Salt Water Taffy is a summer favorite!

 

Sharability: 5

Denture Danger: 10

Convenience: 8

Novelty: 9

Overall: 10

 Do not be disgusted by the name of this candy because salt water is only in the name and not in the list of ingredients.

Though no one is sure where the name originated, the most popular story is of a man named David Bradley who had a store on the Atlantic City boardwalk in 1883.

One day a tidal wave rushed over his store soaking everything he had with salt water. The next day a girl walked into his store asking for some taffy. He sarcastically mentioned he had some “salt water taffy” which the girl bought and enjoyed.

Bradley’s mother thought that the name had a nice ring to it, so she convinced Bradley to rename his taffy to salt water taffy.  He never trademarked the name, so it was not long before other people started marketing their taffy with that new catchy name.

A man named Joeseph Fralinger started to really market this candy by selling the thin logs of taffy in boxes as Atlantic City souvenirs. Another man named Enoch James came around to add some competition to this new marketing scheme by slightly changing the recipe making the candy less sticky and by selling it as bite-sized pieces.

Fralinger and James are still two of the biggest suppliers of salt water taffy on the Jersey Shore over 100 years after the competition began.

The salt water taffy experience begins by searching through the bag for the colors that seem to correspond with a flavor you might most enjoy. You then pull the ends of the wax paper wrapper and watch the candy spin open.

A lot of times the candy sticks to the wrapper so that you have an excuse to put the wrapper in your mouth and scrape the stuck taffy off with your teeth. A lot of the taffys have mixed flavors in which you can mix together in one bite or eat separately by biting along the lines.

Salt water taffy has such a great soft and chewy consistency and such a variety of flavors that eating one more never seems like such a bad idea.

A Cracker Jacks Advertisement from 1919

Cracker Jacks  have been an American icon ever since their introduction in  1893 at the World’s Fair in Chicago. Their name was given by a bystander who said, “That’s a Cracker, Jack” when he had his first taste!

Nineteen (19) years passed and in 1912, the first toy “surprise” was included and this is one of the first examples of a company marketing a “limited” edition” which has become commonplace in the candy industry in the past few year…

1918 was another banner year for branding as Sailor Jack and his beloved mascot Bingo were introduced.

Perhaps the piece of trivia that I find most intriguing is that Cracker Jacks were one of the first products to actively benefit from subtle product placement which has become the norm. Think of ET and Reese’s Pieces or Ronald Reagan and Jelly Bellies and this will give you an idea of where the trend started.

According to Mike Pesca, a correspondent for National Public Radio, the inclusion of the famous lines, “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks” in the 1908 classic “ Take Me Out to the Ball Game” generates approximately $25 million dollars worth of free advertising!

The boxes have become increasingly difficult to source but, like peanuts, they remain a staple of American summers and long nights at baseball games….

By the way, if you can tell us which rock star mentions Cracker Jacks in one of his songs, please let us know and we will send you a $10 Sweetcertificate!

Are you still searching for Lik-M-Aid?

True candy lovers know that the classic “lick and dip” candy known as Lik-M-Aid was introduced in 1942 and disappeared in the late 1980’s only to reemerge as Fun Dip. 

The candy was always intended for dipping but the iconic “dipping stick” known affectionately as Lik-A-Stick was not added until the 1970’s.  The actual flavor remains a mystery and a subject of debate.

As for the powdered sugar ,different variations have been introduced throughout the years and they remain similar to what is found in Pixy Sticks which ,ironically, is owned by the same company, Nestle USA, and featured in their Willy Wonka line..

Despite all, one thing is often overlooked and that is that Fun Dip is a candy with an illustrious, close to seventy year (70) old, history. If you look closely at current packaging, you will see that Fun Dip still pays homage to its original namesake as well it should!

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….