Retro Candy From the 1940s, '50s, and '60s
Cinnamon toothpicks, wax lips, Fizzies . . . when I was growing up, I loved them all!
Candy cigarettes
Childhood Candy Memories
One of my fondest childhood memories is eating candy while out playing with my friends or relaxing under a tree with a gentle breeze ruffling our hair. I wonder why candy tasted so much better back then than it does now. And I wonder just what happened to the candy we all loved so much while growing up.
Fizzies
My clearest memory is not of candy, but rather a drink: Fizzies. I can remember dropping a tablet into a glass of water and watching it bubble and fizz, creating a wonderfully delicious drink. Back then (sometime in the 1950s), it came in grape, cherry, orange, punch, berry, lemon-lime, and rootbeer—and it was really, really good. They took it off the market for a while and recently brought it back. I haven't tried it but I have heard it's not as delicious as it was back then. Go figure.
Hot Cinnamon Toothpicks
Another good memory is hot cinnamon toothpicks—that was sometime in the 1960s. You could buy them at the store, but most of the kids I knew made them by soaking toothpicks in cinnamon oil and then wrapping them in foil. Teachers hated them. I got in trouble one day because a teacher discovered that I had one, and I got detention. But they were sooooo good.
Wax Bottles
Another candy I remember as being a favorite were the small wax bottles that were filled with flavored syrup. You bit the top off, sucked out the syrup (it was so nice and sweet), and then chewed the wax-like gum.
Marathon Bars, Skybars, and Chocolate Ice Cubes
The Marathon bar had to be my all-time favorite candy bar. It was a piece of braided caramel covered in milk chocolate. For those who were truly choc-a-holics there was Skybars. They were divided into four sections with four different centers: caramel, vanilla, peanut, and fudge, all covered in milk cholate. We also enjoyed chocolate ice cubes: little squares of bite-size chocolate candy.
Satellite Wafers, Zotz, and Hot Dog Gum
Sattelite wafers were also a favorite treat. They were shaped like a satellite. After you let the wafer melt you would be left with a hard piece of candy that had been tucked inside the wafer. For those who liked hard candy, there was always a Zotz (great name, isn't it?), which had a fizzy center. And who can forget hot dog bubble gum? It was cinnamon flavored.
Top 25 Favorite Retro Candies
- Atomic Fire Balls
- Bazooka Bubble Gum
- Bit-O-Honey
- Black Jack Gum
- Bubble Gum Cigarettes
- Candy Buttons on Paper Tape
- Candy Cigarettes
- Curly Wurly - Marathon Bar
- Charms Pops
- Chick-O-Sticks
- Chuckles
- French Chews - Bonomo's Turkish Taffy
- Fruit Stripe Gum
- Indian Brand Pumpkin Seeds
- Jaw Breakers
- Mary Janes
- Now and Laters
- Peanut Patties
- Root Barrels
- Satellite Wafers
- Sugar Daddy
- Teaberry Gum
- Wax Bottles
- Wax Lips
- Zotz
Where to Buy Online
When I tried to purchase some of these retro candies for my grandchildren, because I wanted to show them what we used to eat, I found them difficult to find. After I started looking, however, I found some really good websites to order from: in bulk, individually and as gift bags or baskets. Here's one that I think is good.
retrocandyonline.com
Great selection of retro and as well as contemporary candy. Buy in bulk, individually, or gift bags. Includes favorites such as hot dog bubble gum, Warheads, clove gum, candy lipstick, squirrel nut chews, and much more.
Retro candy sold by the piece or pound
pixabay
More Retro Candy
- Retro Candy and Sweets: Take a Trip Down Memory Lane
Here's a run through of some of my favourite retro sweets and classic candy! From love hearts to kola kubes, take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about all the wonderful treats we know and love. - Candy From the 1970s: Remember These?
Pop Rocks, Wacky Packs, Now and Laters—all the great candy of the 1970s is right here. How many of these do you remember?