Disneyland candy canes draw a crowd

The hottest attraction at Disneyland this holiday season isn’t a new ride, parade or show, but rather $10 candy canes that sell out in mere minutes.

The foot-long sweets have proven so popular that Disney levied a two-candy-cane-per-person limit to prevent hoarding by overzealous foodies.

Crowds gather around the Candy Palace kitchen window to watch confectioners make the pinstriped red, white and green sugar sticks — prepared only once a week during Christmastime. Disneyland fan Shayne “Earkid” Sage posted a series of photos on MiceChat illustrating the elaborate two-hour process — a 35-year tradition at the Anaheim theme park.

A team of three candy makers — a roller, a puller and a shaper — typically creates three batches a day. The first batch is sold about an hour after the park opens, the second between noon and 1 p.m. and a third later in the day. Each batch produces 40 to 45 candy canes. Disney staffers will bubble-wrap the canes for travelers upon request.

Keep reading after the jump for dates of the next Disneyland candy cane sale.

In the MousePlanet chat room, candy cane fanatics recount waiting in hourlong lines that can stretch down Main Street U.S.A. to the Disneyland fire station.

A former Disney candyman on the MiceChat bulletin board reports the quantities are limited in part because of low profit margins and high cooking temperatures that heat the kitchen to 100 degrees.

The candy canes will be sold again on Dec. 8 (Saturday), Dec. 14 (Friday) and Dec. 22 (Saturday), according to Darlene Champeau, Disneyland candy production manager. Call the Disneyland candy hotline to confirm the dates: (714) 781-0112.

Have you tried one? Are they worth the wait and expense?

— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

[Photo: Shayne “Earkid” Sage]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 4:07 pm by Brady MacDonald and is filed under Disneyland, Family & Kids, San Diego, Theme Parks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.