Polar Playground Takes Cotton Candy to the Next Level

(Photo by Richie Anothaisintavee)

Do you have a sweet tooth? Cause one of my favorite places to visit is Polar Playground in Huntington Beach, California. This cute mom and pop shop is not only “the home for cotton candy characters,” but also milkshakes, sundaes, ice cream, and more!

This is not your run of the mill cotton candy that you eat at the carnival or at a sporting event. The creativity behind making each character is beyond what you can imagine. The flavors and color combinations are thoroughly planned out. The reason why I enjoy going here is the cute creations and the taste. The cotton candy is fruity, sweet, and caramel-like. Polar Playground knows how to make it easy and accessible for me to get my share of sweet treats whenever I want to go.

(Photo by Natasha Nguyen)

(Photo by Natasha Nguyen)

I still remember my first visit here. I requested Tim, who is the co-owner of Polar Playground, to make Iron Man and Hello Kitty. I wanted to showcase Iron Man on my social media because at the time the Avengers: Infinity War was being released. It was a great way to connect both Polar Playground with a blockbuster movie at the time. And for Hello Kitty, it was a beloved character from when I grew up. I wanted to relive my childhood memories of how much I collected items at the Sanrio store. This was Tim’s first time making Iron Man and he did such a fantastic job. I was surprised with how fast he put everything together. He spun the sugar into threads and formed it into different shapes and sizes. Tim also creates characters that are not listed on the menu. Tim was willing to push boundaries to make new characters and I admire his drive to go outside of the box. In my opinion, this is what helps Polar Playground succeed. Most of the time people are not willing to try new creations on the spot, but he had a can do attitude. And that attitude left an impression not only on me, but to the other patrons at the store. There is so much respect from me and others for his artistic skills in using cotton candy as his medium.

As I nibbled into Iron Man’s helmet, I can still taste the cherry flavor and how it effortlessly dissipated in my mouth. The face shield had a zing of lemon. I can re-imagine the lightness, thickness, and stickiness from when I grabbed a piece. The Hello Kitty was pure vanilla. The sugar melted in my mouth and made my heart skip a beat everytime. I could also be misconstruing it with a sugar rush, but nonetheless it was worth every bite. The sweet aroma filled my nose with happiness. I felt like I was a little kid again. As I looked at what was left of my mangled Iron Man and Hello Kitty I knew I enjoyed my snack. And I think that’s where the magic is, it wasn’t just eating cotton candy, but also being able to disassemble or devour my favorite characters I’ve seen on screen. If I couldn’t finish my cotton candy the staff provided bags to take my characters home as leftovers.

(Photo by Richie Anothaisintavee)

The establishment has a perfect name. It’s exactly like a playground, but full of desserts for you to enjoy. They have these cute chair pods also known as bubble swings that hang from the ceilings. While sitting on the swings, I felt like I was out of Huntington Beach. More like Cloud 9 was the right word to describe it. The walls are painted like the night sky with stars. Giving the atmosphere of the shop as if I was at the north pole and stargazing. Polar Playground wasn’t just fun, but also family-friendly. The team is engaging and willing to work with you and your family to get the treats and characters you want. They may not be able to make everything, but are accommodating. Like I mentioned earlier, Tim’s willingness to make characters that are not on the menu shows the aptitude of this place. If he couldn’t create a character then he would recommend something similar or another character from that movie, cartoon, or TV series. Isn’t this such the perfect place to bring the kiddies and to let their imagination run wild and free?

Polar Playground became famous for the Northern Lights Cotton Candy. It is a rainbow cloud of fluff and each layer represents a delicious flavor. If you ever use TikTok, you may have come across one of their creative creations. The newest popular sensation is Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian. Such a sweet way to bring the Child home to you. The marketing ability alone in creating new characters based on current trends is fantastic. This encourages me to want to keep coming back for more. They made cotton candy not just a fad, but a unique medium to stick to other trends. I’m hoping to go back to see if they can make The Mandalorian or Boba Fett with the Child.

There’s no need for me to wait for an upcoming event to get my share of sweets. But then again, there are no longer any carnivals or sport events happening during these unusual times. Thanks to Polar Playground for having a brick-and-mortar store. I can arrive and leave through those exit doors with my sweet tooth satisfied and a huge smile on my face while munching into my next cotton candy character.

It is required to wear a mask/proper face covering before entering Polar Playground. To practice social distancing measures, there are a limited number of tickets available to create cotton candy characters. This is a first come first serve basis on a daily. Distribution for the tickets are around 12:30 pm at the door. Be aware that there’s a limit of 2 cotton candy characters per group for each ticket. There is a return time on the tickets for same day use. Please note that I got this information from their COVID-19 update page via Yelp.

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Polar Playground

16891 Beach Blvd,

Huntington Beach, CA 92647

(714) 369-2847

Instagram: @polarplayground

Facebook: @polarplayground