Editor’s Note: This story is part of our series “Helping Hands”, which aims to spotlight Johnson Countians doing good in the background of their community. If you have an idea for someone to spotlight in a future “Helping Hands” story, email us at stories@johnsoncountypost.com.
Two years ago, a humorous exchange over text led to a Shawnee father-and-daughter team trying to sweeten their community.
On an afternoon watching their children play with an inflatable unicorn sprinkler in the backyard, Lee Urban was conversing with friends about how long the sprinkler would keep the kids occupied. Imagine how much longer it would do that, one friend jokingly pointed out, if the sprinkler “shot candy out of its ass.”
The comment was clearly meant as a joke, Lee said, but it quickly became more than that.
“We were just laughing over the concept of candy shooting out of inflatables, and then all of a sudden, it triggered an idea,” he said.
That idea later became Fantastical Droppings — a joint effort between Lee Urban and his now 7-year-old daughter, Charlotte Urban.
The Urbans have also used the business to give back to their community, donating proceeds and bags of candy to local organizations across the county.
The Urbans partner with local businesses to sell their candy
The brand’s signature item is “troll turds” — a strawberry Australian-style licorice.
Lee purchases the candy from a wholesaler in Minnesota, and it’s packaged by Lenexa-based Sunflower Food Co.
Aside from that, the production operation is comprised of Lee and Charlotte — with respective titles of “Chief Executive Officer” and “Little CEO and Boss of the Applesauce.”
“We spent a lot of time trying to make sure that it was (top) quality,” Lee said about launching the brand. “We had friends taste-test licorice for about six months. The joke was, ‘Hey Lee, you’re going to be the next Willa Wonka of Kansas City.’”
Once the candy is packaged and the bags go into boxes, Charlotte puts a spin of her own on the packaging by putting stickers and drawing artwork on the side of each box.
From there, the Urbans partner with K-7 Liquors and Missies Discount Liquor (both Shawnee based), both of which offer the candy at their stores.
Aside from the two Shawnee businesses with whom the Urbans primarily partner, Fantastical Droppings has also made appearances at farmers markets and pop-ups with other businesses like Shawnee-based Mr. D’s Donuts and Station 3 Coffee.
“We try to keep it as local as possible,” Lee said. “I purposely didn’t put my branding on Amazon, just to keep it sort of tight-knit.”
Candy for a cause
The Urbans aim for Fantastical Droppings to make Johnson County a sweeter place in more ways than one.
Annually, the duo makes a trip to Children’s Mercy Hospital, bringing hundreds of bags with them to donate.
The business has also made a direct donation to animal rescue Melissa’s Second Chances, and has also used proceeds to purchase books about post-traumatic stress disorder to donate to the Kansas City VA, to distribute to veterans facing mental health challenges.
“Every year we drive from Shawnee to the (Children’s Mercy) donation center, and that’s my time to just talk to her and reiterate why we’re doing this,” he said. “We’re doing it to give back to the community, and that’s very special.”
Hopes for the future
In creating Fantastical Droppings, Lee said one of the best parts has been getting to spend time with his daughter, and watching her get to exercise her creativity — whether it’s through creating art for candy boxes or for signs at farmers markets.
“When we go to a pop-up, she’ll learn aspects of the business, but she’ll also just have fun selling the licorice,” he said. “She’ll make a sign, or she’ll draw a picture or package the box a certain way just for a customer — It’s just a really special outlet for her creativity.”
But the community service aspect has also given him the chance to teach her the importance of giving back.
“It’s been a creative outlet, but the community response has been really supportive,” Lee Urban said. “Teaching (Charlotte) entrepreneurship and charitable giving, and making that the core of the mission, that was front and center from the very beginning.”
As far as where the business goes, Lee said he doesn’t necessarily have a clear-cut vision. In a way, he said, that’s kind of the beauty of it.
“That’s one thing that I’ve realized in life, is that if you try to get somewhere too fast, then you won’t enjoy the ride,” he said. “The process is fun, but it’s even more beautiful when I’ve got my daughter along with me to be a part of it.”
He’d like to eventually grow Charlotte’s role as she gets older and can take on more responsibilities on the business side, he said. He also hopes to potentially get Fantastical Droppings products on the shelves of some local grocery stores.
But ultimately he’s focused on being in the moment and keeping it fun. After all, he said, he’s here to make “memories, not millions.”
“It’s really special to think about how this joke turned into a really successful business,” he said. “I just want to have fun with Charlotte, with the business, and keep it as creative and fun as possible with the purpose of giving back. The more we grow, it’ll just be more charitable giving to Kansas City.”
More Helping Hands: These volunteers help Shawnee homeowners with free house repairs
Know someone who deserves a spotlight for lending a hand? Reach out to us at stories@johnsoncountypost.com.
