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Hello! It has been too long, and I am giving in to my craving for some low-brow travel in the USA.

Over Labor Day, I was on I-10 headed west when I saw a billboard that I could not ignore. Candyland Cottage promised me the world's largest

GUMMY BEAR!

Hubby and I were getting hungry. We selected a semi-random exit and checked out the fast-food choices--we were traveling with another car carrying my son, his lovely wife, two Cavalier King Charles spaniels, not to mention the world's cutest baby, so it needed to be quick. Dairy Queen! And a happy surprise.

Exit 87 took us to Rayne, Louisiana. My maternal grandfather was born in Rayne, I am told. Did he know that Rayne is the Frog Capital of the World? 

Why? Well, they have a colorful history and lots of frogs. The area. In the 1880's, Rayne's native bullfrogs were a prized commodity. Wikipedia says:

"French businessman Jacques Weil and his brother Edmond were in Rayne, snacking on the amphibian's hind legs. They enjoyed them so much that they decided to start a business selling frog legs.

The dish made its way around the world, but the city officially received its title from New York. A restaurant in the Big Apple named Sardi's called the delicacy as "Frog Legs from Rayne, Louisiana. Frog Capital of the World."

 Rayne frog facts

Rayne is home to over one hundred frog statues and over two dozen murals. You can see some of the art at this link: Rayne's frogs

Or come see them yourself at the the annual Frog Festival May 8-10, 2025. Meet the Frog Festival Queen in person!

We only saw two of the statues on this visit, and I am not happy about that. Maybe next time. But--we followed froggish footprints to Candyland. Turns out it was right across from Dairy Queen. Sweet!

Now, if all were right with the world, I would have a picture of the world's largest Gummi-Bear to post here. Sadly, no.

I searched the store for large gummies with no success. My husband, busy supplying motivational synergy (private joke, y'all), told me he would not let us leave until I asked for assistance finding the World's Largest, whose name I know now is Bob. Same as my husband. 

So--

I inquired at the ice cream counter. "Excuse me, I saw a billboard about the world's largest gummy bear?"

"Oh, we sold it, sorry. He was really huge!" 

Without a word, we picked up one of their brochures on the way out the door. They still claim to have 26 pounds of gummy deliciousness named Bob. Candyland Cottage, have you no shame? It was a really good place to find old-school treats, though. I haven't seen wax lips or candy cigarettes in years. Now I know where they are.

And for what it is worth, a twenty-six pound candy bear is not even close to the world's largest. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the real deal weighs over 1700 Kg (You won't believe how many pounds that is! Look it up!) You can see his photo at this link: World's largest Gummy Bear

                                    Image by Stockvault

I am glad to be back on the search for American-cheesy places. Where should we go next? Tell me in the comments.