Famous Candy From Films & Movies
| BY JOSH ROTHSTEIN
As movie enthusiasts, and of course, candy lover’s ourselves, we love watching movies while eating candy! Couldn’t you guess??? But what’s even more exciting is when the film we are watching has candy - featured in the movie! Talk about meta…
So let’s talk about some of the best times your favorite candy bars and sweet treats were featured in movies.
Moving beyond the concession stand, candy has had some of the best product placements of any brand in a number of films. These product placements can typically set up a symbiotic relationship between the film and the product that is showcased, benefitting both the film franchise and the brands. The 1992 film Wayne’s World mocked this corporate sponsor relationship flawlessly:
Typically a product’s placement in a movie or TV show will portray the brand in a good light. This is true, say maybe 99% of the time. But, we’re still not sure what to think about the usually delicious Baby Ruth being used as a fake doodie in the pool from Caddyshack:
Luckily, the 1985 movie, The Goonies made up for that with this adorable scene between Chunk and Sloth sharing a Baby Ruth candy bar, which ultimately leads to their friendship:
Moving beyond these great films, let’s talk about some of our favorite sweets and snacks, as seen in the movies and films that we love!
Some of the most famous candy featured in movies:
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
We wouldn’t be true candy enthusiasts without mentioning the quintessential film about candy: Wily Wonka. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a film about a boy from a poor family who gets one of 5 golden tickets hidden inside a chocolate bar wrapper.
This ticket admits him and a guest to a tour of the reclusive Wonka’s chocolate factory. This ticket also guarantees him a “lifetime supply of chocolate”. You could imagine the excitement any kid would have for that prize! I mean, everyone loves chocolate!
Here’s one of the best scenes from the movie, where the kids all visit the candy shop and we’re delighted with the Candy Man song. It never gets old, no matter how many times we’ve seen it!
“The candy man can, because he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.”
We couldn’t agree more!
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial
Anyone who grew up in the 1980’s can’t forget the movie E.T. and it’s near perfect usage of product placement with Reese’s Pieces. In the movie, Elliot quickly discovers ET’s love (or curiosity) for the sweet, peanut butter hard shelled candy. He uses the pieces of candy to lure him into the house where the quickly develop a heartwarming bond.
Die Hard
This movie probably isn’t on anyone’s list of kid’s movies, but it does hilariously feature candy in a fun, unexpected way. Right before the SWAT team raids Nakatomi Tower, one of the bad guys takes a defensive position at the concession stand near the food court. Looking down, the bad guy can’t resist the sight of a bunch of candy bars right below him. He looks around to make sure no one is watching and steals himself a theater-size Crunch candy bar.
The way he does this so fastidiously, it provides a much-needed moment of comic relief in this fast-paced action film.
Wreck-It Ralph
Perhaps one of our favorite sweets featured in movies recently was an entire character! Of course we’re talking about King Candy, from Wreck-It Ralph. Voiced by the supremely-talented Alan Tudyk, King Candy was specifically intended to mimic the Mad Hatter from Disney’s 1951 animated classic: Alice In Wonderland.
In the film, King Candy lives inside of an arcade game called Sugar Rush. Unfortunately for them, this kart-racing game is at risk of being shut-down by the arcade owner, due to a glitch in the system, that King Candy is trying to hide.
As you can guess by his name, King Candy is the king of a candy kingdom, where everything is made of candy!
Also, we absolutely love his signature catchphrase:
“Have some candy!”
Forrest Gump
Another movie that cannot go without mentioning here is the 1994 Oscar-winning film, Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks. Not only did this film win six Oscars, including Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture, it won over the hearts of audiences world-wide.
One of the most poignant scenes in the film was the “life is like a box of chocolates” part. As Forrest explains to a total stranger, essentially the meaning of life with his box of chocolates.
Batman V Superman
Another noteworthy candidate for our list of famous candy featured in movies, is Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. In this particularly creepy Lex Luthor scene, Jolly Rancher’s seem like an afterthought to the intensity that is building up between a government official and the evil supervillain.
At the end of the scene, Luthor force-feeds this government official an unwrapped Jolly Rancher, explaining: “it’s cherry.” This ultimately symbolizes the authority he has over the government – they are literally eating out of his hands.
All creepiness aside, we wouldn’t mind a cherry Jolly Rancher right about now!
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
One of our favorite funny movie moments comes in at the very end of this 1986 American teen comedy. When the Dean of Students, Ed Rooney is humiliated and sitting on the school bus during the end credits of the film, a girl sitting next to him offers him a gummy bear. “It’s been in my pocket, so they’re real warm and soft,” she explains. Hilarious!
John Candy
Finally, we’d like to make an honorable mention to the actor, John Candy. He was a beloved comedic actor from films like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Splash, Uncle Buck, Spaceballs and The Great Outdoors.
While he was best-known for his comedic roles, the actor also proved he could tackle some serious acting parts, (check out his scene-stealing role as Dean Andrews in Oliver Stone’s 1991 film, JFK).
Tragically, John Candy passed-away in 1994 at the age of 43. Of all the candy in movies, he certainly was one of our favorites!
We hope you enjoyed our look back at some of the best candy scenes in movies. If you’re an old-time nostalgia candy store, novelty store, gift shop or soda fountain looking to expand your product selections with any of these famous candies from movies and licensed characters, Redstone Foods can help you!
We have a dedicated team of account representatives that can guide you through the ordering process and make suggestions based on your individual needs. We also have a huge selection of licensed candy, snacks and sodas from TV shows and film that should help sweeten the deal.
Give us a call today!
