Shaped Candy

One thing that popped into my head last night, as I ate some gummy worms, was who is it that decided that gummy candy should have certain shapes? Is it because we have teddy bears growing up that we don't mind taking a bite out of a gummy bear? One of the fiercest animals in nature we find comfort in eating? How about gummy worms? Sour gummy worms are one of my favorite candies...but why worms? What is it about a worm that if you throw some sugar and coloring together that it is suddenly appealing? Even while I was picking out my gummy worms, I was deciding between the worms and gummy insects. Really? Shouldn't I have been appalled? I was about to eat some "insects" or "worms" and I was debating between the two.

Let's go toward Easter. They sell giant Easter bunnies. What is it about eating a bunny? It's okay if it's made of chocolate. What if a little kid decides to eat "Fluffy." Guess what, kids. That's meat. It's not some chocolaty snack. (I would say "treat" but I don't want to rhyme)

Then we have chocolate eggs with cream inside made to look like an eggs interior. Imagine the horror on a child's face if they try to eat a real egg because of how good the chocolate one tasted. I would find it rather amusing, honestly.

How about "Peeps". They make them for every holiday now, not just Easter. So, you're eating little chicks, bunnies, snowmen, Santas, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns...you name it. And, it's okay. It's candy. We can eat candy that looks like stuff. Why is that?

There is still plenty of candy that doesn't have a shape of something to eat...so why is it that we have shaped candy? What is it about eating a shape of some creature that we find so appealing? Why is it we aren't appalled by it? If a child eats a real worm, he/she is in for a big surprise. They ain't tasty. Slimy, not gummy. I'm not a fan, myself.

But...we have them. Gummy bears, worms, insects, fruits...you name it. Quite odd, but okay. I just wonder who the first person was who decided that we should eat bears. And who it was that thought worms would be tasty. And...it's such a part of culture that we aren't even phased by the concept. What's next? :)