Sugar Republic, Sydney.


Sunday afternoon is often adventure time for Master SSG and I.  The weather is almost always on board and living up to the ‘sun’ in its name, it’s $2.50 all day public transport for me and $1.25 (I think) for him plus there’s almost always something going on in the city.

Sugar Republic  is a ticketed exhibition currently taking place on sixth floor of Myer in the city.  To quote its website, ‘Sugar Republic is a pop up sweets museum and house of fun’. Its Sydney season runs from February 10 – May 20 2019.  The original Australian presentation was in Melbourne with Brisbane and now Sydney each having a home for this riot of colour, fun and yes… sugar.

Tickets are $31 for kids and $37 for adults with a supplement of around $5 for weekend sessions.  Allow around an hour to attend the show and sample the sweets on offer plus (on the weekend we were there) a good half hour or so to line up for the final experience (spoilers ahead and remember your socks).

Staff are all very friendly and photography is encouraged as is sharing on social media.

There are photo ops everywhere

and very photogenic details abound as well.

Master SSG was in his element as a few exhibits demanded to be climbed and interacted with.  He climbed to the top of this birthday cake, posed and tossed confetti like a seasoned performer.

Staff filtered through the crowd (the organizers try to keep the numbers down by limiting tickets per session so that all who attend have a good chance of having reasonable access to each display) with trays of sweets to pick and mix for free.
Spinning the ‘Wheel of Fruit’.

It was a world of colour, whimsy and fond memories.

Disco donuts and watermelon wedges.

I’m showing my age and devotion to a more boring life now when I say that I cannot understand how I managed to inhale the lollies and treats around me with such gusto when I was literally Sydney Shop Girl.  Where did all that sugar go?

Giant inflatable freckles.

Arnott’s biscuits, however, don’t just live on in my memory, they occupy a fair bit of real estate in my grown up pantry too.

All my favourites were featured in this house of Arnott’s biscuits.

Inside the house, Master SSG busied himself with things that needed to be tidied and opened.

I could have sworn the licorish room smelled of licorish.  Or maybe it was the all sorts cushions that made me think this.

We posed with larger than life models of Australian ice cream legends – Paddle Pop, Bubble-O-Bill and Golden Gaytime.

Master SSG took great pains to remind me that the lollies on display at the shop were in fact for ‘display purposes only’.  He was fascinated by all the opportunities to read things out to me.

Halo Top  is a low calorie ‘ice cream’ with cult status in the US.  It’s hit Australia now and well … I’m surprisingly not a fan.  For all my love of many, many American convenience foods, I just can’t find the love for the Halo.

Halo Top was the ice cream on offer at Sugar Republic and on the day we visited, salted caramel, peanut butter and chocolate flavours were on offer.  Delish tell me that there are just under 50 flavours in the full range.

My problem is that it tastes low sugar and low fat. It has the consistency of cheaper full fat ice creams wihtout their taste.  I was left with a chemical aftertaste in my mouth after a single scoop.

I do like the creativity behind the Halo Top flavours and I could taste hints of the key flavours in my sample but h.  I’d rather go full cream and sugar once in a while than to be left a bit underwhelmed on a daily basis with empty calories that still have me craving ‘the real thing’ at the end of it.

Are you ready for the finale?

It was a giant pool of bubbles which we were invited to submerge ourself in.  Ten guests at a time and with our socks on.  Needless to say, chaos ensued.  I will say that if you are bringing young children, the wait for this room might be a source of frustration to them.  The temptation to leave the line and roam the other displays will be strong and given into.  Then lining up in the room itself presents the desire to just abandon ‘good listening’ and jump the queue and head straight for the pool.  Patience, grasshopper parents and carers, patience.  And your best ‘firm but fair in public’ voice too.

All in all, Sugar Republic was a fun way to spend Sunday afternoon.  I do think the ticket prices were a bit steep but this is clearly a labour of love that the founders are passionate about.  I’m looking forward to seeing the exhibition evolve in Sydney.  I wonder if there will be new exhibits for Easter / the later months of the run?

There’s a small selection of quirky on theme gifts just outside the show.

So much iconic culinary Australiana!

And then it was over and we were back in the world of the Myer toy level.  Where I chanced upon this….

Why?  And No!!!!!.  Toilet paper, ‘skid shot’ and easy cleaning in the one toy?  I think not…


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