Browsing Tag

Candy Hearts

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, Valentine's Candy

Ju Ju Hearts Filled With Ju-Ju Love

February 12, 2010 by

Juju Hearts are a fun candy for Valentine's Day and may be infused with magical powers...

Juju Hearts are a fun candy for Valentine’s Day and may be infused with magical powers…

Sharability: 10

Denture Danger: 8

Convenience: 8

Novelty: 8

Overall: 7

Ju Ju Hearts are another great Valentine’s Day candy. Upon seeing the bag of red scrumptious squishy hearts I assumed they would be cinnamon flavored. Though these hearts would probably be better with the cinnamon spice tongue tingler, the cherry flavor that lies within the Ju Ju Heart is far from terrible.

It has a similar flavor to the red jolly rancher, but it isn’t too sweet or medicinal tasting, which many cherry flavored candies tend to be. The Ju Ju heart is a great candy for the gummy valentine.

Coming from West African origin, Ju-Ju is either an object used as an amulet or fetish or is the word representing the supernatural power that is ascribed to an object. The terms came to the United States through African slaves and those who still practice certain African traditions still use the term Ju-Ju and the customs associated with it.

I don’t want to make any rash assumptions, but if I were to take a guess I would say that the manufacturer named these hearts ‘Ju Ju Hearts’ with the not-so-hidden-implication that there are supernatural powers of love implanted in every heart, but don’t take my word for it.

Sources:

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

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/juju

Candy Reviews, Valentine's Candy

Conversation Hearts from Brach’s, from NECCO and from the Enlarging Machine

February 1, 2010 by

Whether you prefer Brachs or Necco, one thing that everyone can agree upon is that Valentine's day wouldn't be the same without Conversation Hearts

Whether you prefer Brachs or Necco, one thing that everyone can agree upon is that Valentine’s day wouldn’t be the same without Conversation Hearts

Sharability: 10

Denture Danger: 2-7

Convenience: 10

Novelty: 10

Overall: 5

The classic Valentines Day candy… these candy hearts are so popular that both The New England Confectionary Company (NECCO) and Brach’s manufacture them, and now they are even made in an enlarged size. The candies themselves are definitely more of a novelty item than a tasty candy. In fact, eating too many can induce side effects of nausea.

Even though Brach’s and NECCO both make these conversation hearts they aren’t identical candies. The differences start with aesthetics. NECCO takes the gold in this category.

The Brach’s Conversation Hearts have a greater width making them look more generic and almost like their shape has been a mistake. The second difference is consistency; this award goes to Brach’s. Your teeth can sink right into the Brach’s hearts while the NECCO hearts put up a strong fight creating significant amount denture danger.

The third difference is taste. The corresponding colors don’t even have all of the same flavors. Both types of hearts have white wintergreen, purple grape, orange orange, green lime, and pink cherry, but the yellow in the NECCO group is banana while the Brach’s side steps the banana and chooses a somewhat more tasty but virtually indistinguishable flavor.

Another difference between the two is the short sayings printed on the hearts. Not only are the Brach’s sayings sloppier and harder to read, but some of the sayings are quite inappropriate, especially for Valentines day. While the NECCO hearts have classic sayings such as, “Let’s Kiss,” “Miss You,” and “Cutie Pie,” Brach’s hearts spread negativity with “No Way,” “See Ya” and “Good Bye” and aren’t as appropriate for the young ones with “Too Hot” and “So Fine” mixed in with the usuals.

I don’t understand why a Valentines Candy would have sayings on it that promote negativity.

The Large Conversation Hearts have a solely aesthetic advantage. They make reading the saying a little bit easier (even though many are still off-center or illegible), but eating one is way too much gross sugary flavor for one bite.

The first idea for conversation hearts originated back when Abraham Lincoln was president. Mottoes were a candy that contained a rolled up piece of paper inside the shell shaped candy that sported the sayings that influenced today’s conversation hearts.

Daniel Chase (the brother of NECCO’s founder, Oliver Chase) experimented with the idea of putting messages on candies with hand tools in the 1860s. He soon realized this process would be much too tedious to continue and thus he created a machine to print messages on the candies.

The first conversation candies were especially popular at weddings with their witty sayings such as “Married in satin, Love will not be lasting,” “Married in pink, He will take to drink,” and “Married in white, You have chosen right.” These long messages were not printed directly on the candies but were written the original way on rolled up pieced of paper inside the candies.

The idea for the modern day hearts came about in 1902 along with candies in other shapes such as baseballs and horseshoes. Today the heart shaped candies are so popular that during NECOO’s peak production periods, approximately 100,000 pounds of conversation hearts are made each day and all of these hearts sell out in about six weeks. Eight billion candy conversation hearts are produced every year just by NECCO; that is enough hearts that if lined up they would stretch from Rome, Italy to Valentine, Arizona and back twenty times… that’s a lot of hearts.

Despite the unsatisfactory taste of these little candies they still remain an almost necessary purchase for the Valentines Day season. Though the Brach’s might taste better, I’d recommend buying the not-so-negative classic NECCO Conversation Hearts; these candies aren’t really for eating anyway.

Sources:

  • http://www.necco.com/OurBrands/Default.asp?BrandID=8
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweethearts_%28candy%29
  • http://www.candyfavorites.com/shop/conversation-hearts-origin.php