I completely neglected to show any of Igarashi's original Candy Candy manga artwork, a mistake I'm now making right to the best of my ability, with my beat-up used edition of volume 8. 
Many screencaps of the show were made for the article, and some of them didn't make the cut. Here's Candy and Annie enjoying the school dance. Candy is the one in the mask dressed as a man.
Later in the show Candy made a daring leap at a dramatic moment to save somebody or something from somebody or something, I forget.
The World Cup was happening at the time I was working on this article, and that is really the only excuse I have for what I did next.
The French-language Candy Book we mentioned earlier contains a lot of useful information for young girls - makeup tips, crafts, health and beauty advice, articles about pets and hobbies, and the importance of staying active with various sporting activities, like, say, roller skating.
Another fascinating part of the Candy Book was the sequence in which Candy gets an ill-advised tattoo.
The French and Italians and other European markets were inundated with anime merchandise in the 70s and 80s, and Candy was no exception, as we see from this charming fumetti advertisement for children's costumes and toys. Remember that one time that Grandizer and somebody in a Fantastic Four costume went to a birthday party with Candy? You don't? Well, here's proof!
Here's a closeup of that Candy play house / tent. Just the thing for your tea parties with Grandizer and Mr. Fantastic Four.
While on vacation recently, we stopped in an antique mall, as we are in the habit of doing from time to time, and we spotted this little bit of possibly unauthorized Candy Candy merchandise:
This children's sewing machine seemed to be in pretty good shape and was reasonably priced. If you're in the area (I-5 north of Seattle), it might make a good addition to your bootleg anime character merchandise collection. You do have one of those, right?
We were tempted to pick it up ourselves, but the logistics of getting this thing onto an airplane and back home in one piece are kind of daunting. So it remains, an example of the offbeat anime treasures that lie undiscovered across our great land. Much like Candy Candy itself - an anime series trapped in an eerie no-man's land, just out of reach. Let's all keep our spirits up and remain hopeful that all the parties involved can resolve their legal issues and bring Candy Candy back to her fans, old and new.
