NEW YORK—The candy walker, once considered a sugary flop, is in high demand this holiday season, with stores around the country reporting that it is more than making up for the current dearth of the classic candy cane. Confectionery makers, suffering from everything from labor shortages to the inability to source certain key ingredients because of ongoing supply chain problems, have had trouble filling all their orders for canes this year. But they soon realized that the walker, which actually uses less sugar but is sturdier and lasts a lot longer, could fill in quite nicely and is also much more stable when displayed on store shelves. Also, unlike the candy cane, whose origins are rooted in religion and go back to the shepherd’s crook, the candy walker is secular, making it a great treat even for those who don’t celebrate Christmas. One global candy retailer even thinks that the walker will someday replace the beloved cane as something that people practically fall over just to get their hands on.
