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SANTA MONICA (CBSLA) — Welcome to Candytopia, an immersive, experimental adventure into the world of candy. The pop-up museum in Santa Monica is kind of like a modern-day Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory where you are encouraged to admire art coated in candy. “I love all candy. Ask my dentist,” says “Candy Queen” Jackie Sorkin, who recalls struggling with math and science as a kid. “We do have so much appreciation for engineering, for math, for how we formulate and create these beautiful pieces that requires hundreds, to thousands, to millions of pieces of candy,” she said. The disciplines of STEAM are designed, smashed, pinned and melted together at the Candytopia workshop in Los Alamitos, Calif., where calculating math is monumental. Engineering principles come into play balancing the weights with the structure of each sculpture. Same goes for chemistry. “We treat our products with certain chemicals and sealants and bonds and things that make them last for a very long time,” she said. Take the Gummy bear, for example. “I can turn the Gummy bear into something totally crazy and different,” says Sorkin who used hundreds upon hundreds of the small, fruit gum candies treat to create Van Gogh’s Starry Night. “It’s a learning process. We want people to feel it, smell it, touch it,” said Sorkin. “Just don’t eat it, don’t lick it, don’t bite it.” For Sorkin, who once struggled in school, Candytopia is a culmination of her perseverance. “Not everything is supposed to be so easy for us. The struggle builds the character and that makes the dreams come true,” she said. “I never, ever, ever gave up on this crazy idea and now look – it’s Candytopia!”

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‘I Can Turn The Gummy Bear Into Something Totally Crazy, Different’ Says Creator Of Santa Monica Pop-Up ‘Candytopia’