While many Super Bowl commercials will be unveiling their multimillion-dollar campaigns on Sunday, a few advertisers are whetting the public's curiosity by springing the ads early (like Honda did with its Ferris Bueller-inspired CR-V spot). Now, M&M's, which has promised to unveil the brown M&M's persona in a game day commercial, showed off what Ms. Brown looks like at its Time Square store. more ›

Alex "Tracks" McFarland has been selling candy to subway passengers for 14 years, but he became a mini-viral video celebrity after Columbia graduate student Bianca Consunji featured him bragging about making $150/day in a short documentary. In the video (see it below), McFarland says that peanut M&Ms are his biggest draw—"These M&M’s, I take care of my family with this"— but now he tells the Post that he's dropped the delicious junk food, "Too expensive. Not enough profit." Another revelation: He doesn't pay taxes on his haul! more ›

[Update below] When it came to his third term election Michael Bloomberg was able to spend $174.53 per vote, but now that he's got the job (again) Hizzoner is getting stingy. At least when it comes to Halloween candy. After years of handing out full-size candy bars, this year the staff at Bloomberg's Upper East Side mansion were only handing out the "fun-size" kind. After all, sugar will kill you. more ›

New Yorkers love Halloween, sure, but we didn't realize how much until the New York City Economic Development Corporation told us. Would you believe that New Yorkers spend approximately a quarter billion dollars on Halloween costumes/candy/cards/decorations every year? That is a lot of candy, candy corn bagels, and costumes! more ›

When Necco Wafers, the dry-as-chalk candies beloved by many a septuagenarian, decided to change their original recipe to include "natural" flavors and colors, they thought they were just staying hip to the know. But the plan totally backfired, as thousands of angry customers hounded the company to go back to their original, artificial ways. more ›

Kids these days. If they're not sucking down the Four Lokos, they're rotting their teeth on pot-shaped candy instead. Say goodbye to candy cigarettes and hello to pot-shaped suckers. more ›

In light of all the awesome post-Easter candy sales going on at Duane Reades and bodegas across the city, just a quick PSA that yes, delicious Kinder Eggs are still illegal, and the feds have been raiding the stores that carry them. more ›

Have a coworker who is always bringing candy and cookies to work? What a bitch! Because according to the Wall Street Journal, that kind gesture could actually make you physically incapable of not eating candy, and thus making you fat. Brian Wansink of Cornell University explains, "The proximity and visibility of a food can consistently increase an adult's consumption. Even for a person with the greatest resolve, every time they look at a candy dish they say, 'Do I want that Hershey's Kiss, or don't I?' At the 24th time, maybe I'm kind of hungry, and I just got this terrible email, and my boss is complaining—and gradually my resolve is worn down." more ›

You can get a lot of press with a study title like, "Candy consumption was not associated with body weight measures, risk factors for cardiovascular disease, or metabolic syndrome in US adults," but sorry, this doesn't mean that your crippling chocoholism will make you healthy. The study asked about 15,000 adults to recall what they had eaten in the past 24 hours, and 20 percent said that included some form of candy. However, the average BMI and weight circumference were lower in those who said they consumed candy than in those who didn't. Before you buy out the M&M store in Times Square, there are some caveats. (Mmmm, Caveats.) more ›

In October, PATH conductor Michael Wilson took the no-food-on-the-train rule into his own hands, taking down two teens who were trying to sell candy on his train. He threw the box of candy out of the window and put one kid into a headlock, which landed him an assault charge. Now, the Post reports that he was fired in November after disciplinary hearing. more ›

If you're waiting to pop by the Duane Reade on the way home from work to pick up a $5 heart-shaped box of Russel Stovers for your sweetheart, you might be out of luck. According to ABC7, Valentine's Day spending is on the rise, with Americans expected to spend $1.5 billion on sweets alone. And with that chocolate shortage looming, it's unclear if manufacturers planned for the uptick in sales. Our local grocery store was nearly out of boxed chocolate (and completely out of strawberries!) last night, and at least one Duane Reade is suffering from a Sweetheart shortage. more ›

Who is the cover boy for the first transversal style mag? It's James Franco, of course... who really does not represent well as a woman. The Candy magazine cover was shot by Terry Richardson, and the mag says they're "dedicated to celebrating transvestism, transexuality, cross dressing and androgyny, in all its manifestations." Do you think Franco, you know, to his own cover? [via HuffPo] more ›

In 1964, Roald Dahl's instant-classic children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was published. Seven years later, in 1971, Paramount Pictures released the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, which Dahl is said to have loathed (which is why Dahl's magical sequel to the first book, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, was never made into a movie). The movie, famous for its psychedelic '70s style and Gene Wilder's twisted trippy performance, also coincided with a major marketing opportunity: turning the candy itself into mass-marketed merchandise. That task was taken care of by Quaker Oats, which won the licensing rights. (Check out this great Flickr set comprised of scanned images from the original Willy Wonka product roll-out.) more ›

A Connecticut man was caught at JFK Airport with $500,000 worth of cocaine stuffed in chocolate truffles and pistachio shells. Robert Lopera, a seemingly unemployed US citizen, flew into JFK from Medellin, Colombia, (best known because of Vincent Chase's notorious vanity project) on May 11th. Customs and Border Protection agents became suspicious when two bags full of "the chocolates and pistachios were unusually heavy," and discovered 15 pounds of cocaine inside—more specifically, balls of cocaine covered in delicious chocolate, and nut-sized cocaine cubes within the pistachio shells. more ›

Cops want your help finding a bald man who may have been involved in the killing of former Brighton Bazaar owner Vladimir Tolstykh last year. In March two hooded thugs beat the purveyor of salty salads and blini to death, stealing thousands of dollars and Russian candy, says the Daily News. His widow Rita, who’s taken over the Brighton Beach grocery, thinks it was an inside job. "Somebody knew the whole schedule—how it worked, what time he came in," she said. Now police have released surveillance footage of another man fleeing the scene and are offering a reward of $32,000 for tips leading to his arrest. Take a crack at it: call (800) 577-TIPS or report online. Video after the jump. more ›

Two sweet-toothed men are bitter after being mistakenly arrested for possession of crack cocaine. "I spent five days in jail for possession of coconut candy," said 33-year-old dad Cesar Rodriguez, who works as a plumber's assistant. Now he and his friend want their just desserts--they're planning a $2 million lawsuit against the NYPD, who their lawyer say was careless and didn't follow protocol. more ›

Have you been asking yourself: where is all this candy coming from? So has the New York Times, and what they found may shock you: It is leftover candy from Halloween! The exclusive scoop reveals that some are so sick of seemingly harmless miniature candy bars that they bring the excess into the the office to unload on coworkers... who were apparently confused about this process until now. more ›

It's not quite '80s Manhattan, but the Club Animals troupe are tapping in to the vibe of old, drug-laden New York by bringing a crack rock delivery service to your front door. Okay, so maybe furry animals delivering candy is aiming more towards the Disneyfication of the city. Here's what they have to say for themselves: "we are personally delivering a 100% sugar crack rock (multi-colored and multi-flavored with snow cone syrup) to your Brooklyn house on demand. Expect a 7-foot tall man in a plush, blue mascot head, white gloves and a tuxedo to come knocking soon after you call or text for delivery. You can purchase a few candy crack rocks for $1 a pop in a 1" x 1" crack bag." Seems innocent, if not a bit creepy (this is the same man who gives bouncy rides in the subway). But wait! The closing sentence declares: "Can't say too much here because y'know it's drugs." Follow the link if you wanna take your chances. See you on Dateline! more ›

For some reason the NY Times' new Local blog recently did some leg work to find out what exactly is behind the uninviting doors of the Putnam Candy Store, located at 10 Putnam Avenue and Grand in Brooklyn. Is anyone surprised that it's not candy? Their colorful website and promise of the sweet stuff on their sign aside, the appearance doesn't exactly scream Wonka, and even councilwoman Letitia James is suspicious. She told the blog, “There’s a lot of traffic, people going in and out. I don’t know what you’d attribute that to — a lot of people buying milk, or people buying something stronger. Grand and Putnam has been a challenge since I first got elected. It’s improved greatly but we still have our challenges, and the candy store may be one of them.” Meanwhile, locals declare they would never procure their lollipops from the place, and they suspect some illegal activity as well—but the 88th precinct swears the shop is “a legitimate business as far as we know.” When the reporter knocked on the door, however, there only seemed to be some old men drinking beer, who quickly directed him to the bodega across the street. more ›

Besides the sickening amount of mass-produced prole candy available this time of year, there's also an abundance of higher grade Halloween eating and drinking options. And so it begins; the long, downward holiday flab spiral that reaches its nadir around the first week of January when you have to start leaving the top button of your pants undone. Oh well, no use fighting it; here are some consumption opportunities we've been able to scare up:
• Through the weekend, the 2008 Vendy award-winning Treats Truck will be featuring Halloween specials including Halloween sugar cookies and Candy Corn Crispy Squares. (Keep apprised of the truck's whereabouts.)
• According to their website, "the ghouls of the cheese world" will converge at Artisanal Cheese on Halloween night. Fromager Waldemar Albrecht and wine professional Candela Prol will conduct a tasting of cheeses and wines "from remote and obscure places on a night that will be hauntingly remembered." Sure it costs $85, but freaking out about your budget is part of the Halloween fun.
• Sushi Samba's Halloween specials take their cue from the outrageous, stylized contortions of Kabuki characters, hence their "Spooky Kabooki" party on Friday at their Park and 7th Street location, with a costume contest that will send the most inventively dressed diner (out of all locations) on a weekend vacation to Las Vegas. Runners-up walk with $100 gift certificates, and special menu items include the Dracula dessert: Coca cola gelee, vanilla bean ice cream, raspberry foam and finish with berry blood drops & pop rock explosions.

Three women who were training to be tasters at a Cadbury's research office in NJ are suing the British candy conglomerate. According to the Star-Ledger, the women were tested an "experimental high-intensity sweetener" that allegedly "left them with oral lesions and chemical burns that they say are affecting their ability to taste normally and eat certain foods without a burning sensation." The plaintiffs say they knew the sweetener was experimental and not yet approved, but a Cadbury employee said others who tasted it only had minor reactions. Cadbury did not comment. more ›

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Green M&Ms have held this mythic place in many people's candy-eating consciences, whether due to fables, Van Halen's concert riders or advertising. And now green M&M's will be associated with a very real place in New York - Central Park. Tomorrow, M&M's World Store in Times Square will start selling a special new color, Central Park Green, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Central Park Conservancy. These M&M's have a mottled... more ›

What can you say about the Vernon NJ Police Department except that they like Hanna-Barbera? Because they created a "WANTED" poster with Yogi Bear's likeness, after discovering a black bear had stolen a minivan. Well, maybe "stolen" is overreaching, but Patrolman David Dehardt noticed that a Mazda minivan was parked in an odd spot, and when he approached the car, it had the classic signs of bear presence: "mashed window, paw prints, smudge marks on... more ›