For this week's Let's Learn About Candy, we thought it might be fun to focus on a product that, proverbially, the doctor "might" prescribe to make you "smarter."
Yes, we are referring to Smarties Candy Roll Wafers, often known as "candy pills."
These candies have been around for over 75 years and were invented in New Jersey by Edward Dee, who was the "DE" in Ce De Candy!
Edward came to America in 1946 from England, where his family was in the candy business.
Ever resourceful and in need of a source of income, he devised a novel way to produce a beloved dextrose-based candy.
Short on money but long on ideas, Edward turned to war surplus as a means to find machinery that would allow him to turn his sweet dreams into reality.
The first machines were initially designed to produce gunpowder pellets used in the manufacture of ammunition, which, ironically, made them ideally suited to press dextrose into a flat shape, and, alas, the Candy Roll Wafer was born!
Talk about turning swords into plowshares!
Smarties Candy Rolls now come in a variety of flavors, including Extreme, Tropical, Pouches, Variety, and even a Mega one, and are a staple of bulk candy in any well-stocked nostalgic candy display.
CE DE remains a privately owned company, and while it has dramatically expanded its product offerings, under the guidance of Edward's granddaughters, Smarties Candy Roll Wafers continue to be the candy for which it is best known.
