Player One Podcast

I was first introduced to the comedic stylings of Simon Pegg when I saw Shaun of the Dead back in 2004. I have since gone on to appreciate Pegg’s work in Spaced and Hot Fuzz.

As I sat in the theater watching Shaun for the first time, I had no idea that within five years I would be eating a waffle that had Simon Pegg’s picture on it.

I’ve noticed that pretty much all of my recent posts have been food related. This is not by design, I can assure you. I have a few game and toy related posts to write up. I’ll get around to them eventually.

Phil Theobald Food delicious, Eggo, Shaun of the Dead, Simon Pegg, Star Trek, waffle

And it’s not crazy-old candy this time. In fact, you should be able to find this stuff at a store near you (at least for the next month and a half or so).

Halloween is almost a month away, so most stores should already have their candy-filled Halloween sections up and running. I always enjoy novelty junk food, so I was very pleased to find these holiday-themed Dots variants at my local Target.

I have a love/hate relationship with Tootsie’s Dots candy. It’s tasty, but the moment you bite down on one, it binds itself to your teeth with enough force that it takes a good ten minutes of digging at it with your tongue in order to wedge it free. Nowadays, I find the effort outweighs the taste, but I couldn’t pass up these limited edition flavors, especially when one sports the immensely unappetizing sounding flavor “blood orange” (and yes, I know it’s a real fruit).

Of the three varieties–Ghost, Bat, and Candy Corn–only the latter two are new. Ghost Dots debuted last year and they’re simply regular ol’ Dots in a cool, translucent shade of blue. The candy doesn’t glow in the dark, but it sure looks like it would.

I’m going to guess that the average person will look at Bat Dots and assume that they’re licorice flavored. I can only imagine that this will cause sales to suffer because I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who enjoys black licorice (although I do love me some Good & Plenty). No, this is indeed the blood orange candy, and it’s surprisingly good. The flavor is very sharp and sweet, but not to the point where it overwhelms.

Then there’s Candy Corn Dots. Now, I love candy corn (really!), but anything that’s not candy corn that’s flavored like candy corn is awful. I’m looking at you, Candy Corn Jones Soda. Candy Corn Dots aren’t quite as bad as the soda, but they’re not good. They taste vaguely like fake candy corn, but that’s about the best thing I can say about them. That taste combined with the texture of Dots is not a good idea. It’s pretty cool to see a two-tone Dot, though. Tootsie needs to create more multi-colored Dots. This candy also raises the question: If I’m in the mood to eat candy that tastes like candy corn, why wouldn’t I just eat candy corn? That’s like genetically modifying a pig so that its meat tastes like beef. Just save yourself the trouble and eat the cow!

But hey, Halloween candy. Go grab some Dots before the stores switch over to Christmas candy. Otherwise you’ll have to wait a year to try them again. Now how’s about a little interactivity? Share your favorite and least favorite Halloween treats in the comments section. Surely there’s room for Candy Corn Dots in one of those slots.

Phil Theobald Food bats, blood orange, Candy, candy cord, Dots, ghosts, Halloween

Today is September 9, 2009, and I celebrated by rushing out early this morning to pick up The Beatles Rockband. By a strange coincidence, when I pulled a t-shirt to wear out of my closet this morning, I happened to grab my Mega Man 9 shirt. Then, while driving to Best Buy to get my game, I ended up stuck behind the number nine bus. No joke. And did I mention that I had my alarm set to wake me up at 9:00? Too freaky!

Since this is the ten year anniverary of the release of the Dreamcast, every website out there is doing some sort of SEGA/Dreamcast retrospective. You know what? That’s friggin’ boring. It’s been done a million times already, and really, how many times do we need to read that Soulcalibur was a great launch title?

So instead of more redundant Dreamcast nonsense, on this 9/9/09 I offer to you…
nine-year-old gumballs!

The other day, I found a box of toys that I used to have on my desk back when I worked at Expert Gamer/GameNOW. These goodies were from the Oakbrook era before we moved to San Francisco, so they’re pretty old. Among the random action figures and game-branded trinkets, I found a pair of pink gumballs sealed inside a plastic bag that features the logo for Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards for the N64.

I actually wrote a strategy guide for Kirby 64 for Expert Gamer (issue #75, September 2000), and these gumballs were a little promotional item that Nintendo sent along with the game. The sugary orbs sat on display in my cube for about two and a half years until they were boxed up and shipped out to California with the rest of my crap. Now, they have been unearthed once more.

The gumballs themselves have Kirby stamped on them. For all I know, these are the only two Kirby gumballs left on the planet. I figured that I had best photograph them for posterity. They’ve held up quite well considering that they’re nearly a decade old. And no, there’s no way that I’m gonna try chewing these things.

BONUS! MORE OLD CANDY!

While we’re on the subject of expired promotional candy, I would like to present these two pieces of chocolate that Nintendo sent out to the press to promote the GBA’s Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak, which was released in 2003. It may not be quite as impressive as nine-year-old gumballs, but six-year-old chocolate isn’t too shabby. Wait a second…a 6 looks like an upside-down 9. Too freaky!!!

So yeah, as I was taking pictures of the Kirby gumballs, I remembered that I had these guys tucked away in one of the drawers in my refrigerator. I figured that it was time to bust them open and photograph the little buggers.

There’s not a whole lot to say about these pieces of hamster-themed candy. There are two packages: one for the angelic Harmony and one for the devilish Spat. I’ve not played Ham-Ham Heartbreak, so I can only assume that in the game, the two make some sort of Good vs. Evil play for Hamtaro’s soul. The candy itself features raised images of the two characters, and they’re darned cute.

No, I won’t be eating these, either.

Phil Theobald Food, Video Games 9/9/09, Candy, Chocolate, Food, GBA, Gum, Hamtaro, kirby, N64, nintendo