Mission From Mars: A Close Alien Encounter Of The Candy Coated Chocolate Kind

Aliens and candy go together like E.T. and Reese's Pieces.  So the Mars, Inc. Candy company introduced "Mission From Mars" in 1991.

The Mission From Mars crew visits Earth because their natural candy resources have been depleted by a Marsquake.

It is well known that aliens love candy, soft drinks and brand name products.  This is documented in "E.T." (1982) and in the 1988 movie "Mac and Me" (a film about an alien race that enjoys drinking Coca-Cola, dancing at McDonald's and shopping at Sears).

When the Mission From Mars crew is not busy working, they enjoy watching "The Mattel and Mars Bar Quick Energy Chocobot Hour" on TV (their alien friends Kang and Kodos from "The Simpsons" told them all about that show).

Mission From Mars stars Captain Romtu (the helmeted alien), Gleep (an orange blob with long arms and legs), Scoota (a reptilian creature) and Bing (a springy cyborg).

Artist John Blair Moore (well known for his work on the "Darkwing Duck" comic book and "Invaders From Home") wrote and illustrated the Mission From Mars comic.

The Mission From Mars comic is a "mini comic book" found inside the 1991 Disney Comics Darkwing Duck Issue #2, which was also drawn by John Blair Moore.

The aliens landed on Earth on Halloween, the perfect time to easily promote delicious and healthy candy (hey, there's peanuts in a lot of these items, and that is sort of healthy).

M&M/Mars sponsored the "Star Wars" Star Tours attractions at Walt Disney World and Disneyland for years.

Be on the lookout for cameo appearances by Mars Candy Brands.

You'll find Milky Way, M&Ms and Snickers.  Gleep holds a bowl containing two brands of candy that I can't identify.

Bing snacks on a Twix bar (which side will he choose?) and Kudos.  Romtu enjoys a Mars Bounty bar, which I've never heard of before.

Gleep has a bunch of candy, including Starburst and 3 Musketeers.  He also has a Mars Almond Bar and PB Max, both of which have been discontinued.

Mission From Mars appeared at about the same time that Disney announced "The Disney Decade" expansion plans for Walt Disney World in Florida.  This was to include a New Tomorrowland described as "an intergalactic spaceport for arriving aliens."

I thought these characters would have fit in well at Tomorrowland's "Mission to Mars."  The "Alien Encounter" attraction ended up replacing that in 1994 (which was later replaced by "Stitch's Great Escape" in 2004).

In September 1991, Disney Adventures Magazine had a special Mission From Mars Contest.  The Grand Prize was a Mission From Mars Halloween Party, complete with alien costumes and candy (so you could re-enact the Mission From Mars comic, I suppose).  The First Prize was a cassette tape of the Mickey Mouse Club's band, "The Party."  Second Prize was a box of candy.

The Mission From Mars characters appeared as CGI characters for this ad (and probably the commercials, though I can't remember them), which were very new and very rare in 1991.  My, how times have changed.  These days it is the hand drawn characters that are rare!

Keep your eyes open for the return of the alien characters in "Mission From Mars 2:  Attack of the Russell Stoverlords."

Beauty And The Beast Valentines

I vividly remember seeing Beauty and the Beast's characters for the first time during the Animation Studio Tour at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) at Walt Disney World in Florida. This was when the movie was still in production. I can remember seeing the enchanted object characters and wondering, "what are they doing?!?" Of course, what they were doing was creating a mega-hit.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast debuted in theaters in 1991, and wound up getting nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture (a first for an animated film). Three of the film's songs created by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken were nominated for Best Music, Original Song ("Beauty and the Beast" won, beating "Be Our Guest" and "Belle").


The story and songs were a natural fit for Broadway (especially the "Be Our Guest" number), and an expanded "Beauty and the Beast" stage musical debuted in 1994.

For "Beauty and the Beast: Special Edition," a special IMAX version of the movie released in 2002, the "Human Again" song from the Broadway show was inserted into the animated film.

The animated "Beauty and the Beast" had a powerhouse crew and cast, lead by directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, Producer Don Hahn and Executive Producer Howard Ashman, and Linda Woolverton's screenplay.

Paige O'Hara voiced and sang the part of Belle. Robby Benson seemed like an unlikely choice for the Beast, but it's difficult to imagine someone else giving him a voice. Jerry Orbach played Lumiere, the show-stopping candlestick. David Ogden Stiers made Cogsworth tick. Angela Lansbury was warm as Mrs. Potts. Bradley Michael Pierce played her mischievous son, Chip. Richard White was that boorish, bellowing brute, Gaston.

The movie had its star lead animators, too. Glen Keane used all sorts of animal parts to create the Beast, one of the best Disney characters ever made. His Beauty, Belle, was brought to life by James Baxter. Andreas Deja gave Gaston his debonair "charm", with Chris Wahl tackling Gaston's toady, LeFou. Nik Raineri lit things up with Lumiere, while Will Finn kept Cogsworth running like clockwork. David Pruiksma poured his talent into Mrs. Potts and Chip. And of course, there were many, many other talented folks who worked to bring the Beast and his co-stars roaring to life.

Walt Disney World will soon be bringing the world of Beauty and the Beast to life in the Magic Kingdom as part of an expanded Fantasyland. Visitors will be able to explore Maurice's Workshop, home to the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction. The Be Our Guest Restaurant will allow guests to dine in the Beast's Castle. The area will also feature Gaston's Tavern and Bonjour! Village Gifts.

These Valentines were released by Mars, Inc. (I believe they were available in boxes of Starburst candy). These cards feature trivia questions on the back. Let's see how you do with these mind-boggling questions (no cheating!):



Mrs. Potts was an elderly old woman cook with a son that sounded like he was maybe nine years old. The enchantment at the Beast's castle had been going on for ten years when Belle showed up. This little head-scratcher was (sort of) addressed in the 1997 mid-quel, "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas," as it showed a very young human Chip with the grandmotherly Mrs. Potts. Who was Chip's Father? I bet it was that lecherous bright copper kettle tea pot!



If you go in the West Wing, you'll find the Enchanted Rose, plus Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, and Martin Sheen!


Belle loved the Library, but everyone else loved the spinning, gasp-inducing CGI Ballroom!



Belle did not care much for life in her town. With everyone around her singing at the top of their lungs about how odd she was, it's no wonder that she instead opted to live in a huge castle with a buffalo and some magic kitchen utensils.

The Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory Tour Game From Disney and Warner Brothers

The Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory Tour "board game" was featured in an October 1988 issue of The Disney Channel Magazine. The Wonka movies (the original from 1971 and the 2005 version) were made by Warner Brothers, but the studios seem to cooperate with each other to promote their films in the best way possible. Willy Wonka has appeared on the Disney Channel for many years. Lately, Warner Brothers and Disney have worked together to promote the Harry Potter films on Disney-owned networks. The Harry Potter marathons on ABC Family are a prime location for promoting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando (this Florida theme park also has Marvel Superhero Island, home to characters recently acquired by Disney through the company's purchase of Marvel Comics).

I got a kick out of Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with Willy Wonka (played by Johnny Depp) having a dentist for a father. My childhood dentist looked very much like the original Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder. My dentist was friendly, and at the end of my check-ups, I got to select a toy from a basket shaped like a kangaroo. To me, my dentist was Willy Wonka.

Of course, there is an actual Willy Wonka brand of candy (introduced in 1971) owned by Nestle, selling chocolate and many other candy brands, including those kooky Nerds candies and looney Laffy Taffy.

I was surprised to learn about a dark ride featuring Willy Wonka located at the Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England. This is not based on the movies, but rather the illustrations created by Quentin Blake for Roald Dahl's book, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

The artist for the Disney Channel Magazine's Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory Tour Game is unfortunately not credited. I know it wasn't drawn up by an Oompa-Loompa. Or was it?

Halloween Peeps!

When most people think of Marshmallow Peeps, they think of Easter. But the good folks at the Peeps factory (Just Born, Inc.) decided years ago that they'd expand their horizons and have Peeps for all seasons. At Halloween, you can find Peeps Pumpkins (in Original, Sugar-Free, Dark Chocolate Covered, and Milk Chocolate Covered), Peeps Ghosts (these used to be available in a vanilla creme flavor, but these days they are the original marshmallow flavor), and Chocolate Mousse flavored Cats.



Here are Bean Bag toy versions of the Peeps Cat and Ghost, which are from 2005. I bet a Pumpkin was available, too.

I saw the Peeps (candy) marshmallow Ghosts for sale at the grocery store this weekend. I have never seen the elusive Chocolate Mousse Cats. I must find these this year!

I think the branding of every marshmallow design as "Peeps" seems like a fairly recent thing. I remember when the marshmallow bunnies were "Bunnies" and the marshmallow chicks were "Peeps." I guess the name "Peeps" was more memorable.

I tend to favor the flavored Peeps. At Valentines, you can find tasty Vanilla Creme and Strawberry Creme flavored hearts. At Christmas, there's a Sugar Cookie flavored Gingerbread Man that I think is the bee's knees. I tend not to buy these out of fear of eating the entire package in one sitting (but hey, they are fat free!).

Candilicious-Bigger Than You Figure

This ad for a candy called Candilicious is from a 1989 Alf comic book.  Candilicious was a chewy candy that I never tried, and was not a big hit, but the animated commercial is something I do remember.

Animator Sally Cruikshank let her imagination run wild with this creative ad.  She was responsible for main title animation in a number of live action films, including "Ruthless People" and "Mannequin."  She also had some cartoons featured on Sesame Street, like "Your Feets Too Big."  Sometimes her work has a dream-like or nightmare-like quality that is fascinating.




I have lost count of how many times I have played this commercial.  I love the song!

Winnie the Pooh Easter Peeps

I have a soft spot for Marshmallow Peeps. I can remember eating them at Easter when I was three years old. These days, Peeps are not just limited to Easter time, and sometimes they are available in different flavors. I love the Vanilla Creme, Gingerbread, and Strawberry flavored Peeps. Many years ago, my Mom gave me a plush Halloween Cat Peep (I don't think I've ever seen the Cat candy in person, but I have seen and gotten sick eating too many of the Ghost Peeps). This past Christmas, I was given a box of Christmas Tree Peeps (I just threw a stale one in the trash two days ago).

In 2002, the Disney Catalog offered Winnie the Pooh Easter Peeps. I think these look great! I wonder if these are still made. Maybe if they were available at grocery chains, they'd be more affordable than the price in the Disney Catalog.

Reese's Pieces - The Other Alien

The 1982 film ET prominently featured Reese's Pieces Candy (ET's favorite treat). I guess Reese's couldn't get ET for their ads, so they came up with this alien character as a substitute. In the commercials, this character was portrayed with a puppet and an actor in a costume, just like ET was.

I thought ET was much cuter and more appealing than this creature.

As a kid, I had a stuffed ET that I loved and I was so excited to get it for Christmas. He was stored in the attic years later, and when I found him again, his leather-like skin had cracked off the plush body and peeled away. So if you have an ET doll in your attic, he may have shed his skin!

Revenge of the (Candy) Nerds--AKA It's Valentine's Day, Go Hug A Nerd

Since I've already posted Valentines, I thought I'd do something different today.

Candy is an important part of Valentine's Day, and this candy apparently needs your affection.

This ad is from 1984. For $6.95 and four proof of purchase seals, you get your own cuddly plush Nerd.

This sounds expensive to me in 2010. I wonder how many kids put all their effort into buying a stuffed Nerd. It doesn't look like you got to pick out which color you wanted, either.

This offer expired June 30, 1985. Sorry to get your hopes up if you wanted one.

Happy Valentine's Day! Remember, the candy is half price tomorrow.

Laffy Taffy: Bad Boy Banana Biker

This "a-peeling" slick character could be seen in a TV commercial for Laffy Taffy with other talking produce items and Daffy Duck in the late 1980s/early 1990s. I believe his name was Ben Ana, and I do know they at least made a plastic pen with his likeness (which I really want). Because of the association with Daffy Duck, I always wondered if Warner Brothers designed the Laffy Taffy spokes-characters. This image is from a plastic candy container, and "For Display Only." I'm not sure how I managed to add this to my collection.

*UPDATE on March 21, 2013:

This character is indeed named Ben Anna.  He was part of a group called The Laffy Taffy Bunch.  Not only did they appear in a TV commercial with Warner Brothers Looney Tunes star Daffy Duck, they could be found in comic books, too.  This particular advertisement was in a 1988 Archie Comic.

Besides Ben Anna, there was a Watermelon, Strawberry, Sour Apple, Sweet and Sour Cherry and Sour Grapes.  I haven't seen the commercial in many years, but I believe Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson on "The Simpsons") may have voiced at least one of the female characters.  Daffy Duck, getting short-changed as usual, was not in the comic.

Bananas are funny for many different reasons, so Ben Anna seemed to be a good fit for a joke-based candy mascot.  In 1988, Laffy Taffy had a joke contest, and some of the prizes featured the Laffy Taffy Bunch.  A Ben Anna pen was 3rd Prize, and to me it seems better than the 1st Prize (a Jar of Laffy Taffy chews).

The Grand Prize was a choice between a Laffy Taffy motorized funny car (cool!) or a custom-built doll house (perfect, I suppose, for a Special Edition Mattel Carmen Miranda Barbie doll).  The prize for 2nd Place was a Laffy Taffy T-Shirt.

By 1995, Laffy Taffy became a Concorde Brand (a division of Sunmark, Inc.).  The Laffy Taffy Bunch could still be found in comic books, though their commercials were no longer on TV.  Some new flavors and characters joined the Bunch, including Pink Lemonade and an Orange.

The Laffy Taffy Bunch got an updated look for this 1995 ad featured in a Disney Gargoyles Marvel Comics book.  Vanilla and Fruit Punch flavors are mentioned here, but I don't know if they had corresponding characters.

Eventually, the Laffy Taffy Bunch lost their job as mascots and the candy became a Willy Wonka Candy Company brand released by Nestle.  Who's laughing now?  Daffy Duck, probably.