Certain candies are gone but are truly not forgotten, and one of them is Pixy Stix, which was discontinued without much fanfare or warning by Ferrara.
As to why they were discontinued remains a mystery - one that applies to far too many old-school candies - and the reasons range from the cost of raw materials to low demand.
As to the latter reason, the demand on this end only increased once these were no longer available. Go Figure....
While we can devote much space to how much Pixy Stix are missed, we thought it would be fun to focus on their history, however bygone it may be.
After all, this is a blog called Let's Learn About Candy...
In 1940, a powdered drink mix called Fruzola, manufactured by the Fruzola Company in Salt Lake City, Utah, became popular.
As to whether the drink was good remains unknown, but what is known is that kids were eating the powder straight from the packet!
Ironically, the second-generation owner of McKeesport Candy Co., Jerry Prince, was stationed in Salt Lake City while serving in the army.
He recalled the drink mix, sold locally, before it was transformed into candy.
Many years later, our wholesale division was one of the first wholesalers to offer Lik-M-Aid and, later, Pixy Stix!
To increase sales, the drink mix became, you guessed it, a POWDER CANDY!
While many candy lovers think that Pixy Stix were the first powdered candy, they were not! The first powder candy was Lik-M-Aid, which later morphed into the candy we now know as FUN DIP.
Twelve years later, Sunline Inc., a company that had undergone a series of ownership changes and later became Sunmark, then Nestle, and eventually was acquired by Ferrara Candy Company, decided that this candy powder would be best sold in colorful, thin, wax-lined paper straws.
Alas, Pixy Stix were born!
So popular was the sugar-based content - after all, what kid doesn't like eating pure sugar - that it led to the invention of several other candies, such as Fun Dip and Sweetarts, which are still sold today.
In August, we received a new product that not only inspired this blog post but also pays homage to a candy that lives on in the memories of candy lovers.
The original Pixy Stix may no longer be available. Still, the many similar products, such as SILLY STRAWS and SMARTIES CANDY POWDER STRAWS, not only taste good but are sure to evoke fond memories.
