$.25 Cotton Candy to Return?

halltd said:

That made me think of a funny quote: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.”

:)

just wanted to point out the Legally Blonde Quote.

Old CPer... I believe I actually hung out with you while enjoying the 25c Cotton Candy at one point last summer with Kara and Matt...

If I'm wrong, I feel like a moron, but I believe Im correct.

I think its funny how people gorge themselves on things because they're "cheap". Sorta like super-sizing for $0.50 I guess. Just because it only costs fifty cents doesn't mean you NEED it. LOL!! I always thought the point of cheaper was to save money - not buy loads and loads of the stuff until you puked.

When C.P. was selling it in a bag, I believe that it was going for $3.00. To try and compare the amount that you would get on a stick as compared to the bag, I figure that about 2-sticks would equal the amount that you would get in a bag (IMO).

Raptor0137 said:
When C.P. was selling it in a bag, I believe that it was going for $3.00. To try and compare the amount that you would get on a stick as compared to the bag, I figure that about 2-sticks would equal the amount that you would get in a bag (IMO).

Not true. The cotton candy in a bag is pushed and sqeezed into the bags to make sure they look full. The 25 cent stick is all fluffed out. While I wasn't a part of last years crew, I only can imagine how much of a pain that was for the staff. If everyone knew how much effort goes into Cotton Candy. Just about anyone in Quick service foods has had the chance to make it. It's not as easy and fun as it sounds. And that's when the machines are working!

I do agree it was a great move! It brought plenty of guests to the stands, who might not have otherwise. And if you know kids, they want something, then see something else (at regular price!).

For an entire summer, I was the cotton candy queen. That was my job, I made sure the park never, ever ran out of cotton candy. If you have never made cotton candy, I suggest you try it on a day when it's 90 degrees with 85% humidity and tell me that making it is an easy task. As an employee last summer, I loved the 25 cent cotton candy because it was an awesome treat as I walked to my car. However, had I still worked in that area of Foods, I'm sure I wouldn't be so fond of it!

I imagine 25 cent cotton candy was a company brainchild to generate goodwill with customers and help bring in more repeat business. Unfortunately, like the reduced admissions for 2006, it didn't make a difference. Numbers still fell anyway so, again like the reduced admissions, the el cheapo cotton candy went away.

Next up for 2008: 25 cent 'Coaster Condoms' with images of CP coasters imprinted down the length.* You have to unroll the Jumbo all the way to see TTD. ;)

*Coaster Condoms only available at select Frontiertown men's restrooms, as well as at Cedar Point's new Hooters franchise, located in the former Johnny Rockets.

I'd buy one..

Anyways, last year I remember the sticks being some-what big at some places. The mobile carts didn't make them so big.. but the concession stand by DT made them big.

Let me just say that the cotton candy carts were such a logistical nightmare, they were pulled before I processed in, and that was May 11th!! What people also don't realize what was necessary to set up those carts. The carts needed to be near power sources to even run the spinners. With that in mind, also note that the weather was pretty miserable the first few weeks too. I know it rained for the first 7 or 8 days straight I was there. You also needed storage for sugar nearby as well. Then it required 2 people to run the carts: one to handle the money and one to spin. The bugs were an issue later on, but by that point, the CC carts were scrapped.

901liveson had it right about the bags v. cones. You could fit around 8 or 9 puffs of CC in the bags, depending on who was spinning and the size of the puff.

Hope that helps!!

Josh M. said:
I agree with Ensign... I had my fair share of Cotton Candy last season, but never from a cart. Heck, I never even saw a cart. I always went to the Confection Connection to enjoy my sugary treat.

Same here. I'd always walk by right when they were cloasing down the carts.

That said, what I don't understand is why they haven't decided to replace toe $0.25 cotton candy with some other midway treat. How about $0.50 popcorn instead?

I'm guessing it is because the "great price-drop experiment" is over, and has been declared a failure.

RideMan said:

That said, what I don't understand is why they haven't decided to replace toe $0.25 cotton candy with some other midway treat. How about $0.50 popcorn instead?

I didn't have it at CP last year, but they did have it at Michigan's Adventure, and it was great. I do like the idea of $.50 popcorn.

Maybe have a line of different low cost, smaller portioned items- ice cream cone for $.50, popcorn for $.50, maybe something like pretzal bites (smaller than a full size pretzel) for $.50, etc.

Thats a bad Idea with making some smaller things $.50. Would cut the price down from what people spend sometimes.

I don't think CF should necessarily be using attendance figures to decide whether to keep or nix certain perks at the park. Holiday World has free soda in the park... If their attendance dropped, would they start charging for it? I may be wrong, but I highly doubt it. It's one of those things that is special about HW and in the grand scheme of operating an Amusement Park, the cost is pretty negligible.

I feel the same way about 25c Cotton Candy. I understand that the carts did not work out. But serving it from the stands seems like something that can go on. I'm sure that the park made more money on Cotton Candy last year than they have in years past, even at the reduced price.

It's funny. By the time i got to the end of the thread i was debating on whether or not to bring up a point about Holiday World and the free soda, but decided against it. And then Josh had to go and bring it into the conversation.

I will however resist all urges to revive that arguement.

901 liveson said:

"[making cotton candy]It's not as easy and fun as it sounds. And that's when the machines are working!"

Ha, it's nice to know that it wasn't just our lousy machines at the tight fisted GLP. Talk about a product that is a pain in the rear. If you don't spin in an enclosed space that stuff gets all over the stand.

That being said i have say that the quarter cotton candy was a brilliant idea, and i think that it's a bad idea to stop it from a bottom line point of view. The only reason i can see that justifies the policy change is if the park couldn't keep up with demand.

Since I never had to make to stuff, I can say my family enjoyed it. It's not like there was ever much on the stick, but it was just the nostalgia of laying a quarter down for it I enjoyed. Then walking back to The Breakers & sitting in the rotonda... it might as well have been 1960. At least in my mind. I love retro moments. I wish they'd keep it.

JoshM, yep. I was with the crew that "just had to have some cotton candy".

When I said I ate more cotton candy when it was .25, that didn't mean I gorged myself on it (I tend toward hypoglycemic and generally avoid a lot of sweets). But I rarely bought cotton candy before. Last year I had one stick each time I visited.

I wasn't commenting about you when I said people gorge themselves. I was talking about the people that eat so much they vomit on the rides.

When we were there in August, we actively sought out the cotton candy, but were unable to find it. Oh, well.

I've gotton stick cotton candy in a bag before (think wrapped like a lollipop). It's not that impossible to ward off the bugs.

There were only a few booths that had it then. The fact that it wasn't in a bag was one of the contributing factors why it failed. If they'd have bagged it the price would have had to increase. I think they did the best they could with what they had.

Personal tidbit....I think it was opening day at GL last year and we walked over to the WWL side where the few flats were running and the stand was spinning cotton candy for $.25. New employees attempting to spin it with a stiff breeze was pretty humorous. :)