A/N: It's about time to get that new product out to the public.

Introduction

"We did it Charlie, we licked the problem" Willy Wonka said as he walked into the office. The office had been rearranged and now had two desks; one for Willy and another for Charlie Bucket. Two and a half years ago Charlie had been invited to become the future owner and operator of the Wonka empire; he had started out being a wide-eyed boy with a whole new world to play in, and now was a wide-eyed teen with a penchant for marketing while still indulging in childlike glee when something new came around.

"Did you really lick it Willy?" He no longer addressed Willy as 'Mister Wonka', but as an equal and partner. "You didn't bite or chew did you?" he teased.

"Well, maybe just a little," Willy played along "when no one was looking. But we've got the Wonkapuffs working properly now, and we can roll them out whenever we want." Wonkapuffs were a new candy that Willy had invented during the last year. The plans had been to launch the product in Italy to start, but production problems caused a delay. The chocolate candy was a round ball a little smaller than a malted milk ball; when you popped it in your mouth and chewed you were able to blow out what appeared to be white smoke. It was actually more like a low temperature fog variation that was perfectly safe, with the added bonus that each bag had one candy that would give off a randomly colored smoke. The effect only lasted for a few breaths, but it promised to be different than anything on the market now that it was perfected.

"That's great! I knew we could do it, I just knew it. So how are we going to put them out for people to discover?"

"We? That's your department. I just invent stuff" Willy answered with a smile. Charlie furrowed his brow until Willy started laughing. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. But I think you really are better at marketing than I am. Have you talked to Bob at all?" Bob Wilkinson was a partner and friend who had been with Willy for ages. He was spending less and less time at the factory, but still came in several days a week to help consult with the business end of the company and visit with old friends.

"I have. He thinks we should try something different to really get people's attention, not the normal store introduction. Do you really think I'm better at marketing than even you? Look how you've built up the Wonka company!"

"I have Charlie, that's true. I always did like the old saying about building a better mousetrap. But the world is changing, and now there's so much more to it than just having the best candy out there. Now you have to convince people to buy it; for the life of me I can't think of any reason why but with so many competitors out there you have to stand out from the crowd. Especially if they smell funny" he winked. "But I digress. I agree with Bob; I think you should talk it over with him some more. How do you usually find out about a new candy? I mean when you were a kid of course" Willy quickly amended. Charlie had grown up quite a bit since he was a naive child on a tour of a mysterious chocolate factory.

"I'd see it in a store, or a friend would tell me about it. I even went to this thing called a Halloween party where we got candies once. But usually a friend tries one and then tells us about it, or shares if the bag is big enough" Willy said, thinking back. Truthfully, it was the other kids that tended to have friends that tried new candy; Charlie's friends didn't have much money, and like him couldn't treat themselves very often.

"So you usually learned about a new candy from other kids. That makes sense. See, that's one of the things that you bring to our group; Sir and Bob and I have been grownups for so long we forget what it was like as a kid sometimes. I was heading over to the business office anyway, so let me get Bob to come over and you can discuss it with him." Willy turned and headed out the door. He reappeared, sticking his head back though the doorway with a quizzical look on his face. "What's a Halloween party?"

...

The school gymnasium was decorated and lit for the night. Spotlights played on a huge banner announcing "Halloween Bash"; someone had added "3rd Annual" just in front. Through the open front door, music and laughter could be heard as adults and children came and went.

Out in the parking lot, a large bus drove up in the night and stopped near the front door. Painted purple with a huge fancy 'W' on each side, the doors opened and a lone figure rolled out a carpet between the bus and the door.

Inside the gym, the music had just paused between songs when the bus horn blasted from outside. Conversation stopped at the sound, and the people looked on as a parade entered the large room. One dozen Willy Wonkas entered through the doorway; each was under four feet tall and dressed in various purple coats and brown top hats, ruffles and a cane. The disguised Oompas, their faces painted white and hair dyed light brown, formed two lines and broke into a song and dance, extolling the virtues of candy and Halloween. For several minutes the song continued until it ended with:

On this holiday night it really is a kick
We won't be happy with just any trick
So we offer a song and dance that really can't be beat
And finish it all, the coup de grace, with a special treat.

At this juncture they parted and raised canes to produce an archway through which Willy, Charlie, Penny and Chloe emerged dressed as Oompas. They were done up in white jumpers and brown shirts, their hair dyed green, their faces painted orange and carrying large baskets. They circulated around the room, passing out small bags of Wonkapuffs and wishing everyone a happy Halloween. When one of the disguised oompas blew on his cane, a trumpet toot came out and the Wonka troupe retreated in reverse order from how they came in. The party was left in wonder and holding bags of a new candy called Wonkapuffs they had never seen before.

The process was repeated three more times at other parties, and then the bus was finished with its rounds and drove off into the night until it stopped outside a small shop on a street that ran by the factory. The door of the bus opened and all inside moved out quickly and into the shop, where Sir held the shop door open for them until all were inside. He then boarded the bus and drove it off back into the night to have its decoration removed and returned to normal everyday service.

Inside the shop, the group descended a stairway to a small room with a locked door. Willy unlocked the door and they entered a hallway tunnel which led from under the shop to the Wonka factory grounds, where they split up to their rooms to return to their normal appearances and retire for the night; although in truth two oompas kept their costumes and wore them the following week at work.

Later in their bedroom, Willy lay on his bed and relived the evening's events.

"You're still thinking about it, aren't you?" Penny asked from her bed a few feet away. "I see your toes moving."

Willy looked down at his bare feet. "Given away by my metatarsals. I knew they'd be my downfall someday. Either that or raspberry-flavored truth serum."

"Well, it certainly won't be your imagination. That was quite the way to introduce those puffs; I suspect they'll be the talk of the confectionery world tomorrow. And you managed to get the oompas out into the public for the first time too."

"Oh, I hope the people do talk about them; that's how we're getting the word out on this one. I don't see the Wonkapuffs as being part of my main candy line, more of a limited time offering. I think we'll put that on the bags we sell, too." He yawned and closed his eyes. "But it sure was fun. And this was the safest way to let some of the oompas see the outside world; they had a chance to perform AND see some new sights."

Willy seemed to drift off for a few minutes and his breathing became steady, until he suddenly sat up with a start and turned to Penny. "But how are we going to bring out the next product?"

The End

A/N: See, I told you it would be a while before the next Willy story! This one lines up after Echoes of a Remembered Tune; see my profile in case you are confused on the order of the stories. And I just had to put in how the regular people entered and exited the factory grounds without being seen; there would be too much publicity by going in and out the public gate. I suspect Willy has a couple entrances like this one.

Just what is that next product? *smirks*