"Do you feel good about yourself?"
August 29, 2010 1:02 AM Subscribe
Smarties Australia paired 8 kids up with 8 artists to create art based on each Smarties colour. Here's orange video art, a song about moonwalking under the deep blue sea, the spoken word saga of a disco karaoke'ing duck, an upside-down red pop art world, The Pink Moon, photos of the purple Filecian dancers, a green tree sculpture, and the dance of insects burrowing through brown earth.
I really enjoyed these videos. I was struck by how much the artists seemed to want the approval of the kids they were teamed with. I got the impression most of them were rather challenged by the freedom of imagination demonstrated by the kids and were pushed outside their own comfort zones. This would make a very interesting long term project in which the artists collaborated with the childern for a number of projects using different themes. Also, it would be cool to reverse the roles and have the adults throw out ideas which the children interpret to construct the final piece. I'd be interested to see how collaboration changed each other's work after a few iterations.
Does anyone know anything about Bravo Child from the yellow disco karaoke duck video? He looks remarkably like someone I used to know in New York. Moving to another country and trying to pass as a native-born performance artist is EXACTLY the kind of thing he would do.
posted by Eumachia L F at 3:08 AM on August 29, 2010
Does anyone know anything about Bravo Child from the yellow disco karaoke duck video? He looks remarkably like someone I used to know in New York. Moving to another country and trying to pass as a native-born performance artist is EXACTLY the kind of thing he would do.
posted by Eumachia L F at 3:08 AM on August 29, 2010
The kid in the orange video is adorable. Still watching the rest...
posted by harriet vane at 4:46 AM on August 29, 2010
posted by harriet vane at 4:46 AM on August 29, 2010
Having spent the last week doing nothing but workshops on creativity and idea generation, this was lovely to watch. Kids have none of the barriers that build up over the years which eventually results in people having to attend workshops later in life. Heh.
posted by pyrex at 5:04 AM on August 29, 2010
posted by pyrex at 5:04 AM on August 29, 2010
Pepsi Blue, Orange, Brown, Red, Green, Pink, Yellow & Purple?
Eponysterical.
When I was a kid, Smarties pretty much had 100% market share in candy chocolate treats.
Then one day M&Ms and their marketing heavies decided they wanted to play... and caught them napping. Absolutely blew them out of the water.
There's quite a few brands with similar tales like that from Australia.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 5:10 AM on August 29, 2010
Eponysterical.
When I was a kid, Smarties pretty much had 100% market share in candy chocolate treats.
Then one day M&Ms and their marketing heavies decided they wanted to play... and caught them napping. Absolutely blew them out of the water.
There's quite a few brands with similar tales like that from Australia.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 5:10 AM on August 29, 2010
I loved the little boy/artist pairing in the pink video.
posted by pinky at 5:12 AM on August 29, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by pinky at 5:12 AM on August 29, 2010 [4 favorites]
I'm just happy to know that Australia has proper smarties. That means I can move there.
posted by Space Coyote at 6:57 AM on August 29, 2010
posted by Space Coyote at 6:57 AM on August 29, 2010
Yeah, the pink kid is awesome.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:37 AM on August 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:37 AM on August 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
What the hell are these?
Those aren't Smarties. These are Smarties.
posted by Dreamcast at 7:47 AM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Those aren't Smarties. These are Smarties.
posted by Dreamcast at 7:47 AM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Those aren't Smarties. These are Smarties.
Incorrect. Those are Rockets - also known as the bane of Halloween.
posted by Space Coyote at 7:54 AM on August 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
Incorrect. Those are Rockets - also known as the bane of Halloween.
posted by Space Coyote at 7:54 AM on August 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
I confess I haven't had time to watch each one in its entirety, but I enjoyed just seeing the kids' reactions to what color they receive for their project - loved the pink and brown segments, for that reason.
posted by Squee at 8:01 AM on August 29, 2010
posted by Squee at 8:01 AM on August 29, 2010
How can they be Rockets but say Smarties on the package? The mind boggles.
I'm an enough of a fan of non-American-but-I-only-know-English pop culture to know about this chocolate candy called Smarties that are not the Smarties I know from the Midwest U.S. But can someone who is familiar with the tastes rather than the name give me some sort of comparison taste-wise? Like how are the like/different than M&Ms? Do they have more of a higher hard shell to chocolate center ratio -- like those candies that are sized and shaped like bb's but are also multicolored*?
* Also what are the little bb shaped candies called because now I can't remember that and it's driving me crazy (I think they were packed in a tube) Not M&M Minis -- these were from my childhood.
Thank God for lazy Sunday mornings when these literally candy-coated questions seem like the most important things in the universe.
Also, the kids and artists things are awesome.
I was struck by how much the artists seemed to want the approval of the kids they were teamed with.
I hope that artists I've liked throughout history have had a high "want the approval of kids" score, but I'm afraid that wouldn't be the case.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:07 AM on August 29, 2010
I'm an enough of a fan of non-American-but-I-only-know-English pop culture to know about this chocolate candy called Smarties that are not the Smarties I know from the Midwest U.S. But can someone who is familiar with the tastes rather than the name give me some sort of comparison taste-wise? Like how are the like/different than M&Ms? Do they have more of a higher hard shell to chocolate center ratio -- like those candies that are sized and shaped like bb's but are also multicolored*?
* Also what are the little bb shaped candies called because now I can't remember that and it's driving me crazy (I think they were packed in a tube) Not M&M Minis -- these were from my childhood.
Thank God for lazy Sunday mornings when these literally candy-coated questions seem like the most important things in the universe.
Also, the kids and artists things are awesome.
I was struck by how much the artists seemed to want the approval of the kids they were teamed with.
I hope that artists I've liked throughout history have had a high "want the approval of kids" score, but I'm afraid that wouldn't be the case.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:07 AM on August 29, 2010
* Sixlets was what I was thinking of... sorry for the personal derail
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:10 AM on August 29, 2010
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:10 AM on August 29, 2010
Pepsi Blue, Orange, Brown, Red, Green, Pink, Yellow & Purple?
Yup. And the vids themselves are so annoyingly mounted. Over-directed, over-EDITED (not a single shot anywhere that gets more than three seconds screen-time). Seriously, I watched two pieces, liked the kids, found the artists way too cute, HATED the smug, condescending, smothering corporate hand behind it all.
And, yes as a matter of fact, I do like Smarties.
posted by philip-random at 8:42 AM on August 29, 2010
Yup. And the vids themselves are so annoyingly mounted. Over-directed, over-EDITED (not a single shot anywhere that gets more than three seconds screen-time). Seriously, I watched two pieces, liked the kids, found the artists way too cute, HATED the smug, condescending, smothering corporate hand behind it all.
And, yes as a matter of fact, I do like Smarties.
posted by philip-random at 8:42 AM on August 29, 2010
But can someone who is familiar with the tastes rather than the name give me some sort of comparison taste-wise? Like how are the like/different than M&Ms? Do they have more of a higher hard shell to chocolate center ratio -- like those candies that are sized and shaped like bb's but are also multicolored*?
Smarties are a little flatter than M&Ms, and the flavour seems a little more direct and immediate. Maybe the layer of wax on M&Ms is thicker, because while they don't melt in your hand, you have to suck on them a little longer to actually taste anything. The shell might be a little thinner overall, as well.
The two best ways to eat Smarties:
1) Suck on them gently, taking them out of your mouth periodically to see if all the colour is gone and they're completely white. The important thing is to avoid cracking the candy shell before all the colour is gone. Once you've completely bleached the Smartie in your mouth, you can then let it crack. Keeping it in your mouth, you then lick as much chocolate as you can out of the broken shell pieces before eating those last.
2) Separate them by colour, leaving the red ones separate. Eat the other ones any way you like, but carefully lick the red Smarties so you can apply lipstick. (Only the red ones work properly. Pink doesn't stain well.) Once you have your lipstick, return to method 1 for the remaining red Smarties.
posted by maudlin at 9:34 AM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Smarties are a little flatter than M&Ms, and the flavour seems a little more direct and immediate. Maybe the layer of wax on M&Ms is thicker, because while they don't melt in your hand, you have to suck on them a little longer to actually taste anything. The shell might be a little thinner overall, as well.
The two best ways to eat Smarties:
1) Suck on them gently, taking them out of your mouth periodically to see if all the colour is gone and they're completely white. The important thing is to avoid cracking the candy shell before all the colour is gone. Once you've completely bleached the Smartie in your mouth, you can then let it crack. Keeping it in your mouth, you then lick as much chocolate as you can out of the broken shell pieces before eating those last.
2) Separate them by colour, leaving the red ones separate. Eat the other ones any way you like, but carefully lick the red Smarties so you can apply lipstick. (Only the red ones work properly. Pink doesn't stain well.) Once you have your lipstick, return to method 1 for the remaining red Smarties.
posted by maudlin at 9:34 AM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
As an American immigrant to Canada, Rockets are Smarties and Smarties are Chocolate Smarties.
posted by kate blank at 10:03 AM on August 29, 2010
posted by kate blank at 10:03 AM on August 29, 2010
Smarties chocolate is sweeter, smoother, creamier, and more vanilla-y than M&Ms chocolate, which to me tastes kind of tangy and musky by comparison.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:09 AM on August 29, 2010
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:09 AM on August 29, 2010
Yeah, the pink kid is awesome.
Yeah, Ed was great. I liked how he hoped for blue, and yet seemed to really be OK with pink from the get-go. What a bright and creative kid.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:50 AM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, Ed was great. I liked how he hoped for blue, and yet seemed to really be OK with pink from the get-go. What a bright and creative kid.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:50 AM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Like how are the like/different than M&Ms?
The shell is a little bit thicker and the chocolate is marginally better. They are highly similar though. Closer than coke and pepsi.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:03 PM on August 29, 2010
The shell is a little bit thicker and the chocolate is marginally better. They are highly similar though. Closer than coke and pepsi.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:03 PM on August 29, 2010
Those are Rockets - also known as the bane of Halloween.
WTF?
The bane of halloween is circus peanuts, candy corn, and any Annoying Health Or Social Conscience Crap.
Rockets/smarties are full of win -- each little cylinder lasts a while! And you can unpeel a bunch of cylinders all at once and then it's like you've got a pile of CANDY PIRATE GOLD!!!! and daydream about being Scrooge McDuck and swimming around in your smarties bin.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:06 PM on August 29, 2010 [3 favorites]
WTF?
The bane of halloween is circus peanuts, candy corn, and any Annoying Health Or Social Conscience Crap.
Rockets/smarties are full of win -- each little cylinder lasts a while! And you can unpeel a bunch of cylinders all at once and then it's like you've got a pile of CANDY PIRATE GOLD!!!! and daydream about being Scrooge McDuck and swimming around in your smarties bin.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:06 PM on August 29, 2010 [3 favorites]
Why are smarties better than men?
They come in different colours.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 5:27 PM on August 29, 2010
They come in different colours.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 5:27 PM on August 29, 2010
These are Smarties.
Those aren't Smarties, those are Swizzels. (Actually called Fizzers, but universally known by the manufacturer's name, Swizzels.)
Which are really just an inferior form of Love Hearts.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:57 PM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Those aren't Smarties, those are Swizzels. (Actually called Fizzers, but universally known by the manufacturer's name, Swizzels.)
Which are really just an inferior form of Love Hearts.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:57 PM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
The bane of Halloween is pennies.
Then apples.
THEN Circus Peanuts.
posted by Bonzai at 6:10 PM on August 29, 2010
Then apples.
THEN Circus Peanuts.
posted by Bonzai at 6:10 PM on August 29, 2010
I'm still bitter that Smarties aren't sold here in America. I got one taste of Nestle Smarties and I was hooked (on the orange ones). We just have those stupid pressed sugar discs. They're no smarties. And M&Ms can NEVER compare with real Nestle Smarties. Once I found some crap (Nestle) Smarties knock-offs called 'Smart Alecks'.
posted by Mael Oui at 6:26 PM on August 29, 2010
posted by Mael Oui at 6:26 PM on August 29, 2010
Why the Circus Peanut hate? They're no more shit than any other American candies!
posted by Mael Oui at 6:27 PM on August 29, 2010
posted by Mael Oui at 6:27 PM on August 29, 2010
Why the Circus Peanut hate?
Circus peanuts are the larval forms of Shub-Niggurath's offspring.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:52 PM on August 29, 2010
Circus peanuts are the larval forms of Shub-Niggurath's offspring.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:52 PM on August 29, 2010
Smarties taste blander than M&Ms to me, although in general I much prefer British milk chocolate. A relative who imports British candy to the US used to fill our suitcases with sweets when we'd visit, and the Smarties would languish in the bottom of the boxes while we fought over the Fruit Pastilles and Cadbury bars.
posted by palliser at 8:24 PM on August 29, 2010
posted by palliser at 8:24 PM on August 29, 2010
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