Trick or treat! Some of you loaded up your pillowcase with treats (0.3rds of points) and some of you only came up with rocks. I’m going to break down all 27 of these off-brand candies for you now, including some player-submitted alternate answers that were so clever I couldn’t help but give them credit!
This puzzle also marks the close of Series One of The Puzzleboy! Be sure to wander over to the Puzzleboy Pantheon and see how the Series One scores will remain for all eternity!
Off Brand Candy 1: Suppressed Laughters
Answer: Snickers
Explanation: Basically a one-for-one replacement. According to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 revision), a snicker is “A half suppressed, broken laugh.“
Alternate Accepted Answer: I completely forgot about Chuckles when I wrote this question. One of you reminded me of it.
Correct Answer Percentage: 94.59%
Off Brand Candy 2: Coupleogz
Answer: Twix
Explanation: I learned that Twix is a portmanteau of “twin stix.” So, here we have a portmanteau of “couple logz.”
Alternate Accepted Answer: “Why are so many people writing ‘100 Grand’ as their answer?” I asked myself. Then it dawned on me: the answer also looks like “a couple o’ G’s.” Cute. I’ll give it to you.
Correct Answer Percentage: 78.37%
Off Brand Candy 3: Via Lactea
Answer: Milky Way
Explanation: Another one-for-one, this time using Latin.
Correct Answer Percentage: 97.29%
Off Brand Candy 4: Grover Cleveland’s First Daughter
Answer: Baby Ruth
Explanation: The makers of Baby Ruth insisted their candy bar was not named after the up-and-coming Babe Ruth but for Ruth Cleveland, 17 years after her death. True or false? You decide! (But they were absolutely just trying to coast on the baseball guy’s popularity.)
Correct Answer Percentage: 94.59%
Off Brand Candy 5: Ms. Walters of Liverpool
Answer: Skittles
Explanation: Catherine Walters: trendsetter, horsewoman, and courtesan who went by the name “Skittles.”
Correct Answer Percentage: 75.67%
Off Brand Candy 6: Overdramatic Nickname for Someone Who Did You a Favor
Answer: Lifesaver
Explanation: None needed, I think?
Correct Answer Percentage: 75.67%
Off Brand Candy 7: Betcha Can't Do It Like Me
Answer: Laffy Taffy
Explanation: Everybody remembers the 2005 song “Laffy Taffy” from Atlanta-based hip-hop group D4L. But do you remember their follow up single, “Betcha Can’t Do It Like Me?” Probably not.
Correct Answer Percentage: 43.24%
Off Brand Candy 8: Bloomy and Dwight
Answer: Mike and Ike
Explanation: When you hear the name Dwight, maybe you think of Rainn Wilson first, but before him there was Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower. If you can get to Ike from there, you can probably figure out that “Bloomy” is a terrible nickname for Michael Bloomberg, and you have your answer.
Correct Answer Percentage: 78.37%
Off Brand Candy 9: Something given to Dustin Hoffman in 1982
Answer: Tootsie Roll
Explanation: This one is probably my favorite because of how stupid it is. In 1982, director Sydney Pollack gave Dustin Hoffman the role… of Tootsie.
Correct Answer Percentage: 91.89%
Off Brand Candy 10: Witherspoon’s Property
Answer: Reese’s Pieces
Explanation: I think it’s pretty clear now.
Clarifying Question: Did you give credit to any other Reese’s product?
Potentially Disappointing Answer: I did not.
Correct Answer Percentage: 91.89%
Off Brand Candy 11: Hillary Whitney Bar
Answer: Hershey Bar
Explanation: Hillary Whitney is the name of the character Barbara Hershey plays in 1988’s Beaches.
It is also the name of the character Nia Long plays in 2017’s made-for-TV Beaches which I didn’t know existed until right now.
Correct Answer Percentage: 86.48%
Off Brand Candy 12: Athos, Aramis, and Porthos
Answer: 3 Musketeers
Explanation: I refuse.
Correct Answer Percentage: 100%
Off Brand Candy 13: Dirt Pile
Answer: Mounds
Explanation: Once again, Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 revision): “An artificial hill or elevation of earth; a raised bank; an
embarkment thrown up for defense; a bulwark; a rampart; also, a natural elevation appearing as if thrown up artificially; a regular and isolated hill, hillock, or knoll.“
Correct Answer Percentage: 95.59%
Off Brand Candy 14: John Hurt in Alien
Answer: Starburst
Explanation: John Hurt is a star (or, in this film he is among the stars) and in Alien something bursts out of him.
Alternate Accepted Answer: But I forgot his character was named “Kane,” so obviously I’ve got to accept “candy cane.”
But Also: How can I say no to “Gusher” or “Jelly Belly”?
But Not: “Jawbreaker.” His chest is exploded but his jaw is fine, sorry.
Correct Answer Percentage: 91.89%
Off Brand Candy 15: Revenge Seekers
Answer: Nerds
Explanation: Famously nerds get revenge. They made a whole movie about it.
Correct Answer Percentage: 40.54%
Off Brand Candy 16: The Cobbler (2014)
Answer: Airheads
Explanation: It would seem that despite the previous month’s Letterboxd puzzle, The Puzzleboy still had some movie trivia to work out of his system. This one was definitely the streak-breaker. The Cobbler was one of many films to feature both Adam Sandler and Steve Buscemi. The first was Airheads.
Alternate Accepted Answer: I don’t know if what I call a “fruit snack” is technically a “candy” but I do know that I allowed Gusher on the Aliens one, and Fruit by the Foot is too specific to not accept on this one.
I also took “Warheads” because, as puzzler Eric C. put it, The Cobbler was an “Adam bomb.”
Correct Answer Percentage: 16.12%
Off Brand Candy 17: Intense Pamonhas
Answer: Hot Tamales
Explanation: “Pamonhas” does not appear in the 1913 Websters, but it is a Brazilian treat of “a boiled paste made from sweet corn whisked in coconut milk, typically served wrapped in corn husks.” Like a tamale!
Correct Answer Percentage: 81.08%
Off Brand Candy 18: Total Morons
Answer: Dum-Dums
Explanation: I guess I didn’t need the “total,” but there you go.
Alternate Accepted Answer: “Goobers” also makes sense, and, if you didn’t use it on number 16, I accepted “Airheads.”
Correct Answer Percentage: 94.59%
Off Brand Candy 19: Equipment Pet
Answer: Kit Kat
Explanation: Another one-for-one: a word for “equipment” is “kit” and cats are a popular domesticated animal.
Correct Answer Percentage: 83.78%
Off Brand Candy 20: Multiple Slim Shadys
Answer: M&M’s
Explanation: You don’t need me on this one.
Correct Answer Percentage: 94.59%
Off Brand Candy 21: Margerinedactyl
Answer: Butterfinger
Explanation: 1913 Webster sez a dactyl is “A finger or toe; a digit“ and I didn’t know they had margerine back then, but it’s in there as “Artificial butter“ so there you go.
Correct Answer Percentage: 94.59%
Off Brand Candy 22: Pigeon Bonbons
Answer: Dove Bar
Explanation: There is no scientific distinction between a pigeon and a dove. They are both of the family Columbidae and one is a dirty sky rat and one is the beloved symbol of peace. Go figure.
Correct Answer Percentage: 72.97%
Off Brand Candy 23: Cheery Homesteader
Answer: Jolly Rancher
Explanation: Another one-for-one replacement.
Correct Answer Percentage: 83.78%
Off Brand Candy 24: Glacécidic
Answer: SweeTARTS
Explanation: SweeTARTS are a portmanteau of “sweet” and “tart” so the off-brand version combines “glacé,” meaning “coated in sugar” and “acidic,” meaning “tart.”
Correct Answer Percentage: 43.24%
Off Brand Candy 25: Sommen charr
Answer: Swedish Fish
Explanation: The sommen charr is a subspecies of fish only found in Sweden’s Lake Sommen, making it an authentic Swedish fish.
Correct Answer Percentage: 89.18%
Off Brand Candy 26: S. Carolinian Crunch
Answer: Charleston Chew
Explanation: Did I throw people off by replacing “Chew” with the dissimilar “Crunch?” Maybe. I guess this candy was so off-brand that it’s gone brittle and hard.
Correct Answer Percentage: 91.89%
Off Brand Candy 27: Einsteinies
Answer: Smarties
Explanation: I defy you to find a smarty more smart than Einstein.
Correct Answer Percentage: 100%
Come one, come all! Any correct answer this time around got you into the Puzzleboy Pantheon! Congrats to all!
A W.
Adam M.
Alex S.
Anne E.
Audrey A.
Bailey J.
Beth B.
Beth G.
Bethany H.
Bob W.
Chris F.
Dan B.
Dan C.
David T.
Edward W.
Eric C.
Erin K.
Heather H.
Helene L.
Jack R.
Jay W.
Jesse F.
Jill P.
Jim M.
Joan J.
Kari A.
Kristen K.
Laurie F.
Len V.
Lisa L.
Maxim L.
Naina M.
Robin L.F.
Sam L.
Tim M.
Trace G.
Vance S.
Series One has ended! Congratulations and a truly sincere thank you to everyone who read, played, or shared this first batch of puzzles! I’ve learned a lot from you and am truly humbled by the response and your passion for the game.
But let’s give a shout out to the top three players in Series One!
FIRST PLACE
Maxim L.
SECOND PLACE
Eric C.
Also SECOND PLACE
Helene L.
Okay, enough of that old stuff! Series Two of The Puzzleboy is about to begin! Tell a friend about The Puzzleboy (it’s the perfect time to jump in!) and be back here on November 1st for:
