CandyBlog.org – A forum devoted to bulk, retro and nostalgic candies

Having spent my life surrounded by candy, I have to admit that I am a fan of the history of the many products that we sell. New candies are introduced regularly yet few survive long enough to make it to the shelves let alone qualify for having a history.

I stumbled across the curious origins of Milk Duds which I thought readers would enjoy.  Little do many realize that this candy was, in some regards, a fortuitous mistake.

In 1928, the defunct F.Hoffman and Co., of Chicago, one of the original inventors of chocolate covered caramels was purchased by an entrepreneur named Milton J.Holloway who had an idea to create a round piece of candy which was nothing more than caramel enrobed with high quality milk chocolate.

Despite numerous tries and due to manufacturing limitations, it was impossible to create a round candy and thus all of their tries produced nothing except irregular shaped pieces that they called “duds.”

Despite best intentions, they were never able to produce their dream BUT they realized that the product was delicious nevertheless….

Fast forward sixty eight years and Hershey Chocolates took ownership of this brand from Leaf Confections and changed the formula from cocoa butter to a “lesser priced oil substitute” and therefore it is no longer, technically, a milk chocolate based product.

Despite changes of ownership, a formula change and 84 years of trial and error, Milk Duds remain one of the best selling candies in the world, a personal favorite ,and  a historic candy icon .

Lest I forget, we were one of the first candy wholesalers in the nation to offer this oh so irregular yet oh so good candy long before it was considered retro…

McCraws Giant Taffy Sticks are back!

Mc Craws Taffy disappeared from the shelves of candy stores about two (2) years ago without explanation. The phone number for the original manufacturer was disconnected and rumors circulated as to whether this classic taffy would ever be available again. 

A few months ago, it was announced that the original owners were back in business and candy lovers rejoiced! 

Why the fuss you ask?

Mc Craw’s Old Fashioned Taffy Sticks have been a cult item ever since their accidental discovery in 1900.   They are colorful, great tasting and oh so retro.

Originally, the company sold popcorn and the taffy was introduced as something to compliment the line. Ironically, as time passed, the fame of the taffy grew and the popcorn business dwindled.

Ironically, when the company changed ownership last year – the original owner sold the company and then repurchased it – they found themselves closed on their hundredth anniversary which is sad as this would have guaranteed them a place in the pantheon of oldest candy manufacturers in the United States.

Regardless, despite this ever so brief hiatus, the box still states that they have been “ticklin’ the taste buds since 1908” and that these taffy sticks are “ lovingly crafted by the fine folks in Farmersville, Texas.”

As the slogan goes, “try to eat a piece without smiling….” We wish you the best of luck in this endeavor….

Perform a unique Pop Rocks Science Experiment

Pop Rocks Magic Potion

Sharability: 2 (This one is almost too good to share)

Denture Danger: 0

Convenience: 0

Novelty: 8

Overall: 9

 Welcome to the Pop Rocks laboratory!

This candy equally delicious and fun. The kit comes with a test tube, a small bag of pop rocks, and two secret ingredients. The directions laid out as pictures on the back of the package use the measuring unit “some” to simply explain the directions to the experiment.

 “1. Pour some water. 2. Add some pop rocks. 3. Add some secret Ingredient 1 and see the magical color transformation. 4. Add some secret Ingredient 2. 5. Experience the wildest foaming reaction!!! …and drink the Magic Potion if you dare…”

 “Secret Ingredient 1” is citric acid with some sort of blue food coloring. “Secret Ingredient 2” is baking soda. There is enough of each ingredient to do the experiment at least four times so resist the craving to dump all of the pop rocks into your mouth after the first try. The prime of this candy is after step three. The aqua blue potion is a taste treat with its tangy, sweet and sour flavor that makes it almost not worth it to add the baking soda to see the “wildest foaming reaction.” This is the reason you want to save enough of every ingredient to do the experiment a few times, so that you can taste the candy and see the foaming reaction.

When I added “Secret Ingredient 2” to my test tube the potion started to bubble over (though I wouldn’t call it the ‘wildest foaming reaction!!!’) and instinctively I sipped up the foaming candy potion. At first it hit me with a very sour and sweet, but mostly sour kick that was enjoyable for only a few seconds. It became a salty rotten taste that really made me feel like I had just ingested a magic potion (and also that I needed something quickly to get the bitter taste out of my mouth). I would suggest keeping the candy and the experiment separate. Do the experiment a few times where you don’t add the baking soda and enjoy the liquid candy potion that turns your tongue blue. And do the experiment a couple times with the adding of the baking soda so that you can enjoy the excitement of the chemical reaction, drink it if you dare, but chances are, one taste of the bubbly liquid will satisfy your curiosity.

 The package is right to warn that this experiment can be very messy, but that does not mean that avoiding the messiness is not easy. Don’t add the baking soda unless you are holding the test tube over a sink or a bowl or anything to prevent the sticky blue potion from foaming out onto the floor. This candy is most fun when shared between two or three people, that way you both/all get to enjoy the foaming and the bubbles of the experiment, and get a good amount of the potion to enjoy to yourself. Put on your lab coat and protective glasses and get ready to make some magic with the Pop Rocks magic potion kit.

News Flash

Laffy Taffy Bulk Candy

We all know that candy lovers can be a fickle lot and resistant to change especially when it affects a tried and true candy favorite

We  have been informed of the following , from the good folk’s at Nestles, makers of many of America’s favorite sweets that two of their best selling bulk candy items are changing their product mix.

Nerds Bulk will be changing their mix to include Strawberry which will be replacing Apple – Coated Watermelon.  The good news is that Lemonade Wild Cherry will continue

Laffy Taffy will also be changing their flavors. Grape and Strawberry didn’t make the cut and the new mix will consist exclusively of Apple, Banana and Cherry

We hope that this information will sweeten your day and, hopefully, allow you to rest easier…

As Bob Dylan once sang, “time’s they are a changin’….”

The 4th of July Holiday is only a few days away and who isn’t looking forward to enjoying a few days off?

To help you sweeten your holiday, CandyFavorites.com is offering a promotion exclusively to our valued candy loving customers….

From June 26th through June 30th….

If you order $79.95 or more, you can enjoy a FIVE (5) PERCENT DISCOUNT by entering COUPON CODE – FIRECRACKER

If you order $199.95 or more, you can enjoy a TEN (10) PERCENT DISCOUNT by entering COUPON CODE – SALSA

If that’s not enough, most orders over $63.95 ship for FREE and this discount applies to all 2800 candies featured on our site!

Feel feel to place your order online at www.candyfavorites.com or by calling us, toll free, at (888) 525-7577

We wish you the VERY best in candy and beyond and hope you have a safe holiday!

PS: Also, if you become a FAN of CANDYFAVORITES.COM on FACEBOOK, please let us know and we will send you a $5 SweetCertificate as a token of appreciation!

Please note that this coupon has no cash value and we are not able to issue discounts for orders placed outside of the stated date parameters. 

Now & Laters Candy

Denture danger: 9

Convenience: 10

Novelty: 7

Overall: 9

Now and Laters are quite the classic candy. Their old slogan, “Eat some now, Save some for Later” was replaced by the popular and true slogan, “Hard ‘N Fruity now and Soft ‘N Chewy Later”. This slogan describes the candy’s cycle that represents the main difference between the Now and Later and the Laffy Taffy. Compared to the Laffy Taffy, the “Soft’ N Chewy” Now and Later has a slightly denser consistency than the Laffy Taffy which has a greater ‘denture danger’ is softer and stickier. Though the corresponding artificial flavors between Laffy Taffys and Now and Laters are almost indistinguishable, the Now and Later is subtly less sweet than the Laffy Taffy which is a nice relief from the shockingly sugary Laffy Taffy.

Now and Laters were originally introduced by the Phoenix Candy Company in 1962 with its original red, green, and blue flavors. In 2006, Beatrice Foods took over and for marketing reasons changed its original flavors to strawberry, apple and grape. There are currently twenty-four flavors available including banana, cherry, sour apple, grape, and strawberry. Whether you enjoy this candy now or later, your craving for that soft (or hard), chewy, juicy, taffy candy will be pleasantly satisfied.

Delfa Rolls are the Holy Retro Grail!

 

Sharability: 3 (This one is almost too fun to eat to share)

Denture Danger: 5

Convenience: 9

Novelty: 9

Overall: 9

This roll of red licorice candy has too many names for its own good. You might have heard it called a Danish Ribbon, a Delfa Roll, or a Hollywood Roll, but whatever you may call it, it will always have that unique chewy consistency to go along with that perfectly sweet strawberry flavor.
This is one of those candies that you can’t put down because it is just too fun to eat. You can peel it apart one, two or three strips at a time. You can plop an entire reel in your mouth for a jaw-tiring but juicy experience. You can unroll it and put it in your mouth so that you can feel the smooth ridges on your tongue and pretend you are a frog extending its long tongue to catch a fly. You can pull off a few strips and make an edible bracelet for yourself. You can do whatever your imagination allows as long as, in the end, you get the satisfaction of the complete Danish Ribbon experience.

Please note that they are not yet available for purchase but will be avaialble on CandyFavorites.com

National Candy Wholesalers Association Ad Circa 1950

Few people know that CandyFavorites.com is backed by McKeesport Candy Co. who is one of the oldest candy wholesalers in North America!

Founded in 1927, the company originally specialized in selling candy to small “mom and pop” stores throughout Western Pennsylvania and now is one of the largest retailers of candy in the United States…and beyond!

Our founder (and my grandfather), Ernest Prince was a visionary and was one of the first Presidents of National Candy Wholesalers Association and my father was one of the first to offer “pick and mix” bulk candy in a retail setting.

Our first website was launched in 1997 and although it wasn’t focused on online commerce, it was the first candy related website launched by an independent candy wholesaler! 

Ironically, many web store tout themselves as being Bulk and Retro Candy Specialists, but we were selling these products before they were consider retro!

We were one of the first to offer Bulk Candy and the first brand featured was Brachs Candy. Eighty (80) years later, this brand remains near and dear to our heart despite over 500 bulk products that we offer!

As per retro candies, what other online candy store can boast that Clark Bars were invented in their home town (actually, the company was established in the suburb of McKeesport, PA where our warehouse is located) or that they were one of the first candy companies in the nation to offer Pop Rocks?

Many claim to be retro candy experts but few have the longevity to back their claims.

With the advent of the Internet and the host of new products, we remain committed to our core vision which is to provide tried and true candies along with the best customer service in the online candy industry….

We would love to hear your memories of candy favorites, old and new, as those alone are what allow everyday candies to fall into the fabled retro category…

- Jon H.Prince

Enjoy Tootsie Pop Candy Canes Year Round....

As the owner of the Internet’s Largest Candy Store, I have access to over 2800 candies but I am very fussy per what I eat.

The other day, a friend of mine asked what was my favorite candy and, truth be told, it was a tough question….

I guess I go through phases and, currently, I am hooked on Candy Cane Tootsie Pops which we offer year round.

The combination of the classic mint candy flavor, the tactile quality of the round lollipop and the “surprise” Tootsie Roll center make this, in my opinion, one of the best tasting lollipops!

Don’t get me wrong – this is not the only candy that I eat but it is the type of candy that I stash away for when I need my daily sugar fix.

Nothing beats the refreshing and nostalgic inspiring taste of a candy cane and the flavor of Tootsie Rolls speaks for itself!

In this case, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts….