PEZ Calls Off Annual Easter Egg Hunt After Parents Storm Field And Steal Kids' Candy

Sometimes taking candy from a baby isn't all it's cracked up to be. The PEZ Factory in Orange, Connecticut, was forced to cancel its third annual Easter egg hunt Sunday after an unprecedented amount of fierce competition from — of all people — overeager parents.

The company said that the fun tradition turned into a "mess" as parents stormed the field before the designated start time and tried to take kids' Easter eggs.

"Somebody pushed me over and take my eggs and it's very rude of them and they broke my bucket," 4-year-old Vincent Welch told NBC Connecticut.

PEZ said it had hidden 9,000 eggs in three separate fields for differing age groups, but parents rushed onto the field before the event started and began fighting over the colorful eggs with candy hidden inside. PEZ officials tried to stem the tide of competitive adults but were forced to put an end to the event.

"We sincerely tried our best to create a fun, free activity for everyone to enjoy. Due to the actions of a few, the good intent quickly turned into a mess," PEZ wrote in response to a critical comment on its Facebook page. "We only wanted to do good for the local community. We made efforts to get everyone something before they left and passed out tons of candy and coupons and the front entry and tried to make the best of an unfortunate situation."