Sweet Things Are Made Of These – CandyTopia Pop-Up

“Sweet things are made of these, who am I to disagree?  I travel the world and the seven seas, everybody’s looking for something.”  (Eurythmics Sweet Dreams lyrics)  Anyone else here an 80s fan? Anyone else here a sweets fan?  We are!  So when we traveled to California this past Spring, we made sure to stop by Santa Monica’s CandyTopia pop-up ‘cuz hey, who can resist the lure of candy? And if you’ve been following us on Instagram or this blog, you know we love a pop-up!

Similar to the Museum of Ice Cream, Candytopia takes people’s passion for a sweet treat and explodes it into a Willy Wonka style, wonderland filled with fun and discovery in every room. In other words, expect a lot of Instagram-able immersive experiences!

Get those cameras ready!

The first room, which looked like an old boy’s club library, is where you’ll meet your host, a lady who entertainingly describes the rules of this candyland.  It is here where you’ll get your first glimpses of candy artwork, which really is pretty amazing if you look closely to admire.  You’ll also get to sign their ginormous guestbook and sample a Lindt chocolate.  The next room, was light, bright and reminiscent of the Disney Movie’s Frozen scene.  Ice crystals hung above, a mirrored ice throne awaited and jellybeans disguised as famous works of art decorated this palace.

You can imagine my Frozen fan’s delight when she saw that she could play pretend in this glorious castle!  Here we are sharing the throne, with her appropriately dressed in Elsa’s costume.

Each room had its own look and feel, sometimes transporting you to magical places, sometimes underwater, 

It’s a wild and wacky world where candy eating is encouraged.  Tasty samplings included candy bracelets, lollipops, and swizzle sticks.  You’re sure to be on a sugar high!

Psychedelic spaces and ball pits are two of the common themes that run through most pop-ups (as presented in one of my past posts) and this one did not disappoint! Strangely enough, in LA, this pop-up had so few people running through it, we felt like we had the place to ourselves!    That right there, may have been the real treat.  Because as NY-ers, we are accustomed to waiting in lines for that Instagram-able shot.  Here, we jumped in and found ourselves in an enormous pool of marshmallows all by ourselves!  It was incredible!

This immersive Instagram heaven had colorful moments at every turn. But one of our favorites was the room with unicorns and flying, farting pigs. Yes, you heard me right..but no worries, these silly pigs blow confetti at you and poop our chocolate bars ha!

Jackie Sorkin, candy stylist, star of TLC’s Candy Queen and celebrity event planner describes Candytopia as a place where “an eccentric chocolatier and a daredevil pop star had a whirlwind romance, got married while skydiving, and had a glamorous, glittering love child who grew up to rule a small nation.”

Sound good?  It was deliciously fun!  And we are so thrilled to share the exciting news that Candytopia is traveling to our hometown, New York City August 15th at Penn Plaza!  Tickets go on sale July 19th!  Sign up here to get your personal alert to buy tickets!  You heard it here first!

You won’t want to miss out on these “colossal candyfloss constructions!”

How to host an ice cream social that will have them screaming for joy here.

For ideas on how to host a sprinkle themed party or play date, click here!

My recommendations for the top 5 trendy NYC ice cream spots are here.

What if an eccentric chocolatier and a daredevil pop star had a whirlwind romance, got married while skydiving, and had a glamorous, glittering love child who grew up to rule a small nation?  Welcome to Candytopia, where colossal candyfloss constructions meld with a tantalizing taffy twistedness!

Explore our sprawling sanctuary of confectionary bliss, tastefully curated by Hollywood Candy Queen Jackie Sorkin, realized by master fabricator Zac Hartog, and brought to life by life-long retailer, John Goodman. This four-month interactive art installation celebrates the vibrant colors and flavors of our favorite sugary delights across over a dozen environments, from flying unicorn pigs to a marshmallow tsunami. Bring your family, your friends, and your sweet tooth for an experience like none other!

If you ever dreamed of nibbling your way through Candyland or scoring a Golden Ticket, you’ve come to the right place. Treat yourself to Candytopia, and let your tastebuds and your imagination soar!

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Museum of Ice Cream Pint Shop Pop – up in NYC

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream.  That’s pretty much what I did when I learned that the Museum of Ice Cream was returning to New York City with another pop-up called The Pint Shop.  Having missed their first appearance, I anxiously awaited this and knew from prior pictures that it would be a feast for the eyes (and mouth)!

Unlike the first Museum of Ice cream where it was a sold-out, ticketed popup which included ice-cream upon admission, this pop-up sold pints of ice cream (at just $4.99) and was free and open-to-the-public.

However, if you wanted to skip the free pop-up line AND experience a fancy, ice cream tasting (similar to how wine tasting is run but with vanilla ice cream and beakers full of flavors), that could be done for $28 a ticket.  We opted to do the free experience and waited about 30 minutes in line. (Best times to go are M-W before 3pm).

And now that the word is out, I hear that lines for the free portion are easily an hour or more long…

Re-inventing retail, they also sold, color-coded, trinkets in the cutest pop of colors. 

Think ice cream pendant necklaces, thermal water bottles, stationary and stuffed animals… all the things you might see in the Target dollar aisle but upgraded and color-coordinated to the ice cream cartons. 

You know that feeling when you walk into a Target and pick up all these random things you never knew you needed til you saw them?  That’s how this will feel.

The rainbow aisles offered an endless array of Instagram photo opps!

You could even pose next to or drive a faux ice cream truck.

Tips for going with kids without having them melt down:

1. Bring something to keep them occupied during lines.  Whether it be stickers, snacks or a fidget spinner, (I always have all of the above in my purse), know that your child may get antsy and come prepared.  There will be lines for each of the major photo opps along with the line to get in.
2. As far as I could see there were no bathrooms so go before!
3. There is no special stroller parking, so bring at your own risk.
4. Bribe with ice cream if you have to 🙂 I find that the promise of a sweet treat at the end keeps most kids on their best behavior.

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