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….

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

Clark bars, the signature item of one of the country’s largest candy empires, started with a small operation run by young entrepreneur David L. Clark in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Mr. Clark entered the candy business in 1891 and spent a few years learning the trade before starting his own company, D.L. Clark Co., in 1886.

He manufactured candy in two back rooms of a small house with the help of a small staff.

Within a few years, he made enough money to open a small factory in McKeesport, where the company became incorporated

By 1911, the company had outgrown its factory, and Mr. Clark purchased a large building from a cracker manufacturer.

In the 1920s when the company was making approximately one hundred and fifty (150) different types of candy and gum, Mr. Clark decided to create a separate entity for the gum-making business.

He felt that the candy and gum operations would be more successful if the were run separately, so he opened the Clark Brothers Chewing Gum Co. across the street from his candy factory.

Following Mr. Clark’s death in 1939, his family continued to run the business until 1955. The company operated smoothly in Pittsburgh for several decades but ran into financial difficulties in the 1990s.

Eventually, the company was bought by New England Confectionary Co. and relocated.

Like many retro favorites, McKeesport Candy Co., was one of the first wholesaler in the nation to offer Clark Bars and still does so today via its web site at CandyFavorites.com

Did you know that Chupa Chupa’s were launched in 1958 by a Spanish businessman named Bernat Fontladosa and are now one of the best selling lollipops in the world

This famous lollipop is sold in over one hundred and seventy (170) countries and the company claims to produce over four billion lollipops yearly

The name, now familiar to almost any candy lover, comes from the Spanish verb “chupar” which translates to suck or lick

Little do people know that the famous floral logo was designed by a famous Spanish artist named Salvador Dali

The “Original” One Hundred Thousand Dollar Bar
Manufactured by Nestle

In 1950′s the hottest programs on TV were quiz shows like “The $64,000 Question,” “Twenty-One,” and “The Big Surprise.”

On the “Big Surprise”, one of the first trivia shows, the contestant chose a subject area and was asked to answer questions ranging in value from $100 to $100,000.

Due to the success of the “Big Surprise”, Nestle decided to launch a new candy bar to take advantage of the popularity of the successful television program

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Introduced in 1920 , the Baby Ruth candy bar has fueled one of the great candy mysteries with speculation as to where it got it’s name

Some say it was the great baseball slugger, while other’s claim it was President Grover Cleveland’s daughter.

Here’s another piece of candy trivia:

The fabled Baby Ruth and Butterfinger candy bar were originally made by the now defunct Curtis Candy Company

The company president, Otto Schnering, used a unique, albeit dangerous, marketing ploy of dropping these candy bars out of planes over major cities

The candy is no longer manufactured by the Curtis Candy Company and distribution is, more often than not, by truck but they remain one of America’s favorites candy bars

It can be difficult for me to appreciate simple candy pleasures but when possible, I like to savor the types of candy that used to really make my day as a kid. I would eat Swedish Fish, the individually wrapped ones, and really savor them; spend 10 minutes alone in a dark room with a sour apple Blow Pop (man, those were good!) or eat Tootsie Rolls, the short ones out of teachers’ candy dishes or the longer ones when I splurged at the candy store (hey, I could get two Fish for that dime!) Well, today’s post is a little homage to the humble Tootsie Roll.

The Tootsie Roll was introduced in 1896 in New York City – I knew I liked this candy – and named after the daughter of the candymaker: Her nickname was Tootsie. The candymaker, Leo Hirshfield, brought the recipe for the chocolate chew from his native Austria. In 1938, the operation was moved to Hoboken, NJ just in time: when World War II breaks out, Tootsie Rolls are included in war rations and become highly prized for their ability to withstand severe weather conditions and for their (relative) caloric density.

In the 1950’s, the company gains popularity in part due to their eager sponsorship of children’s television shows such as Howdy Doody, Rin Tin Tin and Rocky & Bullwinkle. One of the things people apparently remember best about Tootsie Roll promotions is the jingle, which goes a little something like this:

“The world looks mighty good to me

‘cause Tootsie Rolls are all I see

Whatever it is I think I see

Becomes a Tootsie Roll to me.

Tootsie Roll how I love your chocolatey chew

Tootsie Roll I think I’m in love with you

Whatever it is I think I see

Becomes a Tootsie Roll to me.”

And on that note (pun intended) I am going to leave you to your thoughts of chewy chocolatey goodness.

Never have I associated so much pop trivia with a candy bar! Mars Bar is not only known for its scrumptious caramel, nougat, and almond all doused in milk chocolate, but it is also dipped in some delicious myths, legends, and controversy.

1960s: One popular myth that never died throughout the decades tells us that while raiding one particular Rolling Stones party the police found the legendary Mick Jagger eating a Mars Bars strategically between the legs of Marianne Faithfull. Of course, she denies it to this day. Even if it wasn’t true, that is certainly one way I’ve never considered eating a Mars Bar.

December 2003: Friends or foe, the Mars Bar appeals to all. Our United States military captured Saddam Hussein with a stash of Mars Bars within arms reach during Operation Red Dawn.

July 2005: The parent company of Mars Bars recalled their shipment in Australia due to an extortion attempt against Sydney’s Star City Casino. The extortionist claimed to have poisoned several Mars bars at random, so the company recalled the product in New South Wales. This just goes to show that such a sinfully delicious chocolate bar has its negative aspects too.

And the list goes on. It’s a shame that this delectable gem is no longer sold. However, the parent company does sell a line of Snickers that acts as the official replacement of the Mars Bar. So the next time you take a break from these dreary winter days and take a bite out of the Snickers Almond Mars Bar, just think – you’re a part of chocolate history.

Oh, Valentine’s Day. If you’re a romantic, the phrase brings up heartwarming thoughts of love, togetherness, roses, flowers and chocolates. If you’re a cynic, you probably think that Valentine’s Day is a huge scam constructed by the diamond, greeting card, flower and candy companies to make women expect presents from their men.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. British settlers brought the holiday over from Europe in the 19th century, and the first mass-produced valentines (made of embossed paper lace) were produced and sold in 1848 by Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts. She was inspired by a British card she’d received. This tradition evolved into the exchange of gifts, flowers, candy and cards. In the 1980s the diamond industry was successfully able to associate its product with the holiday as well. Currently, over 1 billion Valentine cards and over 50 million roses are sent in the U.S each year for Valentine’s Day.

So what’s the iconic candy of Valentine’s Day? The obvious first choice would be Conversation Hearts. NECCO has been producing these little boxes of chalky love since the civil war, and NECCO must produce about 100,000 pounds of the candy hearts every day in order to meet the demands of the Valentine season, when about 8 billion hearts are sold in six weeks. Feel the need to surprise that special someone a custom-written Conversation Heart? It’s totally doable… that is, as long as you don’t mind purchasing an entire production run of them. That’s 1.7 million ways to say I love you! What could be better than that?

In the end, Valentine’s Day is an excuse to appreciate and pamper those you love. So cynics, buck up and do something nice. Make your beloved a romantic card, buy her a box of chocolates, and just bask in the love. And if you don’t have a special someone, who cares? Get your friends together, eat some ice cream and Thin Mints, and have a Singles’ Awareness Day where you talk about how much you totally don’t need a date. Sometimes, that can be more fun than the traditional Valentine’s dinner date!

But however you choose to celebrate the holiday, I hope you have fun, keep warm, and stay sweet!

~Janet