When Wal-Mart wanted to know whether to stock lollipop-shaped cake makers in its stores, it studied Twitter chatter.
"We are committed to offering locally made affordable products, but the cost of sugar is driving manufacturers out of the country," Ms. Calvo-Bacci said, echoing other American candy producers, like the maker of Dum Dum lollipops, that are moving jobs to Mexico to take advantage of the lower sugar prices there.
Some objects don't have to be puffle themed but still fit for the occasion such as Velvet Ropes, Red Carpet, Fair Balloons, Fair Fence, Fluffy Trash Can, Fair Bunting, Rainbow lollipop, Lollipop, Cupcake, Mint Choc Chip Chair, Any Custom Furniture and Slushie Maker.
It doesn't help that one of the only brands available in the country – it calls itself the "first domestic tampon maker" – creates tampons that look like lollipops.
Within its pages are interviews with such influential, independently spirited games-makers as Goichi Suda (Shadows of the Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw), Hidetaka Suehiro (D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die, Deadly Premonition) and Naoki Yoshida (Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn).
And the Chinese firm also bought a minority stake in Epic Games in June - the maker of the Unreal gaming engine used by titles including Mass Effect 3 and Lollipop Chainsaw.
Smartphone-maker OnePlus just released the initial version of OxygenOS, its forked version of Android Lollipop, optimized for its OnePlus One phone.
Last month, the makers of nicotine lollipops and nicotine lip balm were ordered to cease sales by the Food and Drug Administration.
Their various experiments, whether using different-colored lollipops, spinning toys or music makers, suggest babies, toddlers and preschoolers are already testing hypotheses, estimating statistical odds, and coming to conclusions based on old and new evidence.
