Making a giant jolly rancher - any tips?

[Betty]

End of the year project for my daughters math class (geometry) was to pick something to enlarge. She has to use math to make a it X number of times as big as usual.

Her first choice, a toostie roll was already taken so she picked a Jolly Rancher - different but similar in size.

Little did I realize this included the complicated clear wrapper as well as the desire to make the candy appear translucent.

So - we've thought of making a huge block of melted sugar and adding food coloring but this sounds dangerous and prone to lots of issues.

Another idea was buying a bag of jolly ranchers and melting some down to make a large one. This one has great appeal but I hate buying a 4 pound bag of them to have enough of one color and the store didn't have bags of one flavor.

So now we go to a bag filled with newpaper and taped down, paper mached and painted or

As we discovered at wall mart: plaster of paris. Which we got and I'm now wondering if that was the best choice.

We also bought some clear 1 mil tarp and opaque pens that should color on the plastic (I hope).

Any tips on how to make this project a success would be appreciated. (I like the idea of being crafty but it's just not what I'm best at.)

(she does not have the option of selecting a different item by the way.)

[Deebs]

End of the year project for my daughters math class (geometry) was to pick something to enlarge. She has to use math to make a it X number of times as big as usual.

Gawd, who comes up with these projects? One more thing to deal with right at the end of the school year, what a great idea! :rolleyes:


Any tips on how to make this project a success would be appreciated.

I wish I had something constructive to offer. I definitely like the idea of just making a model of the candy as opposed to trying to melt the real thing. Of course it would be way cool to have it actually BE a giant candy, but what a giant headache.

[wolfy999]

I hate projects...more work for the parents than the child...I feel for you.

[Not Afraid]

You need to build a giant Jolly Rancher mold and fill it with Jello (with extra gelatin added for firmness), then you can wrap the finished product in celo.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Does it have to weigh as much as a giant jolly rancher?

If not, I'd go to a craft store and get a big sheet of clear plastic. Paint it the color you need. Cut it up and create a cube out of the sheet. Take your cello wrap and put the jolly rancher branding on it, wrap and you're done.

[3894]

If not, I'd go to a craft store and get a big sheet of clear plastic. Paint it the color you need. Cut it up and create a cube out of the sheet. Take your cello wrap and put the jolly rancher branding on it, wrap and you're done.

I'm thinking along these lines, too. What about a thin wire frame/colored cello wrap for the Jolly Rancher? Then CP's idea about the outerwrap and branding?

P.S. You deserve a Starbucks after this.

[Disneyphile]

I say just buy a glass brick and paint it with sun-catcher paint, then wrap in cellophane. ;)

[wolfy999]

DP's idea sounds like a winner!

[lashbear]

Call the Jolly Rancher Candy Company and see if they make large ones.

[tracilicious]

Call the teacher and tell him/her this is an asinine project.

[RStar]

Wrap the teacher in colored cello and slap Jlooy Roger on her forhead!

Just kidding....

What I have done (and got the idea from Disneyland in the Small World Holiday is to take an empty clear plastic food take-out container and cover it clear colored cello (it comes in different colors- don't try to color it, it's not that easy). The trick will be to find something the right deminsions. Smart and Final sells lots of different sizes to the food industry. And Micheals has the clear colored cellophane.

You can copy artwork on a copy machine, enlarging it and printing it on clear acetate (like for overhead projectors).

Good luck!

[Tref]

... Jlooy Roger ...

You're 0 for 2 on that one.

[flippyshark]

I hate to pirate this thread, but as long as candy enlargement ideas are being tossed around, I have need of creating giant jellybeans. (long story) So, if anyone has any thoughts on how they would do this (like the original poster, I would want to have a translucent quality, ideally) feel free to suggest away. (It would be awesome if someone happened to know where pre-fabricated giant jellybeans might be available.)

So that I'm not being too criminal, I'll second RStar's food take-out plastic idea - lightweight is always a good thing. And colored celo wrap seems like a fine idea.

[tracilicious]

How bout a foam block?

[€uroMeinke]

It took me awhile to realize you guys were talking about representations of said candies, and not making super-sized versions there-of. I'm not sure if I am more relieved or disappointed.

[tracilicious]

Foam might be tasty if you add enough sugar. Isn't that how they make twinkies?

[RStar]

You're 0 for 2 on that one.

:eek: That's what I get for not proofing before I hit submit!

Jolly Rancher

Jolly Rancher

Jolly Rancher

Jolly Rancher

There, I knew I could do it! :D

Ok, as far as a giant jelly bean, thats harder due to the shape....

I have no ideas on that one. Sorry.

[€uroMeinke]

How about a giant Gummy Bear (http://www.vat19.com/dvds/giant-gummy-bear-on-a-stick.cfm?adid=FBKgummi2)

[Betty]

We made it out of plaster of perris thinking that would be cost effective and we'd be able to sand it down to the exact size needed. Exact size is important with this. It needs to be 5 x's as big - or 10 x's... not 6.729 x's.

We've discovered it's not as easy to shape as I would have hoped. It was likened to sidewalk chalk but it's not quite that easy.

I enlarged the logo in photoshop and she's tracing it to a piece of clear plastic drop cloth and using opaque pens to color it in.

We really didn't think this through well when selecting something with a clear wrapper. The cost of supplies in this has been quite a bit more then I'm comfortable with.

Have considered having her make something different and just telling the teacher that's the way it is. After all - the idea is to use math accomplish this and not a bunch of money and art skills. Right???

Too late now though.

Oh well.

I liked the idea of the cellophane in a color but due to having to make this a very specific size, we needed to make this hard.

If I had to do it again, I think I might make it out of paper mache - a stuffed paper bag covered in it then paint that a watermelony color and then cover that with a tightly wrapped cellophane to give it a little depth. (?) Then wrapped that in larger clear cellophane.

For a jelly belly, I think I would try and do a little color variation with paint. They are so smooth and pretty sturdy and not as glassy as a jolly wrancher.

[Kevy Baby]

First, find a really big rancher. Then, make him happy.

[lashbear]

Kevy's firing on all cylinders today !

...and for the Jelly Bean, I'd ring Jelly Belly and ask them if they have any large novelty display beans.

[~MS~]

I was just at the JB factory this weekend and I didn't see any 'jumbo' sized beans even as display stuff, they have tons of photos of the JB 'guy' but no oversized beans that I saw.

[3894]

As anyone who reads Roadside America knows, on either side of the door to the Lounge of Tomorrow sit two giant inflatable figures, held in place with guywires: Mr. Jolly Rancher and Ms. Jelly Belly.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2981836787_db57432b21.jpg?v=0

[lashbear]

That's Him !!! I'd recognise him anywhere !! (the bean, not the kid)