Tucson's Purple Penguin Candy Emporium is the nostalgic candy shop of your dreams

To be able to go to a place filled with decadent milk chocolate and everlasting gobstoppers would’ve been heaven, filling our pockets with every sweet treat we could find.

Now, what if I told you there’s a place like that right here in Tucson?

As soon as you step foot into the Purple Penguin Candy Emporium, 3392 E. 22nd St., you’ll feel as if you’ve time-traveled back into your childhood, where you finally found the golden ticket.

Since I have a sweet tooth, I knew I had to check out this local candy store for the Star's $25 shopping challenge, and I couldn’t have been more excited.

You’re welcomed in by a line of giant M&Ms that guard the door, looking as if they were having a conversation with one another. When you walk in, you’ll be overwhelmed with childlike wonder and amusement.

Teddy bears, carousel horses, a Betty Boop figurine, a life-size Cousin Itt doll and nutcrackers fill every corner of the candy shop. You can’t help but smile as you take in all the nostalgic décor.

Of course, the real star of the show is the piles and piles of candy and sweet treats that line the shelves. Anything you can dream of is there, calling your name.

Pretty much everything inside the Purple Penguin Emporium is under $25, so there are many options you can bring home with you. You’ll first spot their candy buffet, which is filled with buckets and buckets of candy like taffy, Hi-Chew, Warheads, Jawbreakers, Hershey Kisses and so much more.

At the buffet, you can fill a bag with anything you’d like for $14.99 per pound.

Need something to help wash down all your candy? No problem! They have dozens of sodas that come in all kinds of flavors. Root beers, Shirley Temples, cream sodas and yes, even bacon-flavored soda can all be found here for $3.99.

Are you a sour gummy person? Or what about chocolate bars? Are candy cigarettes more your vibe? Purple Penguin Emporium has it all.

Lemon Kit Kats, Yoo-hoo candy bars, mini gummy Krabby Patties, Peelerz (the peelable gummies that went viral on TikTok), Jelly Bellys, Reese Oreo bars and so much more can all be found here.

They also have plenty of those BeanBoozled boxes, the Jelly Belly candies that have secret gross flavors hidden within, so you can prank your loved ones.

It was hard to limit myself in here, but I picked up a few goodies, waved goodbye to the M&Ms and was on my way.

Jamie puts bacon soda to the test

For $10, I got three different treats to try, wanting to see if they would pass my Jamie Eats test.

First up, I got their chocolate-covered bacon-flavored soda ($3.99). Look, I’m a normal person, I love a Dr. Pepper at dinner time, but a bacon soda? That might be where I draw the line.

But I knew I had to try it for journalism’s sake. I filled up a cup with ice and poured in my unique soda. The soda itself smelled like chocolate sauce, so I was slightly hopeful it wouldn’t be disgusting.

If I could describe the soda with one word, it would be confusing. I wasn’t picking up any bacon flavor; in fact, I thought it kind of tasted like chocolate-covered peanuts. It wasn’t gross, but I was content with only taking one sip.

Next on the list was the Sour Punch Bites Pickle Roulette ($3.32). Mixed up in this bag were bites flavored like watermelon, lemon lime, apple and … pickle. Since they all look the same, you won’t know which one you’ll get until you’re chowing down on them.

I probably ate half the bag trying to find a pickle one, but nothing tasted pickley to me. So either the pickle was really good, and I didn’t notice, or I hadn’t tried one yet. Either way, all the flavors included were so tasty, I would definitely buy again.

My last treat to try was the one I was most excited for: a lemon Kit Kat ($2.69). I’ve been obsessed recently with lemon-flavored things, so I knew it was coming home with me.

It did not disappoint. It was like a creamy vanilla lemon flavor that paired perfectly with the wafer cookie inside. I think I liked it better than a regular milk chocolate Kit Kat. 10/10, and I wish I would’ve bought like five of them.