Some candies are definitely a sign of the times. We can even pinpoint certain eras just
by the type of candy that was sold. So let’s take a trip back in time before smartphones
and smart TVs and check out more Top 10 Best Candies of the 90’s.
Blow Pops
Remember Blow Pops? They were a proverbial favorite for many kids in the 90’s. Basically,
they were lollipops with gum in the center. The Charms company, which has been around
for over 100 years, produces these candy treats. The company was started by Walter W. Reid
Jr of New Jersey in 1912. The original candies were not lollipops at all, but individual
cellophane wrapped hard candies that came in Tropical flavors. It was during WWII that
the candy shot to stardom. However, it took a while for them to morph into the Blow Pops
that we know today. Blow Pops were only developed in the early 1970s and by the 1990's had become the
best-selling item ever released by the Charms Company. In the 70's, lollipops were all the
rage and were made even more popular due to the 70’s detective show Kojak. The show
starred Telly Savalas as the title character Kojak -
a cool bald-headed detective who sucked on lollipops while solving crimes. Did you know
that Blow Pops were the first bubble gum-filled lollipop in the world? Kids loved them because
it was like getting two candies in one - a hard candy and a chewy gum center. Blow Pops
came in different flavors like watermelon, strawberry, cherry, grape and sour apple. Charms
were also the makers of Charm Squares and Sweet & Sour Pops and Sour Balls. In the 80’s,
the company was sold to the Tootsie Roll Company, the largest lollipop manufacturer in the world.
Runts
The “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” of candy, who doesn’t remember loving Runts? These
tasty candy treats come in different shapes of tiny pieces of fruit. We first saw them
hit the market in the early 80’s, but they hit the pinnacle of their popularity in the
90’s. These candies are packed with lots of flavor and each fruity Runt consists of
compressed sugar (much like a SweeTart) with a hard outer candy shell. Runts originally
came in banana, cherry, strawberry, orange and lime flavors - with each respective flavor
in the shape of its corresponding fruit. In the late 90’s they added watermelon and
blue raspberry but discontinued the lime flavor. In the 2000’s, various other flavors were
tried and then subsequently discontinued as well. Runts pack quite a punch, both in flavor
and in crunch. These candies are quite hard and you could easily crack a tooth while crunching
into one. Runts were invented by The Willy Wonka Candy Company, which was later acquired
by Nestle. Yes, there truly was a Willy Wonka Candy Company. So if you're looking for a
small candy packed with a kick, then Runts are for you! Though you better have a good
dental plan just in case.
Big League Chew
Big League Chew is a popular bubble gum brand, easily recognizable largely due to the image
of a cartoon baseball player on its package. It has been around since 1980, but reached
the pinnacle of success during the 90’s when every kid loved to chew on this bubble
gum - especially if you were into playing baseball. Big League Chew Gum was the brainchild
of a Portland Mavericks baseball player named Rob Nelson and bat boy Todd Field. Their idea
of a shredded bubble gum that came in a pouch was pitched to the Wrigley Company as an alternative
to chewing tobacco, which was popular among ball players. Since its inception, 800 million
packs of this gum have been sold worldwide. So popular is this brand that it even has
an official endorsement from the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is sold in its traditional
pink color with cartoony packaging originally designed by artist Bill Mayer. Other flavors
include sour apple and grape. Today, Big League Chew is manufactured in the United
States by the Ford Gum & Machine Company after acquiring the rights from Wrigley. The
original slogan from the 80’s "You're in the big leagues when you're into Big League
Chew!" is still used to this day. This is one of the best candies from the 90’s that
is still going strong today.
Jujyfruits
Jujyfruits is a brand of chewy, gumdrop-like candy which became very popular in the 90’s after
being referenced in a Seinfeld Episode. These candies are not only a favorite with kids
but adults alike. Every hero needs a nemesis and Jujyfruits are no different. They are
in direct competition with another favorite American chewy candy - the jujube. Jujyfruits
may have been popular in the 90’s, but they were actually first produced in the 1920’s
by the Heide Company. It was started by a German immigrant, Henry Heide in 1869, and
his name was stamped on each Jujyfruits candy. The brand changed hands a few times since
then and is now owned by the Ferrara Candy Company. Jujyfruits first made a name for
themselves after mainly being sold in cinemas and theatres. But today they can be found
almost anywhere. Interestingly enough, although Jujyfruits are fruity flavored and come in
fruit and vegetable shapes, the flavor corresponds with the colors and not the shapes. So, you
may get a surprise when you put them in your mouth. But, that’s all part of the fun.
The different shapes include Asparagus, Banana, Pea Pod, Pineapple, Raspberry, and Tomato. Fruity
flavors include raspberry, black licorice, lime, orange and lemon. You can also find a sour variety.
Once upon a time, the green colored Jujyfruits were mint flavored. In 1999, Hershey, the
company that owned them at the time, changed those mint candies to lime after a survey
proved the flavor was not that popular with customers. Mint or lime, Jujyfruits were all
the rage in the 90s and still are.
Spin Pops
Talk about gimmicky! Spin Pops were another popular lollipop that made its first appearance
in the 90’s. They were basically a battery-operated lollipop that spins around. Sounds cool, but
when you think about it, it’s kinda like we all got lazy in the 90’s and needed this
one because we couldn’t do the licking ourselves. Invented by two couples from Virginia, Ann
& Bill Schlotter and Tom & Ann Coleman, in 1993, Spin Pops sold 15 million lollipops
in one year at $4 dollars a pop. They started as a home business; while they were all working
for the U.S. Postal Service, they were living the dream as amateur inventors. The Spin Pop
was basically a lollipop with handles that hold batteries. The Spin Pop handle, which
is reusable, holds the stick of a ball-shaped lollipop. At the flick of a switch, the candy
rotates. They also invented the Laser Pop the following year in which the handle acts
like a flashlight, illuminating a 4-inch-long, sword-shaped candy on the end. We’re not
sure how many of those they sold, but let’s just that they were all able to retire. These
novelty lollipops still have a place in today’s market with the concept even expanding to
rotating Pez dispensers. It continues to be a multimillion-dollar venture and popular
with kids. Having licensing deals to create Spin Pops based on Disney Characters, Comic
book heroes, Minions or Star Wars characters probably doesn’t hurt either. Spin Pops
may have started in the 90’s but they are still a fan favorite.
Mega Warheads
Mega Warhead Candies are another hard sour candy of the 90’s that will have you puckering
up your lips. These candies are super sour fruit pellets that will make tongues tingle
with their sour power. Kids would run to the store to buy tons of these packets to share
with friends just to watch their faces contort. They came in flavors such as Apple, Black
Cherry, Blue Raspberry and Watermelon. Warheads Candy was actually invented in Taiwan in 1975,
before making its way to North America in 1993, by way of The Foreign Candy Company
of Iowa. Today they are produced by Impact Confections who purchased the brand in 2004.
Its fierce sour flavor is one of the most intense tasting sour candies on the market.
How sour are these candies? Just check out the face on the wrapper! Yes, your head will
explode. Imagine popping a few of these into your mouth at the same time. The sourness
of Warheads Candy comes mostly from the powdery coating on the outside of the candy which
is made from malic acid. The exclusive special coating on Warheads Candy is kept top secret.
They are still very popular today as sour candy never really goes out of style with
the kids. The packaging also comes with a warning stating that, "Eating multiple pieces
within a short time period may cause a temporary irritation to sensitive tongues and mouths”.
Mega Warheads are still one of the best sour candies of all time if you want to numb your
mouth for days.
Candy Ice Cream Twist-N-Lik
Candy Ice Cream Twist-N-Lik was another invention from the 90’s that had all the kids buzzing.
It was more like a liquid or jelly that came out of a cone shaped container. A far cry
from actual ice cream, the product was very gimmicky. First, it did not resemble anything
like milky white ice cream or even close to it. In fact, kids probably enjoyed it more
for its packaging than anything else. Invented by Koko’s Confectionery & Novelty of Maryland
in 1995, Twist-N-Lik was more along the lines of a toy. This novelty candy came in a lot
of plastic packaging that kids had a hard time unwrapping. But once they tasted the
jelly like product that oozed out of the colorful cone, they loved it. No fuss, no mess, all
they had to do was remove the cap, twist the bottom, and the fruit flavored candy would
ooze out from the top. Flavors included Blue Raspberry, Cherry, or Strawberry. No vanilla,
chocolate or any other typical ice cream flavors in this product line. The company went on
to make other similar candies and did very well. Another popular product added to their
roster was Slush Puppie squeeze candy.
Tiny Size Gum
The most memorable of the Tiny Sized Gum was made by Chiclets. Chiclets were introduced
in the 1900’s by the American Chicle Company founded by Thomas Adams. Introduced originally
only in peppermint flavor, the Chiclets name is a Mexican Spanish word meaning sticky
stuff. It refers to pre-Columbian chewing gum which was found throughout MesoAmerica.
This pre-Columbian chewing gum was made out of sap from various trees, but especially
from the sapodilla tree. Chiclets are essentially the same as the indigenous chicle, with the
innovation of a hard sugar coating offered in various flavors and colors. They were a
popular chewing gum for most of the century; it was not until 1962 that the tiny version
was introduced in the form of little gems that came in different fruit flavors. They
reached the peak of popularity in the 90’s, and it was around this time that the formula
changed too. The candies' interiors became color & flavor-coordinated with the outer
shell to give the gum an even fruitier flavor. They eventually disappeared off the shelves
but made a return briefly in 2008. As of 2016, the brand was discontinued in the US, but
you can still find chiclets in Mexico where they are still manufactured, under the name
Motitas.
Squeeze Pops
Another all-time favorite of the 90’s that will open the memory floodgates and cause
the sweet taste of nostalgia to ooze out are Squeeze Pops. The most popular brand was by
Hubba Bubba. Many people recognize the name Hubba Bubba because of the bubble gum. These
were not your typical hard or chewy candy but a squeeze tube that oozed a colorful fruity
flavored liquid gel. Originally produced by WM Wrigley Company, Squeeze pops came in three
different flavors: Cherry, Watermelon and Raspberry. Later they added Sour Squeeze
Pops. The Hubba Bubba Brand was discontinued in the U.S. in the early 1990s, but was
still being sold in many countries worldwide. It did make a brief resurgence in 2014 but
this Squeeze Pop brand has not been sold for years. However, you may still find some for
sale online. Squeeze Pops were one of the best things invented in the 90’s. These
days they have something called Ooze tubes: gooey liquid candy which looks almost identical,
and they even have a Green Apple flavor to try.
Pop Rocks
Pop Rocks are legendary. They even play a starring role in a widely recounted urban
legend. These were a favourite of many kids in the 90’s, and they came about completely
by accident. Pop Rocks were discovered by two chemists at the General Foods lab while
they were trying to design an instant soft drink in the 60’s. The product only actually
came to market in the 80’s, but General Foods later withdrew it from the marketplace
in 1983 saying the product was not successful. After Kraft’s purchase of General Foods,
it licensed the Pop Rocks brand to the company Zeta Especial S.A. who continues to manufacture
the product to this day. By the 90’s, Pop Rocks were all the rage. They popped and fizzed
when you put the candies in your mouth. If you were brave, you would drop the whole packet
in your mouth at once, creating an exhilarating candy explosion. No wonder the kids loved
them. The urban legend surrounding Pop Rocks was that drinking soda with them would cause
your stomach to explode. One of these stories involved child actor John Gilchrist (Mikey)
from the Life Cereal TV ads. Rumor had it that he died after consuming excessive amounts
of Pop Rocks and Coke. Well don’t believe everything you hear as Mikey is still alive
and well and has become Sales Director at the MSG Network. This legend gained further
traction with the dawn of the digital age when people began to post videos of themselves
doing... well, anything—including mixing pop rocks and soda. These videos have yielded
millions of views online, proving that the interest in Pop Rocks still exists today.
And more importantly, the theory that one's stomach would explode if consuming both Pop
Rocks and soda was put to the test many times, and it ultimately failed, proving that Pop
Rocks are indeed safe. You may get a little gassy, but you will survive!
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