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Oh MY! The candy sure was dandy in the 1970’s!
As teenagers we all remember eating our weight in candy. Some kids like chocolate bars, some kids like gum, some kids preferred suckers! What ever you favorite, it was all bad for us. We didn’t care one bit.
We visit about some of our favorite confections from childhood, I bet we spark a few memories.
1972 was the year one of my favorites was introduced Bottle Caps, the sweet and sour circles were somewhat akin to the nine-year-old SweeTarts, only with the slight fizziness of a soda pop. Though, Willy Wonka Co. did up the fizz with Fizzy Bottle Caps. At one point, there was a lemon-lime flavor, but that has been since replaced with cherry.
My absolute favorite candy would be Necco’s, those funny little wafers that haven’t changed in a long time. Fans of Necco’s were recently handed a terrible scare when it was announced by the company that it was filing for bankruptcy. Thankfully the company recently received an $18.83 million winning bid from Ohio-based Spangler Candy Company, maker of Dum Dum lollipops and Circus Peanuts, at a federal bankruptcy auction. So with a little luck these little wafer guys will be around forever.
Don’t forget about those wacky Pop Rocks! This candy is not only about the great flavors, it’s mostly allabout the pop! Pop Rocks are tiny, granulated pieces of carbonatedcandy that explode in your mouth! Pop Rocks have been bursting in our mouths since
the 1970’s, and are a definite must have retro candy!
Before we get into the realm of chocolate and candy bars we must mention Jolly Ranchers, the fact that you could get a whole big bag full for a buck was just mind blowing. Curtis would grab a bag full on the way to school and sell them to his friends. The beginning of his entrepreneurship no doubt.
Cracker Jacks, although they are still around there is just something terribly disappointing about NOT getting a cool toy when you opened the box. Not a ratty sticker or some kind of a code to an online video game. No sir, back in our day you actually got a real honest to goodness toy that you could play with! Poor kids these days.
Ok, I have been dancing around the chocolate and candy bars long enough. I think there was no other time in the history of candy bars like the seventies. The wackiest candy bars you will ever see or taste came from this groovy decade.
The Marathon bar, a close relative to the Wigwag bar. The Big Hunk chocolate bar was more of a brick than a bar. The York Peppermint Patty, what the heck kind of candy “bar” was this thing.
It seems like candy was on everybody’s mind in the 1970s. All you had to do was turn on the radio for proof — people were still singing “Sugar Sugar,” leading into hits like “Coconut” and “Candy-O,” while bands like Wild Cherry and Hot Chocolate were rocketing to the top of the charts like an Astropop. Of course, the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory would inspire an entire line of treats… some of which we’ll get to in a bit.
It’s no wonder so many new candies hit the market that decade. Here are some of the more memorable candies that debuted in the 70s,
As we mentioned before Bottle Caps were introduced in 1972, the sweet and sour circles were somewhat akin to the nine-year-old SweeTarts, only with the slight fizziness of a soda pop. Though, Willy Wonka Co. did up the fizz with Fizzy Bottle Caps. At one point, there was a lemon-lime flavor, but that has been since replaced with cherry.
1973 brought us the candy and bubble gum in one! This sucker was originally developed as the “Triple Treat.” In 1973, it was branded the Charms Blow Pop with the slogan “2 Treats in 1.” Which begs the question: What happened to the third treat? What was the third treat? The stick?
Also in 1973 the re branded Fun Dip came along. Lik-M-Aid dates back to the WWII era, but in the 1970s Wonka rebranded the sugary powder Fun Dip and added a crucial element — the Lik-A-Stix. Before that, one had to mearly pour the stuff down your throat. Which some kids still did anyway. But how great was it to eat the utensil?
Again we mention, Pop Rocks that came along in 1975. General Foods introduced these mouth ticklers in the mid-decade before taking them off the market in 1983. And, no, not because Mikey ate them with Coca-Cola and blew up his tummy. Thankfully, they made a comeback.
In 1976, yep, Wonka again. With the Gob Stopper. Was anyone in history better at naming candy than Roald Dahl? We still have a gobstopper in our mouth from 1978 that has yet to dissolve.
Another addition in 1976 were Jelly Bellys, The original flavors were Very Cherry, Tangerine, Lemon, Green Apple, Grape, Licorice, Root Beer, and Cream Soda. Booger and Buttered Popcorn would come much later. These guys are still going strong today.
Ring Pops also from 1976. The Topps baseball card company earned this patent four decade ago. Make-believe engagements have never been the same since. I was never a big fan of these,,, too messy. Little kids still love them today.
1978 was the year for two new candies Reese’s Pieces, It wasn’t until 1982 that these M&Ms competitor truly took off, thanks to a certain extraterrestrial.
And Whatchamacalit, Another brilliant name proved that Hershey’s could compete with Wonka in the playful branding department. The moniker was dreamt up by Patricia Volk, who worked at the agency handling the Hershey’s account.
The ever popular Twix shows up in 1979, it’s hard to believe this beloved candy bar was introduced to the United States about a decade after Matt Damon. The caramel-cookie bars constantly top favorite candy lists. You’d think they’d have been around for ages. First produced in the U.K. in 1967, Twix took another dozen years to cross the Atlantic.
Anyone remember Dynamints? Dentyne declared war on Tic Tac with these pocket-sized candies. And lost. So don’t feel bad if you don’t remember these guys.
Shake your Laffy Taffy! Beich’s (“Say ‘Bike’s'” the label proclaimed) first sold these fruity chews as Banana Caramels and other flavors. Wonka swept in and purchased the brand, making it the joke-wrapped wonder we all traded on Halloween.