Candy Land (2010)

Candy Land (2010), also subtitled The World of Sweets or Kingdom of Sweet Adventures, is a core entry in the popular board game series. The previous major revision was the 2002 version of the game. The next major revision would be the 2013 version of the game.

History

This controversial version removes some characters entirely while adding other new ones. The non-human characters have been removed almost entirely. It appears to be an attempt at updating many of the confections in Candy Land for a new generation.

The first location on the board is now the brand new Cupcake Commons. Mr. Mint and his Peppermint Forest are gone, replaced by the handsome Duke of Swirl and his Ice Cream Slopes. The game’s first shortcut, usually Rainbow Trail, is now “Peppermint Pass” as a vestigial trace of the fallen comrade. The previous Gumdrop Mountains are now the Gummy Hills, populated by gummi bears which have at this point eclipsed gumdrops in popularity. The Gingerbread Plum Tree is gone along with any trace of plums, but the new Gingerbread House seems to have taken the place of the old Peanut Brittle House. The Gingerbread Kids, previously littered across the board, are now mostly confined to their home domain performing some frosting renovations. Licorice might not be exactly popular with the children, but Lord Licorice is secure in his role as antagonist. This time he appears in the new Licorice Lagoon looking like a dashing pirate scoundrel. Princess Lolly in the Lollypop Woods has reclaimed her royal title but also holds on to her fairy-like wings from the previous edition. This might raise some intriguing questions about the royal lineage. Queen Frostine remains de-aged as Princess Frostine, now occupying the Ice Palace made of popsicles. It is hard not to see the Barbie influence in her new design, a far cry from her original appearance. The penultimate location is another new structure, “Chocolate Mountain” listed as the domain of newcomer Gramma Gooey. Gooey is an obvious replacement for the exiled Gramma Nutt, but also taking the position of Gloppy as chocolate representative. On the crest of the mountain we can see a smiling face with hands reaching out in the chocolate cliff face. Gloppy has been demoted to a nameless status, but he apparently still lives. King Kandy stands welcomingly in front of Candy Castle, now sporting a greater variety of bonbons than ever, looking more svelte than his previous appearance.

It feels notable that this version ratchets up both the quantity of candy and its sugar content while also completely slimming the cast down. Previous editions seemed to have no problem including characters who looked both fat and happy. This reflects a double-edged sword of modern media influence. Audiences are pushed to consume and spend and indulge while also being taught that it is unacceptable to look like someone who eats the amount they are told to. Candy Land is an escapist fantasy, but apparently not from American beauty standards. This version also received online criticism for the perceived sexualization in Frostine's new design.

Characters

Locations

Notes

In the 2011 commercial for this edition of the game, King Kandy is voiced by actor Marc D. Donovan.^[1]
This version of the board is referenced in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, where Crow T. Robot writes a screenplay based on Candy Land and has Jonah read for the Duke of Swirl.^[2]