fondant, but it's not the hard type you'd expect Buddy the Cake Boss to use.  It's soft.  I'm sure it would be even lighter had I opened this right away and, looking back, that's the only thing I'd have done differently with this post, but it's good enough for a Screme Egg in August.

The coolest part - much like any egg - is that a living being will eventually develop and emerge from his temporary shelter.  I didn't know what to expect, but I assumed something would show itself and appear after some time.  Naturally, that's what eggs are for, right?  So, I sat there - waiting and waiting - for a new friendship to form.  After some time, the gooey creme monster finally rose.

Now all he needs is a name.  Any suggestions?

French Toast & Vanilla Cupcake Goldfish

Quick post today and it probably took me longer to design the banner above than it will for you to read this.  But even though I'm clearly in a Halloween mood, I can't let Summer go completely.  With a few "official" weeks left, we're still going to see and do a few things that are clearly related to the Summer 'Daze.  I'd hate to overlook anything in an attempt to speed the spooky months up, so you're going to see a random assortment of posts until I can fully commit to the horrific daze of September and October.

Because I have my eyes set on orange and black, I probably would have missed this new Goldfish variety from Pepperidge Farm.  It was Eileen who spotted these "Grahams French Toast" Goldfish and, at first, I thought she was kidding.  My favorite breakfast in the world is French Toast.  That's all I need.  Smother it in butter and syrup and I'm all set.  I've been like that since I was a kid.  My used to make it for me so often that I would wind up asking to have it for dinner.  In the morning, It's still the only thing I ever order at a New Jersey Diner, Ihop or Perkins.  So, when she told me there was a bag of French Toast flavored Goldfish?  I was pumped!

These are sooo good! Granted, I'm biased, but these are incredible.  They remind me of a few different things but, most notably, I'd compare them to French Toast Crunch.  Discontinued here in the United States, French Toast Crunch was a cereal shaped to look like tiny slices of bread and tasted just like French Toast.  I used to love it!  For a while, it was the only cereal I ate.  There have been similar flavors, like Waffle Crisp and Eggo Maple Syrup, but nothing came close to French Toast Crunch.  That's until these Goldfish came along.  It may not be cereal, but it's close enough to satisfy me at the end of Summer.  For a more precise description, it's like French Toast Crunch meets a Cinnamon Teddy Graham and covers him in all that maple flavored sugar to create the only type of fish this picky eater will ever enjoy.

Once I saw the French Toast variety, I had to take a close look at the shelves to see if there was anything else I may have missed.  Now, this one doesn't say "New" in the upper left corner, but it's new to me and that'll work.  I told Eileen to get this one because, when I think of cupcakes, I think of her.  Not only does she like them, but she bakes the best I've ever had.  They taste delicious and she decorates them perfectly so, of course, it only made sense that we bought these too.  One for her, one for me.  But really, both for me.

I really like the way these Goldfish look.  I love the sprinkles added to make more of a "cupcake" impression.  I took these photos outside yesterday to really make those tiny sprinkles pop.  If you look closely, you'll see the rain drops on my classy paper plate.  But the money is in the flavor and that's where it kinda falls flat.  It's a cross between cake batter and animal crackers, but doesn't hit the landing quite right.  They're good, don't get me wrong, but I don't think the flavor is right.  I'll have to leave that up to my girlfriend.

Now, here's a word of advice from Pepperidge Farm:

Haha, that's so Finny! ;)

League of Extraordinary Bloggers

"Hello, My Name Is.."

Throughout my time writing on The Holidaze, I've searched via Facebook and Twitter for other blogs that are similar to my own or those that I may have a personal interest in.  While doing so, I stumbled across CoolandCollected.com and the "League of Extraordinary Bloggers."  Now what is that?  Well, once a week, they post a topic and invite any and every blog to write or post about that said topic.  It seems like a great idea and, from what I've seen, builds up a great camaraderie between those who participate and provides cool stories.  I figured, let's give this a try and see how it goes.  Especially when this week's topic is so fitting for a first-time post.

Hello, my name is Cliff!

Those who read The Holidaze know a little bit about me and it's hard to sum it all up in one post, but that's me next to WWE Superstar Randy Orton.  I'm a huge wrestling fan and have been since a child.  If you're interested in reading more about my passion for the WWE and how it inspired me to be creative in my personal and professional life, then feel free to check out my recent post about it all.  In a nutshell, I've always had great respect and admiration for putting on a show within the entertainment business.  In my opinion, nobody does that better than the WWE and, since a young age, I've always looked to find my own niche and way of entertaining.  I guess that's what The Holidaze is, even if it's just me in my tiny corner of the Internet world.

For 9 years, I've been in an amazing relationship with my girlfriend, Eileen.  There is no bigger part of my life than what I have with her.  I went to an all-boy high school, she went to an all-girl school, and we met by chance in my Junior year.  She was a Freshman.  I never would have expected that, 9-years-later, we'd still be together with such an incredible bond, but I couldn't ask for anything better.  To connect on such a level, where I can read what she's thinking just by looking at her, is something I never thought I'd find at 16-years-old and I try not to take that for granted.

I'm 26-years-old, but inside, I'm still pretty much the same kid from 1990 you see above.  I was the biggest Ninja Turtles fan and that was the Christmas I finally received my "Turtle Van" and Sewer from good ol' Santa.  From there, I transitioned with the times and grew a love for Disney, Power Rangers, Batman, etc..  As I grew older, I became nostalgic and looked to resurrect all the things I loved and, thanks to so many like me, it wasn't all that hard.  Companies have been pushing all that I used to love for the past few years and that's made it easier to re-collect and enjoy what I grew up on.  But don't let the "geek" fool you.  I'm not somebody who got picked on in school or doesn't know who Derek Jeter is.  Sports are a huge part of my life.

For the last 5 years, I've worked for the Brooklyn (formerly New Jersey) Nets.  Above is one of my favorite photos taken from television.  It was when we announced Deron Williams and Joe Johnson as our new back court in Brooklyn.  I happened to be pictured in the background so I like to call us the "Big 3."  As a long-time, die-hard Nets fan, I had an amazing time with the team and met more athletes and celebrities than I can remember.  Most of them were class acts, especially Jimmy Fallon who I grew a new respect for.  But, as it normally goes, all good things come to an end and I've moved on to other things.  Thanks to new opportunities, the future is brighter than ever and for as much as I love the past, I look forward to carrying that nostalgia with me as I progress into the distance.

Of course, I'd be nowhere without these two people - my Mother and Father.  The Holidaze focuses a lot on nostalgia and, believe me, I'd have nothing to talk about if it weren't for the generosity and love from my parents.  Let me be honest, I was spoiled as a kid.  I grew up with 14 close cousins, so I never felt like an only child, but I am and I received every perk that comes with it.  However many presents you and your brothers received, I got double.  But the biggest thing they instilled in me was to never be selfish and never take things for granted.  I'm not entitled to anything.  Good things come to good people who share their kindness with others, work hard, and strive to be a positive person.  I couldn't ask for better parents and, in the photo above, on Father's Day 2013, we had one of the best days when I got our picture up on the big screen.

If you've ever read The Holidaze, you've probably realized that many of the designs are original.  That's because I freelance as a graphic designer and have loved creating something from nothing since I was 13-years-old.  It's a very cool feeling to see something you've created out there for the world to see.  Many of you understand the feeling and, honestly, a few of you are way out of my league in terms of illustration.  I tend to focus on my Nets, promoting them through my art and attempting to build a larger fan base.  For me, it's fun, but I always take on the extra business when it comes looking for me.  It's a passion and one that I love to express as much as I do my writing on The Holidaze.

There are so many more sides to me and aspects of my life that cannot be explained here on The Holidaze, but if you've never read the site before, I welcome you to look back on previous posts to gain a better understanding of who I am.  I also invite you to stick around as we move toward the Halloween season and begin discussing some fun stuff.  At the end of the day, The Holidaze is more about what to do and what there is rather than who I am.  I just happen to be guy presenting it to you.

I'd like to thank CoolandCollected.com and the "League" for coming up with such a cool idea and allowing all bloggers to get involved.  I'm already looking forward to next week and a brand new topic.

Don't forget to check out other bloggers from "The League" and get to know them, too!

Hello, My Name Is : Monster Cafe

Hello, My Name Is : Jathniel

Hello, My Name Is : Geek Show Ink

Starburst Candy Corn

It's still August, so there haven't been many Halloween products released, but there have been a few here and there.  One of the downsides of starting the "Halloween Holidaze" so early is that I really don't have much to talk about just yet.  But when you find Fruity Yummy Mummy, you drop everything and change the design.  In the meantime, I'll be sure to throw in a few more Summer posts every now and then before we really hit the ground running in September.  Luckily, one of the first items revealed to us this season is brand new and comes from Starburst.

Introducing - Starburst Candy Corn!  Weeks ago, I had seen a photo of these posted on Instagram and thought, ah, that's probably not real.  But after I thought about it, this release actually makes sense for Starburst.  They're one of the few candy brands ahead of the curve.  When fans let them know that Cherry and Strawberry were the favorites, they released "Fav Reds."  For Easter, they came out with Starburst Jelly Beans.  And, for movie lovers who have never been offered anything worth taking (or sneaking) into the theater, I recently spotted these at CVS..

When it comes to candy, Starburst has always ranked high on my top-ten list.  When I was a kid, my cousin and I used to buy pack after pack during the Summer and attempt to come up with new flavors.  Because they were the only "fruit chew" around, we thought it would be cool to see a "Soda" and "Peanut Butter and Jelly" flavored Starburst.  Not sure how I'd feel about that now, but I'd give it a shot.  It's still better than "Macaroni and Cheese."  We were just hungry that day.

Starburst Candy Corn is a great idea and perfectly connects the flavor of traditional Starburst with the celebration of Halloween.  Candy Corn isn't for everybody but, personally, I enjoy it.  It reminds me of Fall and growing up in anticipation of Halloween.  The flavor is one that I'll always associate with the upcoming time of year.  I remember, one year, I was home alone on a Saturday night playing "WWE WrestleMania XIX" on Nintendo Gamecube while eating a giant bag of candy corn and baby pumpkins.  Hell of a good time.  I felt like the Halloween version of Kevin McCallister.

Now, these Starburst Candy Corn don't have the classic candy corn flavor, but they do share the same texture.  With this candy, you're getting the memorable feel of candy corn with the taste of four, overly sugar-filled, Starburst flavors.  These are strong.  They pack a punch because, unlike fruit chews, you don't even think to suck on them first.  Because of the candy corn name and image, your instincts tell you to bite down and begin chewing.  That's when you're hit in the face with flavor.  That's not a bad thing, but I'd suggest taking smaller bites.  I basically do that with regular and Starburst Candy Corn, anyway.  I bite the top white part off first, then the middle, and finally the bottom.  With this candy, it's probably the best bet.

I'd definitely recommend Starburst Candy Corn if for no other reason that it's a brand new Halloween candy.  I'll stick with the original candy corn from now on, but I had to try these.  They're worth the buy and, from what I am seeing, they're selling fast! If you like the taste of Starburst and the texture of candy corn, then that's what you'll get.  They're even chipped, broken, and stuck together.  Look at the red one, it looks like a bloody vampire tooth.  Tell yourself that when you try these.  You'll feel like more of a badass.