Remember a Bygone Era with some Nostalgic Candy

Looking for a way to help you remember when times were simpler? Back in the old days, before there were cell phones and text messages, emails and voicemails – back when if you wanted to contact someone you had to send a letter, snail mail, back when people sent telegrams instead of calling?

No one can deny that life used to be smaller, easier. Even candy was simpler. The market wasn’t nearly as oversaturated, and so certain forms of candy populated the aisles of sweets shops and the counters of pharmacies. Back in the day, you’d pop into your local sweet shop and get a soda pop at the counter while licking your favorite lollypop. You’d fill a bag with penny candy and bring it up to the counter with your friends by your side, forking over a nickel, a dime, tops – for an entire bag of loot.

These days, you can get candy anywhere. Machines disperse it in office buildings. It costs over a dollar at the pharmacy, where there is an entire section dedicated to it, but no counter to sit at. Life moves fast in this new era, but have we lost some of what we had back when things were simpler? Sadly, it’s likely that we have.

Movies like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory bring back memories of candy as a novelty item. The story, originally written by famed novelist Roald Dahl, places a premium on the candy-making process, with Mr. Wonka himself keeping secrets from rival candy factories. Mr. Wonka believes in the magic and the beauty of the perfect piece of candy. He slaves over it. He brings in Oompa Loompas to help churn his chocolate river. He even has scratch and sniff wallpaper! It’s clear that he’s a true candy maker.

He might be a made up character, a figment of Dahl’s imagination, but back in the early to mid 20th century, candy-making was a career to be proud of. Creating a candy that no one else had made held true value. These days, a certain magic is no longer in the picture. Missing that old candy from your childhood days? Here are some great nostalgic candy choices to help you remember a bygone era.

Is there anyone out there who hasn’t enjoyed the sticky icky feeling of a Sugar Daddy? Like a giant caramel lollypop, Sugar Daddies get stuck in your teeth – they’re almost as bad as milk duds! Sugar Daddies are actually manufactured by Tootsie Roll, another popular chewy candy that brings you back down memory lane. Sugar Daddy was invented way back in 1925 by a chocolate salesman named Robert Welch. The candy was originally called Pap Sucker. The name was changed in 1932, and the candies were introduced in 1935.
Another beloved candy? Mallo Cups. Perfect for die-hard chocolate junkies, Mallo Cups are like a chocolate version of Reese’s Cups – but they came first! Featuring a deliciously creamy milk chocolate cup with buttery coconut shavings and a gooey marshmallow crème in the middle, Mallo Cups were popular in the fifties and sixties. Mallo Cups began in the early 1930s, and were created by two brothers who initially took their business door to do. These days, they’re headquartered in Pennsylvania, and they’re still making the deliciously marshmallowy Mallo Cups.

If chewy is more your style, it’s likely that you were a big fan of Jujubes. Much like gummy bears, Jujubes are chewy, with a break-glass quality texture on the outside, but they weren’t always that way. When they were originally created in the early 20th century, jujubes were hard like rocks – and were more like sucking candies than gummy ones. Oh, how things have changed! Original flavors including odd ones like rose and lilac – these have since been changed to more modern flavors, such as cherry and lime.

Like licorice? You’re one in a million, but chances are, you’re obsessed with Good & Plenty. These tiny licorice candies come in pink and white, and resemble small pill capsules. Most people aren’t a huge fan, because if you don’t like licorice, you won’t like Good & Plenty. But for those who do like the intense taste, Good & Plenty boxes come to every movie, sit on every shelf – they’re the candy that you can’t give up.
Another fun favorite? Nik L Nips. A funny name? Yes, but these chewy bottles with flavored water inside are a popular childhood favorite. Wax bottles filled with fruity-flavored juices such as cherry, orange, blue raspberry and lime, these fun candies are great to take on trips or whip out as a surprise dessert. Until you bite off the top, the juice won’t come pouring out, so they’re easily transportable. A fun family favorite, these are perennially beloved.

Don’t forget these timeless classics when you stock up on your favorites from the past.