and started an internet frenzy.
Well, ok I exaggerate.
Two people said they loved that gum.
In my world, that constitutes a frenzy, dammit.
One of my beloved readers suggested I do a post on favorite candies–
so, this is for you Alixe.
We begin with Snirkles.
My favorite candy of all time.
They were a nickel.
They’re singlehandedly responsible for a lot of my dental work.
I loved these so much!
Tootsie Pops without the stick.
Convenient when you’re on the go.
I don’t see them anymore.
Wintergreen leaves, gum droppy things.
These are so great looking.
I didn’t like them when I was young,
they were candy your grandma would have.
I think I’d love em now.
Ok, seriously, if you ever had these,
please leave me a comment.
They had a consistency all their own,
something I’ve never experienced before or since.
Speaking of consistency,
these were kinda like chewing on a shingle.
Not that I’ve ever done that.
But I imagine it’d be similar to eating these.
These were only eaten in desperation.
Just looking at the picture of these
makes me smell rubbing alcohol.
My doctor gave them to me
right after he gave me a shot.
So I always thought they were safe
because they came from your doctor.
The bank gave them away too,
when my mom went through the drive-up.
That was cool.
Another funky desperation thing–
this stuff was weird as heck.
Cool package though.
This had to have been invented by accident.
Drops of candy goo fell on someone’s grocery list,
hardened, and voila.
We spent hours pulling them off and eating them.
Every now and then you’d get one without paper.
This was a staple at the swimming pool.
We’d let it melt in the sun and stretch it waaaaaay out.
It was awesome.
Funny how the label says “Old Fashion.”
I always say “old-fashioned.” Now I wonder.
Sorta like Bit-o-Honey.
But I’ve never met anyone named Bit-O-Honey.
There were some Mary Janes running around back in the day.
Chocolate licorice Scotty dogs.
A trifecta!
Fantastic.
Black and red licorice,
in a handy edible pipe shape.
One of the penny candy favorites.
For a penny you got five.
Also my namesake.
Chocolate ice cubes.
Don’t get the name.
I always thought they were from the same family as Eskimo pies.
Oh dear god.
Here sweetie, have a pack of sugar and red dye #9.
I swear this isn’t the original package.
Thought they were Black Crows.
Don’t remember the Tootsie part either.
Another oddity that I had plenty of,
courtesy of being taken to bars as a kid
hangin with grown-ups.
Would love to have been at the meeting when these were created.
Ok, let’s deliver colored tasteless liquid via wax bottles.
It’ll be great. We can tell the kids to chew the wax too.
Where the hell did all that wax go that I ate?
Is there a large hunk of it still in my intestines? Is it still in the shape of a little coke bottle?
Why oh why would you name anything this?
That’s a hairdo worn by a librarian, not a chocolate hunk of yum.
So one night in a bar in northern Minnesota,
I was with about 10 people and we had the nostalgia candy conversation.
We were massively hammered.
Whenever someone would think of an obscurity, everyone would howl.
I’ll never forget my friend saying,
“ok, ok….I got it….Bag …of….Gold….Gum!!!”
It brought down the house.
This stuff was incredible.
We’d have contests to see how many bags one could chew at a time.
It was the kind of gum that made your mouth water too much,
so towels were required for serious contests.
Another brilliant product name.
“Open wide for Chunkeeeeeeee…”
It seemed that ad was on constantly.
I never knew what Brazil nuts were then.
It wasn’t made by Nestle back then either.
I’d get these at the theatre because they lasted a long time.
(When finished, remove tabs from one end of box and blow.
Make a loud honking sound.)
I bet I was popular with the patrons around me.
Yummmmmm. The best.
Named after a weapon used in street fights.
Blackjack’s wimp cousin.
And last but not least, the variation of our friend the Snirkle.
A Snirkle on a stick, with pink and yellow added.
My dad sold candy, so I took killer birthday treats to school.
This was my kindergarten offering.
I still think it was unsurpassed.
Homemade cupcakes were lame compared to this.
There are lots of blogs dedicated to candy alone–
These photos are courtesy of the ones named on the pictures themselves.
Check them out for fun and info.
Here’s a website with candy history.
Kitty Sheehan 
I remember Sugar Daddies in sucker form. I'm pretty sure it pulled out a filling more than once. These are fun to see! Thanks for the memories…
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Wintergreens and Mary Janes … so good! If I wasn't in the middle of a root canal/crown I think I would have gone out to get some after reading this post!
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I loved space food sticks. I wish they still sold them. Traveling through Iowa last week, I was sad that none of the convenience stores sold Bulls Eyes. I love those for a roadtrip.
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I love this – makes me remember Band Concert night in Clutier and penny candy and walking up and down main street hand in hand with my girlfriends. But ice cubes – my sister and I loved them so much, that one year for Christmas we each gave the other a whole box of these.
KKL
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