Nerds Rope Rules!

You have probably been seeing boxes and boxes of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans and other Harry Potter-themed candy. For me, that brings back thoughts of another movie-based-on-a-book inspiration for candy: Willy Wonka. In 1964, Roald Dahl, author of several legendary children’s books, wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Seven years later, the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was released, based on the Dahl book. The movie and book both featured over a dozen descriptions of fantastical candy, including invisible chocolate bars (so that you can eat them in class without being detected by the teacher) and “square candies that look round”. Two of the candies from the book and movie, however, came to be made in real life: Everlasting Gobstoppers and Willy Wonka bars. In addition to these products, which were actually part of the artistic works related to Wonka, Nestlé also produces over a dozen other “Wonka” products, including Laffy Taffy, Spree, and Sweetarts.    Nerds is another Wonka candy product: a popular candy in small boxes that feature two flavors. It was a childhood favorite of mine, so when I came across Nerds Rope in a corner shop recently, I purchased it partially to recapture my love of Nerds and partially to try something new. The candy is actually really great: while quite sweet and really seems like the sort of thing a child might eat a third of before giving up, it is surprisingly fun to eat. The hard Nerds that coat the gummy rope get you to bite down and melt the sugar in your mouth while the rope provides a texture contrast. In all, it was very enjoyable and gave me an excuse to do two things I love to do: try a new candy and buy a new book (I didn’t own a copy of the Dahl classic). Oh, and if you want to get a wider sampling of Wonka products and either have dozens of nieces and nephews or own a candy shop, try Candyfavorites’ Willy Wonka Ultimate Candy Combo Pack.