The Candy Queen
Brenda Murphy, creator of candy art and frequent guest on national TV, shares a little bit about herself, her art and her preference of M&M’s.
Q: How did you get the title “Candy Queen?”
A: The name “Candy Queen” came from an October 1999 Good Housekeeping profile. They did an article about me being on the “Rosie O’Donnell Show” and other TV programs and titled the article “The Candy Queen.” Friends and family started calling me that for fun, and the name stuck.
Q: What’s it like making appearances on all of these national shows?
A: It’s been lots of fun being on the TV shows. I usually don’t like to get up in front of people and talk, but I love making my candy creations and love to share how I make them, so it’s been amazing to be on national TV. I was featured in the book “Starring You,” about how people that are “nobodies” get on television. Everyone’s been so nice at the TV shows and you feel like you’re talking one-on-one and not in front of millions of people.
Q: What is your favorite candy, both to eat and to work with?
A: My favorite candy to eat – there are so many! It’s like asking me which is my favorite grandchild? Some that come to mind are Milky Way Dark, Clark Bars, M&M’s, Turtles, Twix and about anything with caramel. Oh, and Bob’s peppermint sticks.
Q: Do you eat your masterpieces after pictures are taken?
A: I don’t eat the candy after taking pictures. I usually give away my candy sculptures. Sometimes the kids eat my candy art after an event – it’s all edible. An exception was a candy model of a 1923 Rolls Royce I created for the Rolls Club. It was given as a door prize and eaten by the man who won! It had a horn which honked when you pushed it. Fortunately he didn’t eat that.
Q: How long does it take you to make one of your creations?
A: It sometimes takes me two or three hundred hours to make the large ones because I haven’t made them before. I have to try different candies to see which ones work best. If stuff doesn’t work then I’m out searching stores to find the right shape and color of candy. My smaller projects might only take a few hours.
Q: Do you prefer plain or peanut M&M’s?
A: I prefer plain M&M’s for the art, but I’ll eat them both!
