Tricky Treat

Here’s the idea: You suck on a super-sour Mega Warhead as long as you can stand it. Then, just when you think your head will explode, the sour melts away to a sweet candy core. That’s your reward. But smart kids have figured out an easier way. They drop the Warheads into a glass of water, watch the outer shell dissolve, then grab the sweet without the sour battle. As one kid told his perplexed parent, “It’s dumb to do it the other way, Mom.” If only the rest of us could get our sweets in life without the sour.

It Turns Into a Pumpkin Platter

Fitz & Floyd makes its Halloween serving ware in two styles--spooky and sophisticated. The ghost-and-pumpkin platters, right, impress kid guests. Adult goblins might prefer the pumpkin tureen, left, designed to look as if it came straight from the garden. Available at Crystal Palais in Agoura Hills and R.S.V.P. in Tustin.

Canned Heat

We spotted this cool candle at an L.A. Mart showroom. The problem was that the showroom couldn’t give us any local sources for the product. But Real Estate Editor Dick Barnes figured out a way we could make our own. Start with a large, clean fruit juice can. Pencil in a pattern. Use an electric drill to pierce a hole on each corner of the pattern. Then use an electric zig-zag cutter with a fine blade to cut away the tin. Needless to say, this is a project for parents with some tool experience--not for kids.