Growing up as a chubby kid I have many candy and sugar memories that still resonate with me today. Yeah, I was a chunker. Even wore “husky” sized pants. Thanks to an Italian mom and her side of the family that all lived on our street I was constantly treated to delicious food, and just as many snacks no matter what house I wandered into on any given day. Even though I don’t ever want to wear “husky” sized pants again I do miss those happy days of my youth with my great aunts and uncles who are now long gone. Wonderful memories remain, and sometimes all it takes is a little reminder to bring them to the front of my mind. Usually, they are food related, and walking into Economy Candy recently brought some flooding back. Here are a few that are some of my old childhood favorites, and many that could be found in the candy dishes at my relatives’ homes.
Candy Cigarettes / Bubble Gum Cigarettes – Kind of politically incorrect now but I love these chalky sugar sticks.
Candy Canes – Still love them during holiday time. Were always on the Christmas trees.
Pez – I’m surprised my teeth did not rot away from cavities eating so many sugar cubes. The dispensers are collectors items now. Wish I still had them.
Jelly Fruit Slices – I don’t know why but all my older relatives had these. Kind of a weird candy. Not really fruit, but all sugar.
Tootsie Rolls – Still love them. Even though they still get stuck in my back teeth.
Charms Blow Pops – Grape is still my favorite.
Mary Janes – I swear these things could rip the fillings out of your teeth.
Bazooka Bubble Gum – I used to save all the little comics they were wrapped in and send away for the prizes.
M&M’s – Eat the green ones.
Licorice Pipes – I prefer black licorice. Pipes, laces, pieces.
Candy Buttons – Colored sugar dots on paper. Always end up eating some paper.
Charleston Chew – Best when refrigerated and cold. Teeth killer.
Fun Dip – Dipping a sugar stick into more sugar.
Nik-L-Nip – What the heck was this? A wax soda bottle with colored syrup.
Bottle Caps – Love them, especially the root beer and grape.
Pop Rocks – One of my all time favorites. My mom hated it.
Smarties – round flavorful sugar droplets.
These are just a few overall of the many that I liked and still indulge in on occasion. So many from my childhood to remember. Am I missing any here? What was your fav?
I love this post! And your honesty, cute chubby kid. You are probably widely charming and fun to be around because of it. Suck it, skinny kids.
I like the grape ones, too. Really liked this, the pictures made it fun to reminiscence.
Hi Lady J! Thanks so much for reading and liking my post! I appreciate the kind words. Yes, the grape is my fav. This store (Economy Candy) is terrific, but way too tempting!
It is amazing how diverse sweets (British phrase for candy) can be around the world when so many things are now universal. I’m not overly keen on American chocolate such as Hersheys. I suppose you get used to the sweets you are brought up with. So Cadburys and our version of milk chocolate is always a preference. Mars and Nestle are universal brands though so easy to recognise.
Hi Guy! Thanks for reading. Up where I live we have a shop called the London Candy Company. They carry a terrific selection of British candy and chocolate bars. Some amazing – I love the Flake bar.
Weird! Almost all your favorite childhood candies seem to have a common theme of extreme likelihood of ripping a tooth out.
I used to love those wax bottles when I was a kid! I still love Pop Rocks. The only thing I would add to your list is sour straws.
The pixy sticks were another pure sugar joy! There are so many more I could add to this but I would have to start another blog!
What was it about those wax bottles? I still have Flav-R-Ice sticks in my freezer too! Thanks for reading!
I had to explain to my husband what Guido Pants were the other day. I said, “Think Joey Buttafuoco” and showed him a picture (of the pants). He balked. Do people seriously not remember those?
Big fan of Charleston Chew. I wouldn’t dare now, with all my expensive dental work. 😉
LOL! Guido pants! That was a bad fashion time.
Yeah, many candy back then were filling rippers! Thanks for reading and the comment!
Thank you very much! Glad you like my blog!
Fun sticks are the best, it’s sugar, sugar and more sugar 🙂 I have a serious sweet tooth and was actually eating a candy bar while reading this post! Luckily I also have a very fast metabolism and a treadmill 🙂
If I don’t get back on the treadmill soon I will look like Santa Claus with all the candy around here! Thanks for reading!
Wow.. brings back some good memories.. Bazooka Joe’s ranked up there with Popeye’s Spinach Gum for me 🙂
Hello Isaac! I still love some of these old candies. Popeye’s spinach gum – wow, that’s one I forgot. Big League Chew was another. Thanks for reading and the comment!
I used to love Bazooka comics but probably kids today won’t even notice: “As part of a rebranding effort, Bazooka Candy Brands, a division of Topps, Inc., has decided to get rid of the comics and replace them with puzzles and brain teasers”
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/01/bazooka-joe-being-chewed-up-spit-out_n_2219821.html)
Hi! Yes, I read that article. Hey, remember when Cracker Jack had real toys in them? Cereal too. Bazooka back in the day was great. I got a lot of free stuff from those comics. Surprised I don’t have a lot of caveties.
Same here, about cavities… I can only attribute my good teeth to genetics. Yes, REAL TOYS! Totally better than McDonald’s happy meal crap. My fave was the “thwok”. Remember that? A little plastic round thing that resembled a bicycle wheel with spokes, at the end of each spoke was a suction cup, and when you flung it at a smooth flat surface it would stick. I think they must have come in Captain Crunch or Count Chocula, my fave cereals.
I kind of remember that toy! They used to also have army men with a plastic parachute in some cereals, Match Box type cars, etc.
Yup, the parachute guys were cool. Girls toys SUCKED. Boys toys RULED. (IMO)
Yeah, us guys had great toys back then!
Economy Candy is a religious experience. Especially after those endless Bloody Mary’s at Clinton St. Baking Co. The last time I was there I walked around in breathless reverie.
You don’t know this about me, but years ago my folks owned an ice cream parlor, which I managed in the summer. This meant that I got to order all the Penny Candy we sold in the big antique glass case. Sorta like an alcoholic owning a liquor store.
Hey Gail!
Oh yes, Economy Candy is awesome, and if going there with a buzz on becomes completely dangerous!
LOL at the ice cream parlor comment! I would have overdosed there as ice cream is my weakness! You were so lucky!
Save the Fun Dip, i usually didn’t go for these types of candies. I grew up at the Jersey Shore, and I had a big sweet tooth (still do, as evidenced by my Foursquare and Yelp check ins at bakeries and sweet shops. 🙂 But candy was weird for me. I didn’t really care for the Smarties and pez, and always traded up with people for chocolate based candies, like Reeses, Kit Kats or Snickers!
But I remember growing up, there was a place called Peddlers Village in Manasquan. It’s been revamped as a type of “outlet mall” but they used to have this bakery and candy shop there that brings back warm fuzzies. They had a “cookie cone,” which was a paper cone filled with soft mini cookies. They ROCKED. And the candy shop used to have the bubble gum cigs, which IMO were better than the candy…because you could blow on the confectionary sugar in it, and it looked like smoke (we were raised in a real politically incorrect era, haha).
Hey Taryn!
I remember Peddlers Village! I still love the cany cigarettes, and sometimes you can still find them in certain stores. I used to buy the gum ones you mentioned, and the white sugar candy ones with the red dye tip on it. So politically incorrect but so good!