Penis-Shaped Gummy Candies Sold In New Zealand Candy Shops; Parents Are Not Amused


Imagine this: Your daughter walks home from elementary school, and on the way, stops by the candy shop. She buys a bag of gummy candies, heads home, opens it up, and what does she find but a candy shaped like a penis!

Several parents in New Zealand have found penis-shaped gummy candies in bags of mixed gummies imported from China, and they’ve apparently failed to find the humor in it. Jack Van de Geest, spokesperson for the candies’ importer, Dutch Rusk, told New Zealand magazine Stuff that the candies were recalled as soon as the complaints started pouring in.

“When first someone told us we thought they were joking, it can’t be right. But they said no, it’s honestly true so they sent us a bag. Then another phone call came a couple of days later and we thought, ‘what’s going on?’ and got everything sent back.”

New Zealander Barrie Aburn told News Corp Australia that his three daughters bought a bag of gummy candies (called “lollies” in Australia and New Zealand) at the supermarket and brought them home to him for his birthday. Among the gummy bears and other, more mundane gummy treats, he found one of the offensive candies, as well as a bear with a rather telling smile on his face.

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Neither Mr. Aburn, nor his partner Jacqui Hawkins, found it funny.

“I find it disgusting. I don’t find anything amusing about it at all.”

The penis-shaped gummy candies were manufactured in China, according to Mr. Van de Geest, where candies in the shape of penises (or breasts, for that matter), are not offensive. There, a phallic shape is a symbol of wealth and fertility.

“They wouldn’t even blink an eyelid. We see it as offensive. We don’t mind a hand or a foot being part of a lolly, but we object to a breast or a penis.”

Clearly, Asians take a more relaxed view of the human anatomy than many Western societies. Last month, for example, Toys ‘R Us stores in the U.S. found themselves in hot water for anatomically-correct baby dolls, according to this Inquisitr report.

Fortunately for horrified New Zealand parents, only about one in 20 or 30 bags were contaminated with the offending shape, and they’ve all been recalled, at great cost to the importer.

“We’ve done everything that could possibly have been done… these things happen. We want to put it to rest.”

Penis-shaped gummy candies are sold as novelties (for example, for bachelorette parties), and can be found at places such as Amazon.com.

If you found a penis-shaped gummy in your child’s candy, would you be outraged? Let us know in the Comments.

[Images courtesy of: Knijff, News Corp Australia]

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