Camp Candy was a summer sleepover camp owned and operated by John Candy. Like most camps, it offered activities like boating, swimming, and fishing; but unlike most camps, this one had a variety of crazy characters that visited from time to time. The campers were the usual assortment of cartoon kids, and the camp even came with its own villain, Rex de Forrest, a land developer who coveted Camp Candy’s acreage as a potential condo site.
TV and movie star John Candy played the character of counselor John Candy. The famed funnyman had already become popular on the classic television show SCTV and in movies like Uncle Buck and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. This animated outing was based on Candy’s real-life adventures as a counselor and gave him a chance to participate in a program his own children could enjoy. Using the evil developer Rex as a springboard, Candy took time out in each episode to teach the viewers about the wonders of ecology.
The series was bolstered by the star power of Candy himself and that of fellow SCTV alums like Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas, who would appear in live segments based on their recognizable characters. Another high point of the series was the theme song, which was written by Harry Nilsson and sung by Nilsson and Candy together.
While the series never became hugely popular, it is still remembered fondly, especially for episodes like “Wish Upon a Fish,” which won a Humanitas award. All in all, Camp Candy remains part of a proud legacy for John Candy, who tragically died of a heart attack in 1994.
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