Photos by Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
By SARAH SHMERLING | Managing Editor
With Instagram-worthy exhibits popping up around Los Angeles, Candytopia may be the sweetest of them all.
The Museum of Ice Cream saw sold-out success during its nine-month local run last year, and Candytopia is following suit.
Created by Highlands resident Zac Hartog, along with partners Jackie Sorkin and John Goodman, Candytopia has welcomed more than 60,000 visitors since opening its doors in March.
“We wanted to create a cross between Willy Wonka and Katy Perry, mixed with Legoland, but built out of candy,” Hartog told the Palisadian-Post during a behind-the-scenes visit.
Throughout each of the rooms, Candytopia features replicas of famous artworks, including “Mona Lisa” and “The Thinker,” and nods to famous candy connoisseurs, including Willy Wonka himself—all constructed out of candy.
“These are all very labor intensive,” Hartog explained. “You literally have to glue each piece on one at a time.”
In total, Candytopia is constructed out of 20,000 pounds of candy. That is more than six million grams of sugar.
And it was all created in 11 exhausting days, Hartog shared.
With a background in production design in the film business, Hartog owns a four-acre studio in downtown Los Angeles.
The pieces were created there and stored in Sorkin’s Long Beach warehouse until they were transported to Santa Monica and set up in less than two weeks.
In each themed room, which range from under the sea to a confetti-covered fantasy world, visitors get to sample candy and are encouraged to touch the art.
“We love to have people be able to touch everything, so we didn’t want to have things behind ropes or in cases,” Hartog explained. “Being able to go up to it and feel it and smell it and touch it, it’s kind of fun.
“Although it makes it hard for us to repair every night.”
Between 1,500 to 1,600 people visit Candytopia each day, with timed entry in 15-minute increments, which Hartog explained help smooth the flow.
It will be open in Santa Monica through July, with plans to tour the West Coast, as well as creating a second and third exhibit for the Midwest and East Coast.
Each room, which will vary from location to location, features photo opportunities.
“We put a lot into our lighting design in all of our rooms,” Hartog said. “We know lighting is key for social media posts.”
If you are looking for the perfect Instagram post, Candytopia has you covered.
The tour culminates with the grand finale: a marshmallow pit, filled with half a million fake, antibacterial foam marshmallows.
“People love it in here … it’s like a therapeutic workout,” Hartog said. “This is the room that no matter what kind of day you’re having, you have a smile on your face.”
And for Hartog, that’s the objective of Candytopia.
“We’ve touched a lot of people,” he told the Post. “It’s nice seeing those stories about people thanking us for being able to have fun with their kids and their loved ones. Or to escape for an hour. That’s our goal.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit candytopia.com.
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