Browsing Tag

necco

Candy History, Candy Memories, Candy News, Retro Candy, Valentine's Candy

Ode to the Conversation Heart

February 5, 2019 by
NECCO Conversation Hearts

For generations, Valentine’s Day has not been complete without at least one box of Conversation Hearts. You know them when you see them. Also known as Sweethearts, they’re the super sweet, heart-shaped treats with phrases like, ‘Be Mine’ and ‘Kiss Me’ emblazoned on the front. A staple of school parties and a beloved addition to candy drawers everywhere, Conversation Hearts have truly been a cornerstone of the sweetest holiday of the year for generations. 

Unfortunately, all those days spent loving (or loving to hate) Conversation Hearts will soon become just a memory. NECCO, the original manufacturer of Conversation Hearts went out of business last year, leaving fans of the candy wondering what would happen to this time-tested favorite.

NECCO conversation hearts

This news has left a bitter taste in the candy world. While the fate of this treat hangs in the balance, we are all left wondering how to get our fill of our favorite sweets this February 14th. Whether Conversation Hearts were always your first pick, or if they were the candy you ended up eating after your chocolate stash ran out, they were always there, consistently sweetening up even the dreariest February days.

Spangler Candy Company currently owns the Sweethearts brand, but, having only acquired the brand in September, the company has reported that they did not have time to produce this perennial treat in time for Valentine’s Day. Although Spangler has intentions of bringing the candy back in 2020, there’s no guarantee that we’ll get our beloved Conversation Hearts next year either.

Have any special Sweethearts memories you’d like to share? We’d love to hear! WANT TO WIN OUR LAST 1 POUND BAG OF NECCO CONVERSATION HEARTS? Simply tell us your most memorable Sweethearts moments in the comments below to enter. Keep the spirit of the Conversation Heart alive as we wait to see what next year will bring.

And while you may try to fill the void with other seasonal favorites, there is truly nothing else quite as special as a Conversation Heart.

Bulk Candy Reviews, Candy Reviews, Retro Candy

I’m in Love With Mary Jane(s)

July 7, 2010 by

This is a paper cut out advertisement for Mary Janes and one of the oldest candy advertisements in our collection!

This is a paper cut out advertisement for Mary Janes and one of the oldest candy advertisements in our collection!

Sharability: 10

Denture Danger: 10

Convenience: 10

Novelty: 10

Overall: 9

I’m in love with Mary Jane.
She’s my main thing.
She makes me feel alright.
She makes my heart sing.

This Mary Jane I am referring to could be Spiderman’s woman or a certain plant, but instead it is NECCO’s classic peanut buttery, molasses flavored, chewy rectangle.

It all began with Charles H. Miller and his three sons. The Millers started a small candy manufacturing business in Boston in 1884. The building in which this business blossomed from was Paul Revere’s house until 1800. (For those who haven’t been to history class any time in the last decade: In 1775 Paul Revere made the famous ride from Boston to Lexington to warn the people in the countryside that the British were coming.)

In 1914 after Charles had died and the Miller boys had taken full responsibility of the family business, the Mary Janes hit the market. The candy was named after their favorite aunt, Susan. Just kidding, her name was Mary Jane.

The Miller Company tried its best to create variations of the Mary Jane, but all paled in comparison to the original. The Miller Company tried its best to manufacture other popular candies, but again, they all paled in comparison to the Mary Jane. Eventually, after failed attempts at variety, Mary Jane was the only candy that the Miller Company produced.

NECCO was lucky to take control of the Mary Jane in 1990, as Mary Jane is a poster child of the New England Confectionary Company. Nostalgia blooms when we talk about our love for Mary Jane.

Sources:

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/friday/maryjane.htm

Bulk Candy Reviews, Candy Reviews, Retro Candy

Squirrel Nut Zippers Caramels’ Uniqueness Compels

June 24, 2010 by

Squirell Nut Zippers occupy a unique place in candy history as they are one of the older candies still available

Squirell Nut Zippers occupy a unique place in candy history as they are one of the older candies still available

Sharability: 9

Denture Danger:  8

Convenience: 10

Novelty: 9

Overall: 7

Squirrel Brands Salted Nut Company began in 1899. It changed hands and it changed locations, but the squirreliness never diminished. The company supplied chewy candies and salted and roasted peanuts to not only the general public of candy lovers, but also to the armed forces. In 2004 the Squirrel Nut Company took it’s last ownership change as it fell into the hands of NECCO.

The Squirrel Nut Caramel Candy is an individually wrapped rectangle of soft caramel with small pieces of peanuts mixed in for a slight crunch. The caramel is not as sticky as most caramels and thus does not annoyingly get stuck into the crevasses of your teeth.

Chocolate Squirrel caramel was the original flavor for the Squirrel Brands caramels. The caramels are a classic and are unique, and with that said, the candy need not be the tastiest candy in the land to be worthy of purchase.
Sources:

http://www.necco.com/OurBrands/AdditionalBrands.asp#BrandID15

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squirrel_nut_caramel

Bulk Candy Reviews, Candy Reviews

Wintergreen Lozenges May Not Sooth Your Throat, But They Do Sooth Your Soul

December 11, 2009 by

Necco Wintergreen Lozenges are refreshing and fun to eat

Necco Wintergreen Lozenges are refreshing and fun to eat

Sharability: 10

Denture Danger: 2

Convenience: 10

Novelty: 9

Overall: 8

Don’t be mislead by the name, these wintergreen  lozenges won’t rid you of your sore throat or stop your cough, but they will tingle your taste buds. From the looks of it, this little plain calky pink cylinder doesn’t seem like it would possess the punch that it does. The wintergreen flavor comes on slow as its mild taste becomes a refreshing mintyness as you chew it up. When you swallow down those last pieces don’t hesitate to indulge again and again, this candy is not only fat free but each one only has 3 grams of sugar, so you minty munching weight watchers ought to love this one!

This is one candy that won’t go bad if you forget to seal the bag. It is a good candy to leave in bowls around your house or put in your pocket for later. But if you do put one in your pocket, make sure you put two there because you wouldn’t want to torture yourself with such a tease.

Candy Bar Reviews, Candy Reviews, Nostalgic Candy Favorites

Pittsburgh’s Very Own, Vintage Clark Bar and Zagnut Bar

November 11, 2009 by

Clark Bars are a true retro candy and hail from Pittsburgh which is home to CandyFavorites.com

Clark Bars are a true retro candy and hail from Pittsburgh which is home to CandyFavorites.com

Sharability: 3

Denture Danger: 6 (It’s sure to get stuck in your teeth)

Convenience: 5

Novelty: 10

Overall: 9

The Clark Bar is—as it says on the wrapper—“Chocoaltey Coated Peanut Butter Crunch.” I guess you could say this is Necco’s version of the Butterfinger. The filling is slightly different than the Butterfinger, however. The Clark bar has a little soft peanut butter snuck into the crunchy, flakey, filling which adds an extra bit of peanut buttery goodness.

In second grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Clark, naturally, her favorite candy was the Clark bar. I brought in a bag of Clark bars for the class and she took every wrapper and hung them around the bulletin board on the wall. Now Mrs. Clark was an advocate of the Clark bar, but she wasn’t the inventor.

Irish-born, David L. Clark, was a guy just trying to make a living like the rest of us. He went through working at a variety of jobs including at a fish market, an art glass factory, and a paint manufacturer. He founded the Clark Company in 1886 in two rooms of a small house in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, what is now the North Side of Pittsburgh.

The company continued to grow and was soon producing some of the nation’s favorite candies. Clark’s company experimented with ingredients such as coconut, mint, and peanut butter, which had never been used in candies before. Some of the most delicious and most popular of these innovative creations were the Clark bar and the Zagnut bar.

The Zagnut bar is basically the exact same thing as the Clark bar, but instead of the flakey peanut butter being coated in chocolate, it is coated in a sweet coconut shell. I know that there are a lot of people out there who don’t like coconut in their candies, but  before you make that claim, try the Zagnut bar. The coconut flavor is far from overwhelming, and incorporates an excellent additional flavor to the crunchy peanut butter.

The Clark Company changed hands quite a bit. It was sold to the Beatrice Food Company in 1955, Leaf Inc. in 1983, renamed to Clark Bar America in 1995, and bought again by New England Confectionary Company (NECCO) in 1999, which is where it thrives today.

I feel like the Clark Bar and the Zagnut bar have declined in popularity in comparison to their cousin, the Butterfinger. I know that I had never even heard of the Zagnut bar until now and I think that is a shame. Not only is this candy an ultimate classic, not only was this candy originally produced in Pittsburgh (my home town), but this candy, along with his brother the Clark bar is absolutely delicious. So next time you are craving a Butterfinger, think back to David Clark and the struggles he must have gone through to create the delicious candy bar that is undoubtedly the candy that influenced the creation of the Butterfinger.

Source:
http://www.necco.com/ourbrands/default.asp?brandid=9

Bulk Candy Reviews, Candy Reviews

Peanut Butter Logs can turn you into a candy hog!

October 7, 2009 by

Coconut Crunch Peanut Butter Logs from NECCO are an addictive treat!

Coconut Crunch Peanut Butter Logs from NECCO are an addictive treat!

Sharability: 8

Denture Danger: 6

Convenience: 5

Novelty: 8

Overall: 9

Every little bit of the peanut butter log is delicious not matter how you eat it.  The crunchy-peanut-buttery-baklava-looking inside is coated with a coconut sprinkled peanut butter. The coconut and peanut butter flavors balance each other out, but for those of you who don’t like coconut, realize that it is called a peanut butter log, not a coconut log.

The peanut butter is definitely the base flavor and the coconut is merely the topping… not to undermine the coconut though, as it does add a delicious twist to the candy.

If you suck on this coconut topped crunchy yet chewy peanut butter log, it will melt slowly in your mouth so that you can savor it slowly. If you chew them up you will get it stuck in your teeth, which isn’t so bad because then your teeth act as flavor savers for a snack a little later.

When you pick the remnants out of your teeth it brings back the memory of how delicious the crunchy candy was whenever you ate it. The New England Confectionary Company (NECCO) definitely hit the jackpot in the creation of this deliciously addicting candy.