Source: Surge Brands/The Toy Book

Candy brands are hot right now and Surge Brands Inc. — a sister company to Surge Licensing — just inked a raft of new deals to extend Candy Dynamics’ Toxic Waste into other consumer products categories, including toys and collectibles.

The first wave of licensees for Toxic Waste candies and its characters (including Mr. Toxie Head) include License 2 Play for plush figures, plush pillows, and fidget toys and Super Impulse for a range of mini collectible blind box and blind bag toys.

“Candy Dynamics’ edgy approach appeals to kids in non-traditional ways and has created a massive demand for Toxic Waste, sparking a fervor in the marketplace,” says Surge Brands President Mark Freedman. “The response we have received from licensees has been nothing short of phenomenal.”

Related: The Supply Chain Saga Continues: The Toy Industry Faces Its Most Complex Challenge Yet

Additional licensees include H3 Sportgear (master apparel and accessories); Centric Beauty/TASTE Beauty (lip balms); Inkology (school supplies, stickers, stampers, and chalk), and Rasta Imposta (Halloween costumes and masks). Freedman says that additional licensees for the U.S. and international markets will be revealed in the weeks ahead.

Fueled by social media, including TikTok, the Toxic Waste line of candy has been booming at retail. According to Candy Dynamics, high demand for its Toxic Waste Slime Licker and Hazardously Sour Candy varieties has led to sellouts at national retailers, including Five Below.

Even candy hasn’t been able to avoid the current supply chain challenges. A pop-up message on the Toxic Waste website states: “Due to issues with our shipping provider, we are currently unable to ship to the following states: Washington, California, Utah, and Nevada.”

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube