I used to love going Trick or Treating. I can remember it now. My heart is beating fast, my hands clasped together are getting numb, and my knees are trembling. All my friends and I are going around the village asking for candies from the neighbors. I can visualize them now, running around with their small pumpkin baskets; their faces full of excitement just thinking about what candies are in there cute little bags, pumpkin-shaped lollipops with web-designed sticks, Casper-shaped candies, Spider-cut chocolates, skull-painted candies and many more!

Over the years many different candy figures and shapes have been made by our mothers, grandmothers, and candy companies. Kids often ask “How did Grandma make these Casper-candies”, and “I wish my Mom could make these pumpkin shaped lollipops with web-designed sticks!”

Have you ever imagined what a lollipop would look like without a stick? Or if you had been the first person to invent the lollipop, how would you have designed it? Would you still have put a stick in between the circular candy?

Kids love candies for two reasons. First, they tickle their taste buds, sending a taste explosion through their minds. Second, there is such a huge choice of candies available everywhere you go. With more than 2,000 different kinds of candy sold worldwide, they will never get short of new ones to try. Just some of the more popular examples are chocolates, fudge cookies, rock candies, bark candies, fudge candies, and the most popular of all, the lollipops.

Lollipops are sold everywhere. You can buy them in candy stores, grocery stores or just about any small shop in your neighborhood. Recently I was pondering why lollipops are so popular and I decided the reason must be because of the stick!

What do you think when you see a kid with a lollipop stick in his mouth? What do you think they are doing? Obviously sucking a lollipop, right? What made you think so? Did you see the candy itself? You just see the stick, but you instinctively conclude that it’s a lollipop! The lollipop has this air of mystery that you think you know what they are doing and enjoying, but you don’t really know and you want to be like them. I call it the “Detective Kojak syndrome”, after Tele Savalas’ famous TV cop.

Lollipops also stimulate your mood when you eat it, and eating candies while holding the stick has been proven to enhance the flavor of the candy. There may be no direct relationship between the lollipop stick and the flavor, but according to a University Study, the lollipop sticks arouse more zest in the candies. This may be because there are 2 senses working together, i.e. taste and touch!

Therefore, a good tip for grandmothers and mothers who want to create more flavorsome candies, they should concentrate on making lollipops.

Making a lollipop is easy and fun. So how do we make a lollipop? How can we insert the stick into the center of the candy? Do we need a specialized tool to put the stick into the candy?

The candy in lollipops is just the same as normal candy. The only problem here is how to inject the stick? What tool should we use? We use the candy lollipop mold which can be bought in grocery stores, or any candy shop or supplies store. These molds are similar to candy molds except that they have a hole for inserting the lollipop stick. The sticks can be bought along with the molds, and are inserted into the mold before the sugar mixture or chocolate is poured in. The candy will harden around the stick, and once set, can be removed as a single piece.

Candy Lollipop molds are inexpensive and are made from plastic, wood or metal, but most candy makers prefer the plastic candy lollipop molds, to avoid candy leftovers on the mold and for easy removal.

For just a couple of dollars, you can make amazing customized treats for your kids! Imagine SpongeBob SquarePants-shaped lollipops in a pineapple-designed basket, with delectable treats like cookies with gourmet caramels on top for a birthday boy, or a dozen rose-shaped lollipops in a picnic basket, with chocolate pecans and fudge cookies for a birthday girl.

You always want the best for your kids, so try to experiment with different candy lollipop molds and make a candy delight that your kids will always remember.