Hellmouth Pins Club - August 2024

This month, Hellmouth Pins honours the Season 3 episode ‘Band Candy’, which I haven’t long watched. Ethan Rayne’s latest visit to Sunnydale sends the town into chaos again, as he’s recruited to supply candy that encourages adults to release their inhibitions, so babies from the maternity ward can be stolen as a sacrifice without anyone noticing.
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The first pin and sticker is a design of Joyce and Giles in an embrace, acknowledging the fling they have while under the influence, much to the horror of Buffy. This moment serves to remind us that Buffy is still a teenager, because it’s an ongoing source of embarrassment for her, especially when she finds out in the episode ‘Earshot’ that they actually had sex. I think this illustration is so cool and beautifully rendered as always.
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The second design captures the candy bars themselves, which feels right because they are the pivotal focus of the episode. I love Band Candy because it gives us a glimpse of the softer side of characters like Giles and Snyder, and leaves the Scooby Gang a bit exposed, though they demonstrate they don’t need adults to get the job done.