Special Stocking Stuffer Shopping List (Project 1)

Today we are looking at all the things we are going to need for our stocking stuffers. I am going to list what I got, what I see that I wish I had, and what I think would work well if you choose it. I am also going to make comments on things I saw that were pretty cool and unusual! Again feel free to use these or do your own shopping!

Project one - The Fish Tank

The basics for this project is a jar - I picked one that I found looked like a fishbowl. Some sea creature candy (I'll get into this a little more below), and any other add ons you like. I personally did some rocks at the bottom like a fish tank, and I topped mine off with gummy worms!

Hidden Treasure (Optional)

I found a little extra was nice and I put some "hidden treasure" in my bowl. I went with Coins because they were prewrapped. I found them at my local grocery store, you can find them at Purdy's as "Gold Coins" and at Bulk Barn as "Chocolate Loonies". The package I bought had Toonies in them also, you can find those at Bulk Barn too ("Chocolate Toonies"). If you are American Bulk Price Food Shoppe has Gold Coins also, they are Kennedy Half Dollars in Gold (which is not accurate, they are usually silver in real life). If you are looking for something more generic Candy Depot also has "Fort Knox Color Parade Coins".

I also found "Gold Mind Gum" which is gold "nuggets". I was going to use this but I had my heart set on using chocolate rocks (see below) for the bottom of the bowl and I didn't want the gum to mix in with the chocolate. If you go with something else (bigger I would suggest) that would be easier to tell apart this may be a good option! Even if you don't use them for this project they are still a cute little stocking stuffer. Rocks and Stones (Optional - ish)

I say this is "optional-ish" because you absolutely don't need it. I however find it makes the whole project and highly recommend you do this step. I fell in love with these "Chocolate Pebbles" from Bulk Barn. I had never seen chocolates like this before and I couldn't believe how realistic they look! They look like the bottom of a fish tank! (You can also get these rocks on Amazon, you can also get a Salted Caramel version but the stones are all a golden caramel colour or a candy version).

Growing up in my fish tank along with the pebbles at the bottom we always had slightly bigger rocks, they were usually neon colours and just so cool. So I wanted something like that. At first, all I could find was some "Dots" looking candy that had been coated in a sour candy (I got this at my local grocery store). They were okay, but I really wanted something that looked more like a rock. But then at Candy Depot, I found something that was perfect! They are called "Skittles Giant" and they are HUGE! The bag says three times the size of a normal skittle. I got the regular but they also had the sour ones. (You can also find these at So Sweet Canada - Regular and Sour.)

I was very conflicted about the stones. I must admit at first I wanted to go with Chocolate to go with the pebbles. I had my heart set on Bridge Mix. The photo on Bulk Barns website really made them look like rocks! And I thought that was perfect for what I wanted. Unfortunately, when I went to actually buy them, they looked nothing like the photo. This could have just been because they were running low or because they had been handled roughly, either way, I decided against them. But I think they would be a wonderful addition if you found them in good condition. I found it at Bulk Barn, and my local pharmacy but you can also find it on Amazon (here or here), you can also find a No Sugar Added version on Candy Depot's website. And if you are American you can find it here.

To replace the Bridge Mix, I found Chocolate Sea Shells. The ones I found had Hazelnut Cream in them and I got them at the Dollar Store but a simple Amazon search showed they have a lot of options. To be honest that is the only other place I saw them!

Fish and Sea Creatures:

I am going to list what I got first and then write what I wish I would have got, or what I wish I would have the room for, things like that. I will say that is something you want to keep in mind. I really loved Giant Bull Frog Gummies, Rainforest Frogs, and Tropical Starfish (from Candy Depot) but they would have been way too big for the jars I had. But they looked so cute.

First and foremost I wanted Fish. I started by getting a gummy mixed bag and they had fish in them (from my local corner store). You can find similar things at Candy Depot - Gummy Fish. You can also try random gummy packs and see if you get anything worth using in those (I got a few of these at local stores but you can find some at Candy Depot here and sour ones here). But I also bought Swedish Fish from Candy Depot. I got the Crush ones, but they have different varieties (Mini Tropical Fish, Fish Tails, and Assorted). You can also find all sorts on Amazon. I also got Tropical / Caribbean Fish. These were supposed to be "Tangy" which are slightly sour but if you are a huge fan of sour things this really won't do the trick for you. I got mine from Bulk Barn but you can also find them on Amazon. I also bought some "SmartSweet" Fish for the person in my life trying to watch their sugar. I got mine at my local pharmacy but you can also find them at Bulk Barn.

Next, I went for Sea Creatures. I went generic at first and just got a pack of "Sea Creatures" (I got mind from Candy Depot) or as one product on Amazon is called "Ocean" which is basically the same thing (these are fruit flavoured). And then I hunted for more specific things. I ended up getting Frogs (mini ones), Crocodiles, Turtles, Whales, and Sharks. I got the frogs at my local grocery store but you can find them at Bulk Barm, on Amazon, or at Candy Depot (Mini Rainbow Frogs and Leaping Frogs)also. Next the Crocodiles (I got the sour ones) I found this so cool. I had never seen that before I didn't know they had them and they looked very realistic (or as realistic as candy can look). I got mine at Candy Depot again (and they also had larger ones) but you can find them on Amazon (here and here - both not sour). The turtles are the cuties things I have ever seen in my life. I got mine from Candy Depot of course, and I got the Jelly Filled ones (they also have the regular ones). They are so adorable. My only complaint is you can see the jelly leaked out a little but besides that, they are so cute and so yummy. You can find the exact same ones on Amazon, and for any Americans, you can find them on The Bulk Price Food Shoppe. Candy Depot also has some without the Jelly, and Amazon does too though they look smaller than the others. Next, the Blue Whales. I have seen these many times before, I think most people have. I got them at the corner store but you can find them on Amazon, and at Bulk Barn. Candy Depot has Blue Whales, but they have Gummy Filled Whales and regular ones also. I wish I would have seen these when I was shopping for stuff because they too look so cute. And finally, the Blue Sharks I got at Bulk Barn, I got the regular ones but Amazon has the sour version (they also had the Yupik brand version and the Gummi brand version). Candy Depot also has the regular and sour version.

Some things I didn't see that I find very cute are Trolli Sour Brite Octopus, Gummy Mermaid Tails, Efrutti Sea Creatures, Jolly Rancher Misfit Gummies - MerBears, and Jolly Rancher Misfit Gummies - Uni-Sharks.

Gummy Worm Top (Optional)

Finally, we have reached the end. All I did was combine gummy worms with the sour gummy worms I got at the grocery store. I didn't really know there were so many different kinds out there! So I decided to list them by type and hopefully, that will be easier to find the ones you may like best. (Note, you can also get Sugar Free Gummy Worms - I found these at Bulk Barn but Candy Depot also has them. They also have Gluten Free ones at Candy Depot, these are sour.)

Regular Gummy Worms - Yupik Gummy Worms (Amazon), Regular and Gourmet Gummi Worms (Bulk Barn), Wacky Worms (they have little face on them!!! - Candy Depot), Trolli Gummy Worms (Candy Depot), Rainbow Gummy Worms (Candy Depot) and Gummy Worms (Candy Depot).

Sugar Coated Gummy Worms - Yupik Neon Worms (Amazon).

Sour Gummy Worms - Gummy Zone Wacky Worms (Amazon), Sour Neon Worms (Bulk Barn), Sour Atomic Neon Worms (somewhat see-through and very sour! - Candy Depot), Sour Neon Worms and Mini Worms ( and a different company here, all from Candy Depot), Sour Sqwigglies (Candy Depot), Gummi Sour Worms (Candy Depot), Sour Wacky Worms (Candy Depot), Toxic Waste Sour Worms (Candy Depot), and Warheads Sour Chewy Worms (Candy Depot).

If you prefer you can also go with "Snakes" or similar instead of or along with the worms. Candy Depot has a few of those too. Twin Snakes Sweet and Sour, Crazy Python, and Rattlesnakes.