Sour Patch Connectors offer candy lovers sour and sweet taste sensations that can be pulled, twisted and connected to create more than 28 flavor combinations. Connector sour flavors are: tangerine, lemon, cherry and blue raspberry. Sweet flavors include strawberry cream, tropical punch, bubble gum and cotton candy. Sour Patch Connectors is a trademark of Cadbury Adams Canada Inc., used under license.

This new soft and chewy candy is offered in a variety of sea creature-shapes and flavors, including Orange Sea Horses, Lime Whales, Blue Raspberry Dolphins, Grape Blowfish, Lemon Starfish, and of course, Red Swedish Fish. Swedish Fish is a registered trademark of MalacoLeaf, AB, Sweden, used under license.

This innovative edible “candy experiment” combines entertainment and education. Pop Rocks Laboratory includes a test tube, two pouches of strawberry-flavored Pop Rocks and two “secret ingredients” that enable kids to perform color transformation and foaming reaction experiments. With a suggested retail price of $1, it ships in 12-count display boxes.

King Leo introduces three new products in gable boxes: Chocolate Peppermint Bark, Hand Dipped Soft Peppermint Sticks and Chocolate Peppermint Patties made with bits of King Leo peppermint. All are made with real chocolate. Each 6-ounce box has a suggested retail price of $4.98. Boxes ship 12 to a case pack.

Jel Sert is the U.S. distributor for this international kids’ candy/toy line that debuted in 2003 and has been successful in the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. The Sweet Cred line includes Wrist Lickers, hard fruity candy encased in a resealable plastic cover on a watch-like strap in strawberry, raspberry and orange. Sweet Cred Movables are tubes of fruit-flavored hard candy with an action toy affixed to the top. The Moveables line will feature several introductions throughout the year, including Skateboarders, Road Builders, Choppers, Space Shots, Xtreme Wheels, and RevHeads. Sweet Cred Cuties are hand-painted collectible porcelain dolls featuring a variety of outfits and packed with a rainbow lollipop. Suggested retail prices range from $1.99 to $2.99.

Kandy Kastle asks the question: “What could be more outrageous than a mouth that dispenses candy and ‘barfs’ at the same time?” By pushing down on the head of Big Barf, an embedded electronic sound chip emits a retching sound as colored candy rolls out of the tongue. Suggested retail price is 99 cents. Box count is 10.

One of America’s oldest candy manufacturers, Blueberry Hill Foods, has dramatically upgraded packaging of its hanging bags. The durable, “flexographic” substrate bags sport a new “sunshine” logo with “shelf-popping” graphics and a clear product window. The company is also promoting 60 SKUs in a 99-cent, “2 for 1” promotion that includes 15 assorted candies. The line includes Starlight Mints made with triple-refined peppermint oil, Jelly Beans in eight flavors, Gummies and Jellies made with real fruit juice, a Kids Mix of eight traditional favorites and Candy Corn made with honey.

Flava Puff has extended its Bucket-Uh line sold at upscale retailers with a line designed for its mass and drug store clientele. The Bucket-Uh Jr’s everyday line, which has a retail price range of $2.99 to $3.99, includes Bucket-Uh Fun (16-ounce kiddie mix), Bucket-Uh Fruit (20 ounces of fruit slices), Bucket-Uh Drops (20 ounces of spice drops), Bucket-Uh Crawlers (16 ounces of sour neon worms), Bucket-Uh Bubbles (14 ounces of Dubble Bubble bubble gum) and Bucket-Uh Bears (20 ounces of gummi bears).

Cookies depicting the likenesses of favorite kids’ characters are available in two formats from Color-a-Cookie. Hand Decorated Cookies depicting the likenesses of SpongeBob Squarepants, Shrek, SharkTales, Care Bears, Scooby Doo, Batman, Wallace & Gromit, Madagascar, Pokemon, JayJay the Jetplane and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer have a suggested retail price range of $1.79 to $1.99. New Color-a-Cookies available in  licensed characters are pre-baked and outlined and come with flavored, food-grade food coloring markers for kids to color them in with. Suggested retail price range is $3.49 to $5.49.

House of Brussels offers gourmet truffles with a new dimension, made with real Ice Wine. The alcohol content of the truffles is below the level that requires retailers to be licensed to sell spirits. Suggested retail prices are $5.95 for the 100-gram size and $9.95 for the 150-gram size. Ice Wine is the byproduct of an accidental discovery from 1700s Germany. Grapes left on the vine during winter froze and then thawed, dehydrating the fruit and concentrating the sugars, acids and extracts in the berries, thereby intensifying the flavors and adding complexity to the wine made from it. House of Brussels was one of the first companies to develop gourmet truffles using real Ice Wine.

Just For Laughs creates novelty candies for the candy, toy, stationery and seasonal markets. Sound Pops are plastic lollipop holders with a jumbo lollipop and animal, Halloween and  Christmas figures. Pushing a button makes them sing or make animal sounds. A “try me” display is available. Suggested retail price is $2.99.

This 1-pound laydown package contains approximately 90 pieces of grape, apple and original Super Bubble bubble gum flavors. Packed 12 per case, 3-Flavor is also available in a 6-ounce peg bag and 300-piece bucket.

In addition, Farley & Sathers offers 1 lb. Jells for a limited time, until May 28, 2005. Orange Slices, Fruit Slices, Spice Drops and Giant Jellies are each packaged in fresh, eye-appealing packaging in a perforated display case for easy merchandising.

Blueberry Cheesecake is the first new energy bar flavor Everlast has launched since the brand was introduced in 2003. The 2.53-ounce bar contains 30 grams of protein and 3 grams of net impact carbs. It has a unique, smooth flavor with no artificial aftertaste, according to the company. In-store advertising and signage, as well as additional advertising and public relations efforts support the launch. Suggested retail price is $2.99.

Pop Rocks Explosion is a strawberry popping candy in a novelty container that is painted on the tongue. Suggested retail price is $1 and it ships in 18-count display boxes. Pop Rocks Dips Sour Strawberry dipping candy with lollipop is now available in improved flavors, Sour Strawberry, Sour Apple and Blue Raspberry, and sports new colorful packaging. Suggested retail price is 50 cents. It comes in 18-count sleeves packed 12 to a master case.

These sour candy-coated gumballs in orange, lemon, apple and cherry flavors boast eye-bulging graphics and mouth-puckering taste. Rain-Blo Eyepoppers are available in a standard bar display box and peg bag. The 1.5-ounce standard bars are packed 36 per display box, there are 10 display boxes per case and suggested retail price range is 59 to 79 cents. The 4.4-ounce peg bags have 10 five-gum ball tubes of sour gum, are packed 12 per case and have a suggested retail price range of 79 cents to $1.29.

For fashionable young candy-lovers on the go, Malibu Toys introduces Light-Up Candy Necklaces and Light-Up Candy Clip Ons, which light up with every lick. These toy/candy combos feature patent-pending technology to light the candy from within. Available in lemon, green apple, cherry and orange, each has a suggested retail price of 99 cents.

Each pocket tin of Inspirational Fish Gum contains a Scripture verse printed on the inside of the lid and contains .05 ounces of fish-shaped gum. Available in spearmint, cinnamon, wintergreen, tutti frutti and peppermint, its suggested retail price range is 99 cents to $1.99. Cases hold 18 boxes of eight tins. Wire counter and cardboard floor displays are available.

K-9 Candies is Koko’s first product launch of 2005. Served up in a mini dog bowl that comes in assorted colors, the product is 2.5 ounces of coated, pressed dextrose dog bones in assorted flavors and colors. The company will market K-9 Candies both alone in a straight pack and in a sampler K-9 Combo that also includes Monkey Business and Wurmz & Dirt along with a bonus bag of 12 SpongeBob Squarepants laser cut keychains. K-9 Candies are packed 18 bowls per display box with six display boxes per master case.

Building on the success of Dentyne’s sugar-free pellet gums, Cadbury Adams introduces its first breath-freshening soft chew gums, Dentyne Fire Cinnamon Spice and Dentyne Ice Cool Frost, available in June 2005. This soft-chew, sugar-free gum is offered in a unique, easy-close pack featuring a perforated sleeve that can be easily detached to condense the package, or to share with a friend. The 14-piece pack has a suggested retail price of 99 cents and the multi-pack of three retails for $2.29.

Cadbury Adams introduces popular Dentyne flavors in sugar-free mints. Available in June 2005, Dentyne Fire Spicy Cinnamon and Dentyne Ice Peppermint intense refreshment mints will be offered in an innovative and convenient 50-count pack. Suggested retail price is $1.49.

Holiday and everyday versions of Chubby Checker’s Treats & Tunes Gift Set includes the “Chubby Checker’s Classics” CD plus three Chubby Checkerbars in Premium Milk, White and Dark chocolate. Suggested retail price is $12.99. The CD contains Checker’s greatest hits, including “The Twist,” “The Fly,” “Pony Time,” and “The Original Master of the Beat.”

Convenience and on-the-go snacking is the impetus behind the development of P-Nuttles Snack Run Butter Toffee Peanuts and Sunflower Kernels from Adams & Brooks. The tube-shaped package offers easy merchandising in 12-count caddies that fit easily on shelves, according to the company. The 1.6-ounce Butter Toffee Peanuts and 1.5-ounce Sunflower Kernels have a suggested retail price of 2 for $1. Cases are 144-count.

This brightly-colored, kid-safe fan features constantly changing lights in the center and a candy sucker in the handle. Cool Pop has a powerful motor and long-life battery, is available in an attention-getting 12-piece display, has a “try-me” feature and a suggested retail price of $2.99. It is recommended for kids ages four and older.

Super Bubble XL is an extra-long, individually wrapped, pre-priced 25-cent piece of bubble gum with a scan-able UPC Code. The count-good tray holds 24 pieces and features striking graphics. Cases contain 12 trays.

Sweet City introduces its nostalgic Remember When Old Fashioned Candy Shop retro peg bag line with a wide variety of penny candy favorites from days past. Two different bag sizes of varying weights are available for each product, with suggested retail prices of 99 cents and 2-for-$3. Both programs are available in a pre-packed 36-case spinner rack plus 120- and 24-count floor shipper displays.

Yummy Mallow marshmallows come in different shapes, colors and flavors; the product assortment includes seasonal SKUs. The suggested retail price ranges from 99 cents to $1.99.

Imagine Global’s assortment also includes Really Juicy brand products made with real fruit juice. Product varieties include jelly beans, lollipops, gummies, hard candies, compressed candy and fruit snacks. The suggested retail price for these products ranges from 99 cents to $4.99.