One possibility is that the candy breaks the surface tension of the liquid which allows all the bubbles to be released at once (especially since the candy is heavy and sinks to the bottom - releasing more and more on the way down).

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000109

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57OwFMasYOE

I think the full answer is partially surface tension, but also involves what is called nucleation sites.

http://www.eepybird.com/science.html

A nucleation site is surface area where bubbles can form. Mentos has lots of surface texture (they're not actually smooth) for the eruptions to form on.

An interesting (and opposite) effect is to line a glass with vegetable oil and pour soda into it. No bubbles (no nucleation sites, which, it's worth noting, soda HAS oil added to it). Now add granulated sugar to the mix. LOTS of bubbles (lots of surface area/nucleation sites). Cool huh?

Why diet soda? It seems it's easier to clean up from than regular! :)

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