A licensing agreement with Cadbury Adams USA LLC allows Taste of Nature to deliver the taste of the classic Sour Patch Soft and Chewy Candy in cotton candy form. Each pack of Sour Patch Cotton Candy includes up to four sour-then-sweet flavor blasts in signature flavors including red berry, lemon, lime and orange. The new item is packaged in 1-ounce, 2.1-ounce and 3.1-ounce bags; merchandising vehicles include display cases, trays and clip strips.

Warheads Juniors Extreme Sour hard candy is a miniature version of the flagship product in a sleek dispenser. All five flavors are assorted for a mix and match flavor sensation. The format allows kids to control the sour intensity by choosing the number of candies. (Five of these deliver the same sour intensity as the original Warheads.) The 18-count display comes in assorted flavors of apple, black cherry, blue raspberry, lemon and watermelon with a suggested retail price of 99 cents each.

PEZ is making a couple of new additions to its candy flavor lineup — cherry and raspberry. Cherry, one of the original PEZ candy flavors, returns after a 20-year absence. Raspberry has been introduced for the first time. The U.S. PEZ candy lineup now boasts a total of 11 candy flavors.

This squawking chicken novelty item from Sherwood Brands is filled with egg-shaped candy, which is released when the chicken’s stomach is squeezed. The suggested retail price is $1.49. Chick-N-Chat comes packed six 16-count display cartons per case.

Andes Mocha Mint, the new limited edition candy from Charms, is a creamy blend of rich coffee flavor with the refreshing taste of mint. The gusseted bag creates an upscale look with the front panel graphics featuring the Mocha Mint piece as the hero, while the background graphics create the flavor aura. Each Andes Mocha Mint piece is fin-sealed for freshness. Andes Mocha Mint is available in an 8.5-ounce gusseted bag, packed in a 12-count display-ready tray with a suggested retail price of $2.99 per bag.  The new item will start shipping August 2006.

This new organic chocolate treat from Ecco Bella is made of dark, Swiss chocolate with the addition of sea-algae calcium with the trace minerals it contains and Vitamins K, D2 and D3. The suggested retail price for the 1.75-ounce bar is $3.49. Ecco Bella Chocolates are sold in spas and salons as well as natural foods grocery chains, including Wild Oats and Whole Foods.

Sconza Candy has added Organic Chocolate Raisins and Organic Chocolate Peanuts to its line of “Naturally Sconza” products. In order to best showcase the product, the packaging design for the 5-ounce bags is simple and features folk-art labeling on a clear bag. The products come packed in12-count display trays or 46-count bushel baskets. The Naturally Sconza bag line — which features package weights ranging from 5 ounces to 8 ounces — carries a suggested retail price of $3.49 per bag.  

Packed 75 pieces per tin, Bawls Mints are lightly carbonated, high-caffeine mints made with guarana. They are designed to deliver what the company describes as “eye-popping refreshment” and also feature accents of citrus and vanilla flavors.

New from Brand New Products is a Snoopy Giant PEZ Candy Dispenser. Standing 12 inches tall, Snoopy comes decked out in a baseball cap; versions are offered for all 30 Major League Baseball teams. The oversized novelty item plays “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and comes with 12 packs of PEZ candy.

New Crunchy Baby Bottle Pop offers the same Baby Bottle Pop taste with the addition of colorful, tiny crunchy nugget candies that stick to the pop. Four flavors are offered —strawberry, Berry Blast, strawberry-watermelon and Berry Punch. A shipper contains 20 Baby Bottle Pops.

Koko’s has unveiled its newest offering, “dip-n-lik” novelty lollipops. The first rollout under the brand umbrella is a line of Flower Pops that feature a fruit-flavored pop “grown” in a pot that contains a tangy powder in the same flavor as the pop. Strawberry, green apple and blue raspberry varieties are offered. Each pop has a protective dome so the candy doesn’t have to be eaten all at once. Flower Pops come packed six 12-count display boxes per master case. Koko’s plans to extend the line with a variety of new concepts unveiled over the course of the coming year.

Recognizing consumers’ growing fondness for dark chocolate, Madelaine has added dark chocolate stars and balls to its line of gourmet chocolate novelties suitable for everyday occasions. They are wrapped in jewel-tone foils that are printed with color front and back. A variety of pack types are offered.

In conjunction with the release this summer of  “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,”  Masterfoods USA is rolling out M&M’s White Chocolate Pirate Pearls candies as a limited edition offering. Pirate Pearls will be available at retail beginning on May 1. Other limited edition movie-themed items to be available from Masterfoods include M&M’s Milk Chocolate Jack’s Gems, M&M’s Peanut Chocolate Captain’s Gold candies and changing-color M&M’s Minis Sunken Treasure Mix. The limited edition Pearls, Jack’s Gems and Captain's Gold are available in singles, a 5.3-ounce peg pack, 12.5-ounce laydown bag, and 18.6-ounce laydown bag with suggested retail prices of 55 cents, $1.39, $2.69 and $3.99, respectively. M&M’s Minis come in 1.08-ounce tubes and retail for approximately 55 cents.

The Pirate Pearls are offered in what Masterfoods describes as a “custom pearl/Caribbean” color blend that includes white, cream, pastel yellow and light blue candy shell colors. The candies also have pirate images such as a pirate ship and nautical spyglass imprinted on them. In addition, the packaging will showcase the M&M’s brand characters attired in pirate costumes derived from the movie.

Masterfoods’ Skittles and Starburst candies will get in on the act as well with new tropical flavors created to celebrate the Caribbean Adventures of the movie’s popular character, Captain Jack Sparrow. The new tropical Skittles flavors include pineapple passionfruit, strawberry starfruit and mango tangelo. New Starburst flavors include Royal Berry Punch and pina colada.

Masterfoods also is making available four new displays featuring pirate-themed limited edition items and core brands. Consumer promotions and print and television advertising, all tied into the movie, are planned as well.

No blender is required for those who seek to savor the taste of the confectionery category’s newest smoothies — Smoothie Blend flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans and NECCO Wafers Smoothies from NECCO.

Jelly Belly Smoothie Blend flavor combos include strawberry/banana, pineapple/pear, cherry/passion fruit, mandarin orange/mango and mixed berry. The Smoothie Blend formulation uses real puree of banana, blueberries and oranges and pear and passion fruit juices. Pack types include 9-ounce tie-top bags and 3.25-ounce and 3.5-ounce pillow bags packed in 12-count caddies. The latest addition to the Jelly Belly lineup also ships in bulk cases.

NECCO Wafers Smoothies come in five varieties — blueberry, banana caramel, tropical, peach and strawberry crème. A new package design includes attention-getting graphics.  

NECCO Wafers Smoothies count goods come in 24-count cartons packed 12 to a case and in a floor display shipper that holds nine 24-count cartons.

Already extended into the cookies and ice cream categories, Masterfoods’ Dove chocolate brand had added additional confectionery SKUs. Most of the new entries are slated to appear on retail shelves in July 2006.

New offerings include Dove Chocolate Covered Almonds in milk and dark chocolate varieties; three varieties of Dove Sugar-Free Chocolate (Dark Double Chocolate Crème, Dark Chocolate with Raspberry Crème and Dark Chocolate with Mint Crème); 3.5-ounce Dove Chocolate Bars in three varieties (milk chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate with almonds); and 1.5-ounce Dove Chocolate Single Bars.

Dove Dark Chocolate is made using Masterfoods’ proprietary Cocoapro process, which retains much of the chocolate’s naturally occurring, heart healthy cocoa flavanols.