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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010 |
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Here at Sunshine Plaza, the shop names tend to involve puns. There’s Baker’s Field Bakery, Engine-Ears Toys, and Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream. |
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You might think a candy shop here would have a name like La Candyada Candies, or maybe Topanga Candyon Confections, or even Candyoga Park Sweets. But the candy shop has a rather straightforward name. It’s simply called Candy Shoppe. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2001 With the park’s Golden Gate Bridge |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2007 Open doors to welcome you |
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In addition to having an entrance from Sunshine Plaza, there’s also access from inside Greetings from California, the big store next door. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2004 Looking in from Greetings from California |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2007 Poppy theme |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010 Poppies and candy |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2007 Centerpiece of the Candy Shoppe |
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The interior of the Candy Shoppe features artwork representing the official state flower of California—the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica). It’s fun and festive. A sculpture of stylized California poppies dominates the center of the space. Murals show fields of poppies in bloom. Other poppy art sits on high shelves. The contemporary style of the interior is out of sync with the vintage exterior architecture. But does that really matter to anyone? |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010 One of the cases of treats |
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Chances are, however, that you came here for the candy, not to admire the art. There are plenty of prepackaged candy items. Almost all of them have beloved Disney characters on the packaging. There are also cases with freshly made treats. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010 Goofy’s Mostly Sour Powder Candy |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010 Main Street Popcorn |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2009 Candy Shoppe at night |
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Even if you don’t buy a treat in the Candy Shoppe, you can now say you’ve seen the world-famous California poppies. |
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The Candy Shoppe at Disney’s California Adventure opened in February 2001 as one of the original stores in the park. It lasted more then ten years. In August 2011, the Candy Shoppe closed permanently as part of the transformation from Sunshine Plaza to Buena Vista Street. |
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Photo by Kaldari, 2009, public domain, from Wikimedia Commons California poppies |
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The original concept for Disney’s California Adventure was to honor notable regions and landmarks of California, including Wine Country, Hollywood, and even the Golden Gate Bridge. With the California poppy design motif of the Candy Shoppe, California Adventure showcased another California icon. One of the most amazing features of California is the annual wildflower boom in the state’s high deserts. The cup-shaped, bright orange California poppy was named California’s official state flower in 1903. |
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Photo by Boris D, 2003, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, from Wikimedia Commons A field of California Poppies in the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve |
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The California poppy blooms in many parts of California. The flower is especially dramatic if you visit the western Antelope Valley at just the right time to see vast stretches blanketed with California poppies and bathed in sunshine. Before the Buena Vista Street transformation, the front of the park had been a disjointed mishmash. The Candy Shoppe was no exception. Its exterior had more in common with the nearby Hollywood Studios Backlot (now Hollywood Land) than with the tile murals, 50-foot Sun Icon, stainless steel train cars, and stores with gaudy signs such as the one for Engine-Ears Toys. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 One of the entrances of Elias & Co. |
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The former Candy Shoppe is now part of Elias & Co., Disney California Adventure’s largest merchandise location. The re-do Imagineers and contractors had to perform dramatic surgery on the front of the park to create Buena Vista Street—with the notable exception of the Candy Shoppe façade. It’s largely unchanged; only the sign and paint are different. The circa-1930 architecture provides an appropriate transition from the 1920s at the front of Buena Street to the 1930s of Hollywood Land. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Inside Elias & Co. |
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When Buena Vista Street opened, the California poppies inside the store were gone—replaced by an elegant interior that harmonized with the circa-1930 exterior of the new apparel shop. A new candy shop, Trolley Treats, opened nearby on Buena Vista Street. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Reused neon “Candy” sign on Trolley Treats |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 Trolley Treats interior |
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There’s just one mystery now… what happened to all the poppies? |
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© 2013-2018 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated January 18, 2019. |
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