这就是洛杉矶新的，异想天开的糖果的感觉

For the more blasé among us, it would be tempting to dismiss糖果作为一个肤浅Instagram的水果age. The pop-up is a candy version ofThe Museum of Ice Cream, the social media sensation that sold out its temporary exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami since its 2016 launch.

But, these judgements wouldn't be fair. For one, the origin story behind Candytopia might be just as fantastical as the candy-covered Sphinx sculpture within—six-feet long and made out of 22,000 gummy bears and black licorice pieces, by the way. The exhibit, which launches Friday in L.A.’s Santa Monica neighborhood, is the brainchild of candy stylist Jackie Sorkin in collaboration with business partners Zac Hartog and John Goodman. Audiences will recognize Sorkin from the 2011 season of TLC’sCandy Queen, a candy-centric cooking show that put her in front of international audiences. After appearing on it, she got approached to host pop-ups in Taiwan, China and all over Southeast Asia. They were a hit.

“Asia doesn't have the same candy culture as the United States,” she says. “They don't have the same palatae for sweets as we do.” Being able to see thousands of hard candies, then, all under one roof, and being able to taste hundreds of them, was particularly novel to those audiences.

顺便说一句，这是在冰淇淋博物馆之前 - 不是一场比赛。“我是如此，为他们感到高兴，”索金说。“我相信女孩的力量。当我们看到他们的成功时，告诉我们是时候对我们了，业务中的一切都是关于时机的。我在今天的节目中看到了他们，我说：“这将是一个怪物的热门。”人们就像，不。我是对的。我总是听我的感受，跟随我的肠子。”

此后，索金（Sorkin）与像名人一起工作Katy Perry和卡戴珊人to create custom candy creations. It's still surreal for her. “I think it's surreal when you come from zero,” she says. “I didn't grow up like that. I was an obese child, and my parents didn't have a lot of money. I just feel so grateful for this world I'm in.”

When she was twelve, she discovered a camp for overweight kids in Pennsylvania and begged her parents to send her. They did. She ended up returning to Camp Pennbrook every year, and director Flip Shulman ended up becoming a life mentor of hers.

Still, she struggled with her weight into adulthood. “I could never get control of it,” she says. “I've always been up and down, up and down. 50, 60, 70 pounds. Skinny, fat, skinny fat.”

Sorkin can't put her finger on it, but something changed when her dad died three years ago—but something just clicked. “He was always like, YOLO. Live your life,” she says, wiping away tears. “This is all for him.”

她说：“也许我很长时间就用食物喂食了感情和情感，因为我不知道我在这个世界上要做什么。”亚搏电竞“我已经成长了所有的学习障碍。我有一种食物成瘾亚搏电竞，它被转移到想要被需要并为我的生活中做一些有意义的事情。”

Candytopia证明了这一点：一种被软糖覆盖的，甘草包裹的，果冻肚皮的颂歌。梦见荒谬的事情。以及对索金（Sorkin）奋斗这么长时间的祸根的庆祝活动，就像我们许多人一样。

There are renditions of the Mona Lisa and Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and a recreated sculpture of Rodin’s The Thinker, all covered in candy. Sorkin won't say what the base material is—she needs to keep some cards to herself—but some of the creations took upwards of 1,000 hours. She had the help of her team.

Everything in the space is meant to be touched; pieces don't often fall off, we were told, but when they do, Sorkin and her team are experts in candy statue repair.

Highlights of the experience include a dive pool of (fake) marshmallows; a steampunk-ish clock that lowers from the ceiling to reveal a spread of Lindt chocolates (you're encouraged to take one, or three); and an underwater-themed room filled with jewel-toned, candy covered sea creatures.

Tickets are $30 for adults and are sold for specific times, in 15-minute increments. The whole experience takes a half hour, give or take.You can buy tickets这里.