Sweet-Tooth Fix For Baby Boomers: Nostalgic Candy

wlky ^ | 10-30-03

[wheelgunguru]

Baby Boomers can't seem to grow up, at least when comes to their taste in candy.

People who want to celebrate Halloween with wax lips, Gold Mine Gum and other hard-to-find candies from their youth are finding more companies catering to the middle-age sweet tooth.

The Woodstock Candy company in upstate New York is doing a booming business, catering to the boomers' sweet-tooth.

They have retro goodies like wax lips, candy cigarettes and those candy buttons on paper. But the company is up-to-date in marketing.

Boomers can buy their sugar fix from the Web site WoodstockCandy.com.

There's also a bow to the political correctness of the 21st century. Candy cigarettes are now called candy sticks. But some old-time favorites still provide a puff of sugar when you blow through a hole in the middle.

Bridget Sweeney-Bell says people are usually thrilled to find candy from their childhood is still available. She says candy buttons, Nik-L-Nip and candy cigarettes are big sellers this year on her Web site.

Tom Scheiman stocks 2,500 items in his Cleveland candy store, 200 of which he classifies as "nostalgic."

Nostalgic candy has become a niche in the $24 billion U.S. candy business, in part because the biggest candy makers like Wrigley and Pennsylvania-based Hershey have concentrated on fewer items, especially chocolate.

That means wax lips and Atomic Fireballs can be hard to find on store shelves.

[eyespysomething]

mmmmmm, marathon bars!

[Theo]

Space Food Sticks -- I remember those! Is that what they were called? I really liked those, and once in a while look for them at space-related museums....

[6323cd]

Does anyone remember these?

I still have the promotional comedy books Pillsbury produced featuring the three thirst fighters, and they are still hysterically funny. To this day, I call my dad "Mr. Chinderless", because he worked nights...

And does anyone out there remember Smores soda? (Yes, soda!)

[meowmeow]

Have you also noticed that the names of cereal have changed since we were kids? Suger Frosted Flakes I think are just Frosted Flakes, Suger Pops are Golden Pops or something similar. Any cereal that had SUGAR as part of its title has been renamed. Same super sweet crap, but re-marketed for stupid people.

Every few years I treat myself to a box of favorite, totally not-good-for-you (you might as well eat the box itself) childhood cereal and indulge myself.

[PaulJ]

Did the one in Hartford have the bid ceiling fans?

I don't remember. In fact, there were only two things that I was interested in at the store. One was the candy counter (to this day, seeing my kids eat "malt balls" makes me think of Woolworths) the other was the little machine that, for 25 cents,you spun a dial that had the alphabet on it, and you could emboss whatever you wanted on a star shaped medallion.
The rest of the store was just clothes and stuff, and I had no interest in that junk.

[mafree]

I sure do remember those!

[PaulJ]

Remember this? Yech! My mother would make it and it always seemed to bother the back of my throat. It'd make me talk funny for a couple of days. Or maybe that's just the way I remember it.

[6323cd]

My favorite character in the books was The General, a real curmudgeon who was the commanding officer in the war against Demon Thirst. He had a dog named Kaiser Bill who went "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" constantly. There was a sign on the mess hall reading: Sunday - Chicken. Monday - Chicken. Tuesday - Chicken. And so forth; at the bottom, someone had scribbled "How do I get out of this chicken outfit?"

[wheelgunguru]

makes me think of Woolworths

Woolworths?!! When I was in, maybe, the third grade, or something, I stole a package of balloons from Woolworths. A sales lady grabbed me, hustled me back into a stock room, and called the FBI, or something.

Scared me to death! I never went back, and I can remember her face to this day.

[Charles Martel]

I looked at a nostalgic candy site. That actually sell those awful "Boston Baked Beans" if you remember those.

Red coating over peanuts.

Gawd, those things were bad. They used to have 'em in the gumball dispensers at the grocery store. After I tasted the vile little things, I understood why the glass globe on that dispenser never looked like it needed a refill.

[aruanan]

It'll be interesting to see if the Adkins fad will have an impact on breakfast cereal: Super Fatty Flakes, Malt O Meat, Real Crispy Critters, Crunchy Cap'n.

[Allegra]

Fizzies! Oh, I loved those! I wasn't allowed to have soda, but my Grandma let me have Fizzies.

We used to eat 'em. It was a big fad in my American neighborhood when I lived overseas as a kid.

We used to just pop them out of those blister packs and lick them until they were gone.

Our tongues were very colorful.

[Argh]

Our tongues were very colorful.

And numb :^)

[Argh]

I lived overseas as a kid

I lived at a Canadian air force base in France when Fizzies were popular.

[Allegra]

I lived at a Canadian air force base in France when Fizzies were popular.

I was a Navy brat living in Italy when we used to scarf on those Fizzies. We got them at the Commissary on base. Eight to a pack. I remember it well. LOL

[Nowhere Man]

Mallow Cups are the foulest thing ever created, with perhaps the exception of Circus Peanuts.

Mallow Cups, blech, on the other hand, I can binge on Circus Peanuts all day. Still though when my grade school buddy (we still hang together) and I ate a whole bunch like there was no tomorrow a few years ago, we did get sick on them. Probably the other candy I can eat even more of is Swedish Fish. B-)

[mafree]

Now that I'm not sure I remember.

[CdMGuy]

That reminds me of the following little ditty:

O Henry and Maryjane were walking down Fifth Avenue.
He took her behind the Power House,
stuck his Tootsie Roll up her Milky Way
and came out with a Junior Clark Bar.

[wheelgunguru]

bttt

[Yaelle]

Candy necklaces are still around. I bought a whole box of 'em at Smart and Final for my 6-year-old to wear and eat.