As you know the new Pet Shop Boys album sleeve features this great tick logo, with each song represented by a different box. It's the best Pet Shop Boys album sleeve since 'Very' but to really put it through its paces we decided earlier today to see if it was possible to recreate the 'Yes' sleeve using sweets.
We started off with the humble Starburst. Hopes were high as Starbursts are square and multicoloured. We were pleased with the results.
Despite this success, we couldn't help but feel that the Starburst/'Yes' experiment might work better if the sweets were unwrapped. We were horribly, horribly wrong.
In our excitement we had forgotten that Starbursts' wrappers are all far more vividly coloured than the sweets within. A disappointing conclusion to the Starburst portion of our investigation.
Next up: Fruit Pastilles.
Possibly the most overpoweringly orange packet of Fruit Pastilles we have ever encountered, and for that reason wholly unsuitable for recreating the Pet Shop Boys album sleeve. Disappointing.
Next, Smarties.
When we originally conceived this experiment on the drive to work this morning it was the Smartie which consumed our thoughts and despite its roundness it has not failed to deliver, particularly in terms of the range of colour which allows for a faithful representation of the original sleeve's colour scheme.
With one foodstuff yet to go, it was going to be hard to top the Smarties.
CUSTARD CREAM FAIL.
So, what have we learned?
Well, that one should never underestimate the power of a packet of Smarties. Not only that, but that even though Smarties are the wrong shape, that doesn't mean they can't be relied on. Perhaps, with everything that's going on in the world right now, humanity could do worse than to look to the Smartie for inspiration.