Daddy-daughter candy business drops tongue-in-cheek lessons flavored with entrepreneurship

What started out as a joke about an inflatable unicorn sprinkler “tooting” out candy has turned into a meaningful daddy-daughter candy business, Lee Urban shared.

The Shawnee father launched Fantastical Droppings “for the little squirts that make your life complete,” he notes on the colorful packaging.

Bags of by Fantastical Droppings; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“I’m like, ‘I’m gonna create a company that I can spend time with her and then really teach her about entrepreneurship and giving back,’” Urban recalled of the idea to start the business with his daughter Charlotte, now 7. “So we don’t take any salaries. We just budget for donations.”

The company currently offers two products — Unicorn Ass Candy and the more-kid-friendly Troll Turds — both strawberry-flavored, soft Australian licorice, complete with poop jokes printed on the bottom, of course.

“Why did the toilet paper roll down the hill?” asked Charlotte, whose title is “little CEO and boss of the applesauce.” “To get to the bottom.”

The candy — distributed locally by Sunflower Foods in Lenexa — can be found at K-7 Liquors and Missie’s Discount Liquors in Shawnee, plus at pop-ups alongside Mr. D’s Donuts in Shawnee and Ice Cream Bae in Leawood. And the goal is to soon have it on local grocery store shelves.

Click here to shop Fantastical Droppings online.

“It’s really good,” Charlotte — official taste tester — noted of the licorice, “ really, really good.”

Fantastical Droppings licorice candy; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News

Rolling with the joke

Urban — an attorney and former Kansas assistant attorney general — came up with the idea for the candy after a group chat with his wife and neighbors about how the inflatable sprinklers were keeping their kids busy, he shared.

Packaging for Unicorn A** Candy by Fantastical Droppings; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“Somebody said, like, ‘Just imagine if the unicorn shot candy out of its ass,’” Urban recalled. “And we were just rolling. Then the joke was the kids would be out there for perpetuity and we wouldn’t have to get a babysitter.”

“I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna look on the trademark site to see if it’s trademarked,’” he added. “‘If not, I’m gonna create a candy, because that’s funny.’”

About four years ago, he first reached out to a designer friend for help on where to start with building a candy company and then began calling candy executives, Urban continued. He spent a year figuring out details like the related supply chain challenges.

“I think the curiosity really got the best of me,” he noted, “and so it kept rolling.”

Urban landed on licorice — a favorite of his grandfather — he said. But he couldn’t find any local company that makes it. He even tried to make it himself.

“That was hard,” Urban added.

For six months, he and Charlotte taste tested various types and flavors of licorice before finding a local distributor. 

“I’m really focused on quality, so I really wanted the best,” he said.

Charlotte first took interest in the business when she saw the designer’s drawing of the unicorn for the packaging, Urban said, noting a light switch flipped for him to start getting her more involved.

“I’m like, ‘What’s that?’” Charlotte recalled. “And why is that unicorn tooting?”

Boxes of Troll Turds by Fantastical Droppings; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Together, step by step

While Urban considers himself the visionary behind Fantastical Droppings, Charlotte is the creative, he shared. She makes signs for pop-ups, helps with packaging — signing, drawing on, and putting stickers on each box that’s shipped (even making one for Taylor Swift when they 13 bags leftover), and brainstorms new characters and flavors (according to Charlotte, “Dragon Dingleberry” is next, a purple licorice with possibly a different berry flavor). 

Charlotte and Lee Urban, Fantastical Droppings; courtesy photo

She also helps her dad with sales at pop-ups and by delivering donations to organizations like Children’s Mercy, KCSN Foundation, Melissa’s Second Chances Animal Shelter, and the Kansas City VA.

“Part of it is her exploring the creative side,” Urban explained. “So the teaching is just learning how she can unlock the creative side in different ways, but also then convert it into business. Or how do you take something that you’ve done creatively and put it onto a product?”

Each quarter they explore a different business lesson — like public relations — at her first grade level, he noted. 

“They’re really basic lessons that hopefully build over time,” Urban continued. “But more so, it’s just the importance of creating a good quality product and then valuing spending time with each other.”

“It went from a joke to a business and it’s growing,” he added. “It’s taking it step by step and enjoying the ride.”

And what does Charlotte like most about helping to run the business? 

“That we do it together,” she said.