Since 2022, Oak Park candy shop Candycopia has hosted an in-store Sour Candy Challenge, pushing customers’ taste limits to the test while showcasing their one-of-a-kind, extreme sour treats.
But this Saturday, Candycopia is looking to take things to a whole new level by hosting what it’s calling “The World’s Largest Sour Candy Tasting” — all for a chance to claim a Guinness World Record.
Open to people of all ages, the Sour Candy Challenge will take place July 18 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at Ridgeland Common, 415 Lake St. (Note: this is not taking place at the store.)
Each participant must eat all three of the store’s selected sour candies in unison: Crybaby Sour Wax Bottle Mini Dunk, BUBS Sour TuttiFrutti Rhombus gummy and Barnett’s Mega Sours — widely considered one of the world’s most sour candies.
In addition to attempting to make Guinness World Record history, participants will also receive a $5 Candycopia gift card.
According to store owners and Oak Park husband/wife duo Patrick and Alycia Mason, the inspiration behind celebrating its sour candies on a global scale came out of their mission of Candycopia not just being a store, but a destination for memorable experiences.
“Our customers love sour candy, and they love the adventure of trying something that pushes their boundaries,” Alycia Mason said. “There’s a sense of danger and thrill to our challenges, but the result is always a shared release of joy and laughter — even through the pain.”
Each year, Candycopia hosts up to three in-store candy challenges : a Spicy Candy Challenge in the winter, a Sour Candy Challenge in the summer and a Fright Flight Candy Challenge in the fall. Each challenge includes up to six candies of increasingly sour intensities served with a side of their soda.
Patrick Mason said Candycopia’s passion for hosting sour candy challenges comes directly from the enthusiasm of the store’s customers; therefore, participating in the world challenge attempt was the perfect way for the store to create an even more memorable local experience.
“Thousands of customers have sat at our counter and squirmed through our sour candy challenges, and our website has legitimately become one of the top spots in the U.S. to get the world’s most extreme and unique sour candies,” he said. “Since Candycopia has always been about creating memorable experiences, we wanted to create something that people could do with their friends and family that offers the same sense of accomplishment that our sour candy challenge does.”
To achieve world-record status, a minimum of 250 people must successfully participate in the challenge. So far, the Masons say over 400 registrants of all ages have signed up, a number they’re hoping will only climb by Saturday.
“This accomplishment is all about going as far as we can to involve as many people as possible,” Patrick Mason said. “We’re on pins and needles not knowing exactly how many people will show up on the big day.”
To register the attempt with Guinness World Records, Alycia Mason submitted Candycopia’s official request to the organization
“We landed on a ‘Sour Candy Tasting’ because in the spirit of our store, it’s about creating an experience,” Patrick Mason said. “That was important to the Guinness team, too, that this not just be people putting a piece of candy in their mouth. It’s about conducting a three-part, guided tasting.”
He added that since Guinness World Records receives around 50,000 applications for entries each year, they feel very lucky that the organization had the same enthusiasm for the entry they did.
The Masons say the selection of the three sour candies for this challenge were intentional choices; candy that “has some action and movement to them.”
He explained: “The Cry Baby Wax Bottles are created to have the top bitten off, so you can squeeze out the liquid and drink it,” Patrick Mason said. “We loved the idea of watching people interact with those. The BUBS Sour TuttiFrutti Rhombus is a Swedish candy, which has been a huge trend in our store for over a year now. They’re also a personal favorite of mine, so selfishly, I’m excited to share them. But, both of those are tolerable sour levels. Then come the Barnetts Mega Sours, which are arguably the most sour candy in the world. Since we’re out to set a world record, we want a big finish. I think watching a soccer field full of people experience the intensity of that candy together is going to be awesome.”
Logistics for the day will be supervised by a Guinness World Records adjudicator, who’s flying into town just for the event.
Patrick Mason says they opted for Ridgeland Common over their 717 Lake St. spot so the event could easily hold hundreds of people joining.
“We initially considered Scoville Park adjacent to our store, but Ridgeland Common has better space, as well as a gated entry, which will help us achieve an accurate count of participants,” he said.
Ultimately, the Masons hope the Sour Candy Challenge will not only claim a spot in Guinness history, but celebrate locals gathering just for the thrill of a fun, mutual experience.
“Alycia and I started this business to create joy in our community,” Patrick Mason said. “We’re firm believers that running Candycopia isn’t only about the candy — it’s about the experience of it all. The anticipation of getting a treat, the adventure of exploring new options, the discovery of finding something new — that’s the product we try to focus on every day. To think that our collective energy may go down in world record status — how cool is that?”
To register for the challenge, visit Candycopia in-person or sign up online at shorturl.at/3Z5bD