Thursday Thirteen #26 – Retro Candies and Snacks

I am a fan of retro stuff. I have rotary dial phones in three rooms in my home. I own a turntable with loads of vinyl from a variety of artist from Duke Ellington to Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan. I was over visiting Pop Art Diva blog (a wonderful blog about all things retro) and she inspired this week’s Thursday Thirteen about snack foods I ate as a child. So come take this trip down memory lane with me and feel free to share some of the candies and snacks you loved as a kid. You can find all the candies and snacks mentioned below and so many more at The Old Time Candy Company.

1.Indian Brand Pumpkin Seeds – I love pumpkin seeds as a child and this brand was my favorite. They cost a nickel a package and they were well worth it. I remember eating the seed, shell and all. They were so good and salty.

2. Kits - We had a candy store around the corner from my house called the Confectionary. Mr Jarrod suggested I buy this candy call kits-he let me choose the flavor-chocolate. I took off the outside wrapper to discover it held 4 pieces. I shared them with my friends. I liked the smooth texture in my mouth. I made sure to always pick up some kits!

3. Mary Janes - In 1884, Charles H. Miller and his three sons founded a small business manufacturing and selling homemade candy. The building where they began making their candy had a notable past -- it was the Paul Revere House in Boston's Faneuil Hall/North End area.

4. Squirrel Nut Chews – I have fond memories of stopping at Eddie’s corner store on my way to Roosevelt Elementary school in Flint, Michigan and purchasing this chewy peanut concoction.

5. Bit-O-Honey – That sweet chewy morsel with the bits of almond was and still is one of my favorite. Bit-O-Honey first appeared in 1924 and was made by the Schutter-Johnson Company of Chicago. Bit-O-Honey was a new kind of candy bar consisting of six pieces of candy wrapped in wax paper and then packaged in a wrapper. Today, Bit-O-Honey is made by the Nestle Company.

6. Bazooka – How cool is a bubblegum that has a comic in every pack. The Bazooka Joe comics were introduced in 1953 to add interest for children.

7. Candy Necklace - When I was little I used to eat candy necklaces all the time. I loved the chalky taste.

8. Coconuts Neapolitan Sundaes - I still remember the somewhat tedious process of unwrapping this candy (could be tricky at times because they were pretty sticky, but so worth it!) But most of all I remember the particular way I would eat them - usually nibbling off the pink end, then the white center and leaving the chocolate part for last! Yummy coconut goodness!

9. Mallo Cups – I was a fan of coconut back in the day and Mallo Cups has a marshmallow coconut filling that was so good.

10. Smarties – I still eat these today when I can find them. As a young girl when I would go trick or treating I would always hope that those old folks would throw some Smarties in my little Trick or Treat bag.

11. Tootsie Rolls – This candy is one that has stood the test of time and never lost its popularity. Leo Hirshfield was looking around for a name for the new confection he was making from a recipe he'd brought over from Europe in 1896. He chose the name of his 6 year old daughter, Clara, whose nickname was Tootsie. This is the first candy to be individually wrapped in paper.

12. Sweet Tarts – This is my first experience eating candy that was sour, yet sweet, a wonderful combination.

13. Cracker Jacks – Who growing up in the 60’s didn’t love Cracker Jacks? Not only did you get syrupy sweet caramel corn, but a prize too! According to legend, in 1893 a unique popcorn, peanuts and molasses confection that was the forerunner to Cracker Jack caramel coated popcorn and peanuts is introduced by F.W. Rueckheim and Brother, at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago's first World's Fair.

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