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Solar system lollypops. Photo: Vintage Confections

Candy makers Vintage Confections devised a way to jam the solar system into a sugary treat with their line of lollipops that provide surprisingly accurate representations of the Sun and the planets.

In the wide-ranging history of humans playing with their food, these candy creations fall into a category one might call Food That Looks Like Things. But that is just one subgenre of this art. Looking around, you’ll find a sizable set of people who want to see their food look like anything but itself.

Food That Looks Like Things

Photo: Dan Cretu via Toxel.com

Like the solar system lollies, artists and crafters love making food that looks like other things, whether it be a green pepper frog, a vegetable camera, a human head, mice with cheese , or a pirate ship made of sausage and bacon.

Things That Look Like Food

Bacon and eggs, made from soap. Photo: ajsweetsoap

On the flip side, there are things that aren’t food but sure look a lot like food. And, Mother Nature even took a hand at playing with the geologist’s dream, rocks that look like food.

Food That Looks Like Other Food

This hamburger is made of cake. Photo: Lynae Zebest

And for those who are content with their food in fact being food, and don’t mind it looking like food, but would rather it just looked like some other sort of food, then that is an option as well. Mental Floss points us to a list of cakes that look like other food, from hamburgers to sushi and a nice rare steak.

More from Smithsonian.com:
Food and Video Games
Five Funky Food Museums
Meet Food “Information Artist” Douglas Gayeton