While you may not expect to be hit with a wave of nostalgia walking down the candy aisle,
it’s undeniable - going to the dollar store or the local Bulk Barn and seeing all those
colorful candies laid out… it brings back memories. Well, if you can’t pop down to
a store, this will have to do. Here are the Top 10 Candies That Will Make You Nostalgic.
Push Pops
Push Pops are an American brand that has been around forever. Well, since 1986, anyway.
It’s a variety of lollipop that comes in assorted fruity flavors - all contained in
a tube that allows you to savor it at your own pace while being able to save some for
later. This candy gets its name because you guessed it, it needs to be pushed out of its
tube to be eaten, and it even comes with a small clip to enjoy it on the go! If you’re
having trouble recalling what these look like, you might remember their earlier ads. A bunch
of children dressed in retro clothing, riding a school bus, exclaiming that it’s a "pop
you just can’t top! It’s in the push, it’s in the pop, it’s a Push Pop!" But
seriously, watching this ad, and eating these candies, is like a trip down memory lane.
Some of its flavors include Blue Raspberry, Strawberry, Watermelon, and Berry Blast! The
good news? They all come in the same pack, so you don’t need to choose which to buy!
There are also different variations of these pops: Original, spring-loaded Jump, Triple
Power, Flip-N-Dip, Push Pop Sliderz and Push Pump Spray. In 2020, they even added the Push
Pop Gummy Roll! This candy was definitely popular with kids because it won the Candy
Industry’s Kid’s Choice Award for Best Novelty Candy. This has got us asking, isn’t
time you pushed a Push Pop?
WarHeads
These candies were made popular for a more sadistic reason than most on this list. WarHeads
were the sourest of the sour, and if you could stomach one without going red in the face,
you were the ruler of the playground. Manufactured by Impact Confections, they were marketed
as an extreme candy with an intense flavor. That’s putting it lightly - if you’ve
ever had a WarHead, you know what we’re talking about. At first, it’s not so bad,
sure. But then a moment passes, and you start to feel… something. A moment after that,
and your mouth is in pain, and you find yourself making the same face as is on the package.
Hey, there’s no shame in it. No one can stomach those. In fact, sour candies such
as WarHeads were listed as one of the more dangerous candy types ever. Due to the high
acidic content, the candy literally damages your tooth enamel. At least, faster than other
candies. Don’t worry - your saliva should help balance out the acidity in your mouth,
but if you eat too many, well, who’s to say? Another note - you shouldn’t brush
your teeth immediately after eating these candies, even though you may be tempted to.
Brushing will only serve to spread around the acid, infecting more of your teeth. Instead,
wait at least thirty minutes before brushing. Your teeth will thank you.
Candy Necklaces
A candy necklace made up of rainbow-colored candy, offering bling and a snack on the go.
What’s not to love? They were so fun! Whether you were dressing up and feeling pretty cool,
or you were gifted one of these by your childhood beloved, candy necklaces (and other assorted
candy jewelry) were always sure to impress your fellow playground goers. Unfortunately,
no one knows who invented these wearable sweet treats, so we can’t give credit where credit
is due. However, rumor has it that they were invented in Northern Europe before being introduced
to the United States in the 1950s! Nowadays, candy necklaces are produced by companies
such as Smarties Candy Co, but it may be a bit surprising to learn that there are variations
of them available on Etsy. Or rather, things that take inspiration from this childhood
favorite. People have really gotten creative in the candy department from gummy worm earrings,
gummy bear pendants, and even the scandalous edible candy underwear! Nothing beats a candy
necklace when you’re looking for some sweet nostalgia. So if you’re looking for a candy
that isn’t in the underwear category, searching for candy necklaces won't be hard. You can
pick these up online, at your local Walmart, or really any place that sells sweet treats!
Fun Dip
Manufactured by Willy Wonka himself, Fun Dip has been sprucing up childhoods since the
1940s. Originally named Lik-M-Aid by Fruzola, Fun Dip was sold to Ferrera Candy in 2018,
along with other Wonka Candy brands. Believe it or not, the iconic dippable candy stick
wasn't part of the original production but came a little later, along with a fun, new
packaging. The original Lik-M-Aid packaging looks pretty retro today, with old-timey drawings
of people on them, all surrounded by dull looking oranges, purples, and pinks. When
it was rebranded to Fun Dip, the packaging became a bit more vibrant using a bright
green, along with swirls of colorful purples, blues, and reds. And of course, the trusty Wonka
label is in the left-side corner! The most common flavors are cherry, grape, and a raspberry/apple
combination that turns from blue to green when wet with saliva or water. Weird but delicious.
Fun Dip also comes in sour flavors, including sour watermelon, sour apple, and sour lemonade. Packets
with one stick and two flavors were once the standards and are still available today, but
a three-flavor package is more commonly found in stores. If you want to pick up some Fun
Dip for yourself, you’re in luck! These sweet dipping treats are still around, and
it doesn’t seem as if they’re going anywhere anytime soon.
Fruit Gushers
Who remembers Fruit Gushers? These Betty Crocker branded fruit snacks that gave you loads
of fun as kids! Targeted at a younger market, these are acorn-shaped candies with a gummy-like
exterior and an ooey-gooey interior, hence their name. Oh, to be a child with these at
lunchtime - squeezing Gushers between your fingers and watching the insides drip out.
These originally came in two flavors: Strawberry Splash and Gushin Grape, but nowadays, they’ve
released plenty of other flavors that fans have gone crazy for! Some of these newer flavors
include Scary Cherry and Tropical Freakout. There’s even a sour version of the snack
for those who want to keep their mouth on alert with a little acidity and there's even
a mystery flavor for any Sherlock Holmes fans. In the last few years, the company faced a
lawsuit accusing them of misleading its customers into believing the snacks were healthier than
they actually were. Because of this lawsuit, the company decided to make these sweets a
little healthier. They removed artificial coloring from all of its fruit snacks (not
just Gushers!), which definitely made them healthier than they once were. So, now you
can eat a package of these without feeling as bad about ingesting all those chemicals
- though, of course, they’re still packed full of sugar, so keep that in mind before
doing anything too gushin' crazy.
Jolly Ranchers
Famous for their bold flavors and bright colors, Jolly Ranchers are definitely an all-time
favorite. Founded in the late 1940s by Bill and Dorothy Harmsen, Jolly Rancher got its
name for two reasons. One, to give the impression of a friendly Western company, and second,
because the Jolly Farm was a depression-era general store, which sold hard candies. While
the sweets are more widely known to be hard-candies, they also come in gummies, fruit chews, jelly
beans, lollipops, gelatin desserts, gum, ice cream, chocolate, and sodas. You know, a casual
amount of derived products. There was even a Jolly Rancher cereal released, which did
surprisingly well, considering it’s an odd concept, to say the least. Jolly Rancher's
original flavors were watermelon, apple, and Fire Stix. The company then introduced cherry,
orange tangerine, grape, peach, sour apple, and lemon, which was eventually replaced by
blue raspberry. Not a great win for citrus lovers. Luckily, in 2013, lemon was reintroduced
in an all-lemon bag! Well, whatever flavor is your favorite, these candies are guaranteed
to keep you jolly all day long!
Laffy Taffy
If you don’t remember this candy, Laffy Taffy are small, individually wrapped taffy
rectangles available in a variety of colors and artificial fruit flavors. The most common
flavors include banana, strawberry, green apple, grape, blueberry, watermelon, blue
raspberry, and cherry, to name a few. However, various other rare flavors like caramel apple,
coconut, and strawberries & cream are also available - if you can find them. Produced
by the Ferrera Candy Company, they were originally advertised as having a long-lasting flavor.
But truth be told, fans of the candy mostly remember the moments of pure joy that Laffy
Taffy brought. And the way it endlessly stuck to your teeth. The name Laffy Taffy refers
to the texture of the candy and the cheesy jokes that are printed on the label. Some
of our favorites include: What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef. What is an
owl’s favorite subject? Owlgebra. The jokes were often sent in by children - fans of the
candy, no doubt - and they’re even credited on the wrapper! Something for them to brag
about later, that's for sure.
Nerds
These were super fun to eat! The Nerds packaging just hits all the right spots: it’s got
super bright colors, it’s covered by playful drawings able to keep a kid’s attention
for minutes on end, and, most importantly, it’s got personality. This American candy
is owned by (surprise) the Ferrera Candy Company, and its anthropomorphic drawing of the individual
candies makes it all the more fun! Each box contains at least two different flavors, so
if you get bored of one, there’s always another waiting in the wings. Angelo Fraggos
launched nerds in 1983, and just two short years later, they were already named the Candy
of the Year by the National Candy Wholesalers Association. Now, that's an accomplishment.
The UK sells a three-chambered Nerds package and a rainbow box that both feature many different
fun flavors. In fact, there are so many creative types of Nerds, it's hard to keep track - Nerds
Cereal, Nerds gum, Nerds Rope, Nerd clusters… They even had Jumbo Nerds, which, as you can
guess, is just a giant Nerd available in a bunch of different flavors. There were also
Dweebs, which are now sadly discontinued, which were basically just a soft and chewy
version of Nerds. This has got to be, by far, one of the favorite and most famous candies
to ever come out of Willy Wonka’s factory! The playful colors and creative design still
manage to spark joy, even to this day. Long live the Nerds!
Fruit by the Foot
Fruit by the Foot is an iconic snack made by the General Mills Betty Crocker line and
has been around since the 1990s. Fruit by the Foot was most likely inspired by the company's
Fruit Roll-Ups, and funny enough, they seem almost identical upon first glance. This is
really only because they’re both fruit snacks, and they’re both rolled up, oh, and their
ingredients are exactly the same. In fact, they’re so similar that people will often
mistake a Fruit by the Foot for a Fruit Roll-Up, and vice versa. Okay, there are a few differences,
but mainly only in flavor, dimension, and consumption. Marketed as three feet of fun,
these tasty morsels were a huge hit found in lunchboxes back in the 90s. If you ever
traded your lunch with other kids in the playground, you know that these bad boys carried a lot
of weight. It seems as though every kid wanted a Fruit by the Foot, no matter the cost. It
was the elite snack. Nowadays, these treats are still popular, even with the older, grown-up
folks! In fact, there’s even a TikTok challenge where you compete with your friends to see
who can eat a Fruit by the Foot the fastest. Oh, and you’re only allowed to use your
mouth. Whether you’re challenging your friends or simply eating them for old-times sake,
Fruit by the Foot holds an exceptional and nostalgic place in our hearts.
Pop Rocks
Last but not least, Pop Rocks has been bringing us fun since 1975. Who else remembers downing
a package of Pop Rocks only to approach a friend or family member and then open their
mouths to assuredly freak that person out? A lot of thought went behind this candy, and
we sincerely thank Leon T. Kremzner and William A. Mitchell for going through all the trouble
to create this amazing treat. In 1961, these two General Foods research chemists patented
the idea of Pop Rocks and worked very hard to manifest their dream. In 1983, General
Foods actually withdrew the candy after a very short shelf life, saying it wasn’t
successful enough for them to keep producing. This is the part where you would normally
be devasted. However, its popularity unexpectedly increased, and unauthorized redistribution
from market to market resulted in an out-of-date product reaching consumers. After that, Kraft
Foods licensed the Pop Rocks brand to Zeta Espacial S.A., who continued making the product
under Kraft's name. A few urban legends surround these candies - namely, that if someone eats
Pop Rocks and then drinks soda, their stomach will explode. This is, of course, not true,
but it was something whispered on the playground countless times. These candies are so well-loved
because they offer such a unique experience. An essential part of everyone's childhood,
and indeed a must-have Halloween candy. Growing up wouldn’t have been the same without Pop
Rocks in our lives. Rock on, little guys, rock on.
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