Taste The Rainbow of Nostalgia

Mentos Rainbow- Five BelowThe 

When was the last time you bought Mentos? At one point, back when their catchy theme song ruled the world, they were one of my favorite candies. If Tic-Tacs and Starbursts combined to create a crunchy, chewy, minty baby, it would be Mentos. One day I just stopped buying them. No rhyme or reason really, but they seem to be doing just fine without me. I see them in every checkout aisle, and they keep releasing cool new flavors overseas (which make me incredibly jealous.) Why not jump into the wacky flavor market here in the States? 

Anyway, I saw this fruity rainbow variety pack at Five Below, and I thought this might be fun to check out to get a little taste of what we've all been missing.

Today on: Things That Promise to Taste Like Other Things

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Jelly Belly Beans - Five Below

As a kid, my grandparents always had jelly beans in their house, but they were either Brach's fruit or spiced flavors, and I was perfectly fine with that, until we discovered Jelly Belly. Flavors like strawberry jam and chocolate pudding blew Brach's out of the water. There was no going back. I remember my mom would buy the large variety boxes of jelly beans with "recipes" printed on the lid and we'd have fun mixing and matching flavors to create new experiences, which was a completely new concept. It was like something out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Now-a-days, I appreciate Jelly Belly's contributions to the candy world, but their products just don't "wow" me like they used to. Maybe all their competition catching up to them with the wacky flavor and mixing trend is drowning out their achievements, maybe their products just aren't as good as they used to be, or maybe my adult taste-buds are just harder to impress. All legitimate factors, but I just don't feel excitement for this brand anymore.

Pac-Man Arcade Cabinet Candy - Five Below

Pac-Man Arcade Cabinet Candy - Five Below

It's a nostalgic novelty product-filled weekend! After having the moment earlier ranting about The Real Ghostbusters animated series and Twinkies, I'm back with another retro throw back, this time it's gaming related!

Growing up my mother and grandmother each had a NES. That's right, they were cool like that, and I used to watch them play all kinds of games. (Well mostly my mom. Grandma only played the original Mario and Duck Hunt and never tried anything else.) This was long before the Let's Play days on YouTube, for me, my mom was the original Markiplier. She'd play Megaman 4, Q*bert, Mario 1, 2 & 3, Tetris and Pac-man. I would play a little here and there, but I really got into Pac-Man and Tetris somewhere in my teens.

efrutti Gummi Candy Pizza - Five Below

efrutti Gummi Candy Pizza - Five Below

I hope you had an awesome weekend, because I did!

I hosted a BBQ for my friends on Saturday, spent some time with my family and filmed a few more YouTube video reviews on Sunday, and I even found a little time to relax on Monday. (Which was glorious!)

My idea of relaxing involved playing a LOT of Rogue Legacy, a nap, and enjoying a cotton candy scented bubble bath. I haven't felt this rested in ages, and rather than jump into a healthy or long-winded food review, I thought I would take it easy and write up something fun and short. So here's a tiny gummy pizza pie!

Smarties 'n Creme - Five Below

Smarties 'n Creme - Five Below

Smarties are made right here in New Jersey! Why isn't that something we celebrate or talk about? I mean, we Jersey dwellers go on and on about our tomatoes, why not our candy? I didn't even know they were created here until Cybele told me!

Also, did you know that each color is actually a different flavor? As a kid I hated the white ones, which are orange and creme flavored, and I would always make my mom eat them, but back then all the adults I talked to thought I was crazy! They swore that they all tasted the same, but they aren't! (For the record the flavors are: white is orange cream, yellow is pineapple, pink is cherry, green is strawberry, purple is grape, and orange is orange.) The Smarties line has expanded quite a bit since I was a kid, and now we have a whole line of creme-flavored candies! Will I like them more than I did when I was a kid? Let's find out!

Toxic Waste (YouTube Video Review)

Watch me eat some Toxic Waste! 

(After that not-so-sour Ramune, I hope this stuff lives up to it's name!)

Smarties Squeeze Candy - Five Below

Smarties Squeeze Candy - Five Below

It's like candy and toothpaste had a baby just to spite dentists everywhere. This kind of squeeze style liquid candy has been around for quite some time and they're really popular with small children, but you don't need to be a child psychologist to understand why. It's liquid sugar, with bright colors, packaged in a squeeze tube. What's not to love? I remember buying a bunch of Hubba Bubba's Squeeze Pops from Blockbuster video back in the 90's and thinking I was the coolest kid on the block, but looking back, eating them was super awkward and messy, and I honestly don't remember them tasting all that great.

I was walking around Five Below a few months ago to get some sour sweets for the Candyology 101 podcast, and I saw this lonely tube of squeezable candy sitting on the shelf. I picked it up for a closer look and someone who was restocking the merchandise said it was really popular and that they couldn't keep it in stock. Welp, that sold me! Into my handcart it went. I wonder 28-year-old-me will like this stuff as much as 8-year-old-me.

Haribo Sour Golden Bears - Five Below

Haribo Sour Golden Bears - Five Below

Months ago a reader contacted me and asked me to review Haribo's Sour bears and I'm now I'm finally doing it! Slowly but surely I'm making my way through my massive food horde.

Flaming Moe Novelty Energy Drink - Five Below (TBT)

Flaming Moe Novelty Energy Drink - Five Below

"Call Mr. Plow, that's my name, that name again is Mr. Plow!" Wrong episode, I know, but with all the snow we've been getting that little jingle has been stuck in my head all week! What better time to get that reference out of my head than when I'm reviewing a Simpsons-themed novelty drink?

Jelly Belly Draft Beans (Beer Flavored Jelly Beans) Video Review

Here's a short video review! Watch my sister and I eat beer flavored jelly beans and act like complete babies about it.

Cupcake Cotton Candy - Five Below (Quickie Review)

Cupcake Cotton Candy - Five Below

Welp, if my sleep schedule wasn't messed up enough before...it certainly is now.

I came home from work, made dinner, took my dog for a walk, and fell asleep for almost 5 hours. Now it's 3 in the morning and here I am writing a cotton candy review. I've got something fun and slightly horrible ready to go for tomorrow, but for now, this is going to be a quickie review. (So I can get my butt back to bed before I hate myself too much in the morning.)

Minion Fartgun Candy - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Minion Fartgun Candy - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Over three years of food-related blogging has lead up to this very moment. That's right, today's the day, I'm about to review a fart candy. Is this the real life?

When this candy was announced I thought it was a terrible idea. I figured that it was just another novelty product to promote a movie, and I never thought I would actually buy it, but here we are.

So what sucked me into buying this little tin of chocolate fart-cloud candies?

Skittles Orchards - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Skittles Orchards - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

This package may say "new" but these have been out for quite some time now, and to be honest, I've been avoiding them and originally didn't plan on reviewing them.

I love Skittles and fruity candies, so why was I going out of my way not to buy these? Well, when Skittles announced that they were going to do an Orchard-themed mix I was initially interested, it sounds like a fun and refreshing flavor mix, right? But when I saw the flavor line-up I was really disappointed.

Berry Airheads Bites - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Berry Airheads Bites - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

The original Airheads bites are something I've been meaning to review for quite some time now. I've purchased at least 5 packages in the last two years hoping to take them home, photograph them, and write up an official blog post, but they never make it. I start out with the best intentions, but I love Airheads! (I'm candy-addicted and weak.) I always end up eating them in the car on the way home.

I'm not sure how truly "new" this berry version is, but I saw it at Five Below during my expansive search for the Minion Tic-Tacs, and couldn't resist giving them a try. Thankfully, they made it home in one piece.

Food Haul Video

When you're a food blogger, you buy a lot of food. Here are some of my most recent finds.

Mike & Ike Jurassic World - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Mike & Ike Jurassic World - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Aw man, I had something for this. (Archer reference anyone?) Seriously, I wish I had some wonderfully pun-y dinosaur related comment to open this review with, or a really good line from one of the movies like, "Dinosaurs eat man. Woman eats dinosaur themed candies at 3AM and reflects on her life choices." Sadly, that's the best I got, I guess I'm not a clever girl. (See what I did there?)

Okay, enough goofing around. On to the review!

Limited Edition Minion Tic-Tacs - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Limited Edition Minion Tic-Tacs - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Minion candy makes sense. We've had Minion Peeps, Minion Mike & Ike's, and now Minion Tic-Tacs, but a Minion Swiffer duster? That's where I draw the line. Seriously, this is getting out of hand. Why is there a cleaning product tie-in with this movie? I brought this up to Cybele during our last Candyology101 recording and she thought it might be a way to trick kids into cleaning, maybe that's their angle, but I don't understand who at marketing was like, "Yep, that's brilliant! Pack 'em up and ship 'em out!"

I may not be behind every Minion product that's available, but these Tic-Tacs are something special.

Duff Energy Drink - Five Below: Philadelphia, PA

Duff Energy Drink - Five Below: Philadelphia, PA

Normally I avoid energy drinks, but I'm a sucker for nostalgic novelty products, and surprisingly, the last three video game and Nintendo themed novelty energy drinks I reviewed from Five Below were quite tasty! Why not give Duff a try? (It's Duffman approved! Oh yeah!)

Botan Rice Candy - Five Below : Cherry Hill, NJ

Botan Rice Candy - Five Below : Cherry Hill, NJ

This was a little gift from my mother. She likes to read my posts (hi mom!) and wanted to get me a little something to review. I’ve actually had this candy before, but it was so many years ago I can’t remember what it tasted like, so I feel like I am reviewing it for the first time.

The packaging features large, bold, illustrations against a neon red and a true green background. While the colors are bold, they work quite nicely with each other. The illustrations and black text give the box a vintage look and feel.

According to Wikipedia, "The candy’s name, Botan (kanji: 牡丹, hiragana: ぼたん), means "peony" in Japanese. A peony blossom is shown on the label, next to an inu-hariko, a dog-shaped traditional toy for Japanese children."

I like this packaging, but I wish the “Botan Rice Candy” was written in white instead of black. I think the black is easily lost in the background.

Haribo Fruit Salad - Five Below in The Gallery, PA

Haribo Fruit Salad - Five Below in The Gallery, PA

This was a Haribo candy I had never seen before, then again I don’t usually seek out specific brands. I love fruity jelly/gummi candies so I wasn’t concerned about disliking this.

The bag is a bold yellow and has fruit on it which is very similar to the overall design on the Haribo Raspberries bag. I love the fruit print! The colors are a bit muted and have a retro feel to them. (I love that!) Unlike the gummi Dinosaurs and Raspberries, the Fruit Salad mix claims to be fat free. This doesn’t mean much to me, since I am not on a diet, or actively seeking out fat free candies, but this could be a selling point to other people.