Disney's Candy Cauldron Has Been Dipping Candy Apples at Disney Springs Since 1997

By entgrove · July 30, 2026

Disney's Candy Cauldron has been making candy apples behind glass at Disney Springs since 1997, in a shop themed to the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Two of the cast members working there are a mother and son: Joanne, who has been with Walt Disney World for more than 30 years, and Pedro, who she trained.

Disney's Candy Cauldron has been casting the same spell at Disney Springs since 1997: a dungeon-themed shop with a show kitchen, a dedicated following for one seasonal apple, and a line of guests watching cast members work through the window. The theming belongs to the Evil Queen from Walt Disney's first animated feature, and the craft behind the glass has been passed down through generations of cast members.

How the Disney candy apple became a thing

Candy and caramel apples have been part of the Walt Disney World food story since the early 1970s, sold along Main Street, U.S.A. almost from the beginning. They caught on for two reasons: the apple itself, and the fact that guests could watch it being made. Over time cast members started treating them as a canvas, turning out apples decorated as Disney characters and seasonal designs.

The most requested of them is the Evil Queen Apple, introduced in the mid-2000s as a Halloween seasonal item. It copies the cursed fruit from the film: a glossy red candy shell with a green drip running down one side, straight out of the scene everyone remembers. It remains the hardest item to find in the case each fall. For guests who would rather not commit to a whole apple, the shop also makes an Evil Queen cake pop.

A mother and son behind the glass

Joanne has been with Walt Disney World for more than 30 years, much of it at Disney's Candy Cauldron. She started at the front counter and moved into the kitchen after watching what was happening there.

"I like interacting with our guests," Joanne said. "It's exciting when people watch us making candy apples. The key to making perfect candy apples: it takes a lot of practice. That's what I tell new cast members."

She became the shop's most experienced decorator and then its trainer, teaching dozens of new cast members the technique. One of them was her son, Pedro, who joined in 2010 as a seasonal hire while still in high school.

"She's the reason I started here and this location was the beginning of my Disney journey," Pedro said. "She was a great teacher, and definitely somebody who made sure I got that trade done right, because she's very particular with making sure that everything that our guests buy is done to perfection."

Pedro went on to Disney leadership roles, including one in 2019 during the grand opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. He still talks about the kitchen as the formative part. "I will say some of my best interactions with guests have been in that kitchen. Anywhere from seeing a little kid ooh and ah while you're making candy apples, to adults watching the entire process and saying they want the one you're making," he said.

What is in the case now

The seasonal rotation has grown well beyond the Evil Queen. Recent designs have included Olaf and Jack Skellington alongside the classic caramel-covered apple, and the case also carries crisped rice treats, bags of freshly spun cotton candy and apples dipped in chocolate.

What this means for guests

Candy Cauldron works best as a stop rather than a destination: it sits on the walkway, the kitchen is visible from outside, and the wait is usually short outside the Halloween season. Guests hunting the Evil Queen Apple specifically should go early in the day during October, when it sells out fastest.