Lollies: A love story

Every now and again I catch wind of a spectacularly demented project that captures my imagination. The window display of the Clunes Public Library falls into this category. Look what one family can do with 65 lolly bags, a box full of textas and passion for sweets. Awesome. It’s hard to pinpoint a favourite though ‘Sharing hurts’, ‘Make Friends with a Lolly’ and 'Lollies Make Me Go Crazy’ are favourites. Other knockouts include 'Lolly Fan' and 'Smile for Sugar' (that's a black tooth in that smile) and 'The Lolly Shop Man needs Rest'. If only my clients possessed half the visual intelligence and copy writing skills of Henry, Chet, Will and Audrey, I’d be on Easy Street.

A lot of the sentiments expressed on these lolly bags have a hard time finding expression in public. I understand why. Sugar is bad. People are getting fatter every day. But it’s difficult not to feel as though the widespread hatred of lollies is partly a class issue. (Like, it’s okay to praise boutique artisan chocolates but not a Nestle chocolate bar.) I'm pretty sure political agitation was not on the minds of these creatives. Nevertheless unguarded self-expression can be genuinely subversive.

Live On Lollies. Bottom right.