Candy From the 1960's

[Ben]

I actually found this link based on someone linking to the "Space Food Sticks". That brought back some memories. They were the precursor to protein bars. I remember them tasting like a a really dry tootsie roll (probably why I forgot about them!), but every kid at school was eating them because the commercial said the astronauts did.

http://www.squidoo.com/candy-of-the-1960s

[TommyGunn]

Sweet Tarts....Good & Plenty...yup.  Chuckles?  Loved 'em.  Aren't they still around?   

Anyone remember Tang?   

[Monkeyleg]

Anyone remember Tang?   

Yes. Terrible-tasting fake powdered orange juice.

[AJ Dual]

I loved Tang as a kid. Mainly because you could control the concentration. 

Some of that list is a bit "meh" though. Yeah, they might have been invented in the 60s, or hit their peak of popularity then, if that's all what the list is supposed to be about, but several of the brands are still going pretty strong.

Zero bars, just saw a whole rack of them at Walmart this morning.

Mallow cups, not a big player, but they still are sold, and don't seem to be that "retro", "oddball", or "boutique".

Sweet Tarts seem to be a pretty mainstream brand still.

Bit-O-Honey is getting there in what I'm thinking of in terms of relative obscurity. Stuff like the Teaberry gum (Cracker Barrel had some in their gift shop of all places...) or the Pillsbury space-sticks, where you have to go to one of those "Whatever happened to X candy?" websites is what I'd like to see.

Hell, even those nasty flavorless rainbow candy dots stuck to the paper, and the nasty wax bottles with the syrup in them are still sold in the novelty/generic candy rack at lots of grocery and drug stores.

[Monkeyleg]

So, did you make a Tang drink or Tang sludge?

I just remember it being marketed as the stuff astronauts drank. That was enough for most people to buy it.

Whatever happened to Milk Duds? I loved those.

[Perd Hapley]

Whatever happened to Milk Duds? I loved those.

I still see those all over the place.

[Chuck Dye]

Anyone remember Tang?

Yes. Terrible-tasting fake powdered orange juice.

The first time our cook in Thailand served orange juice at breakfast, I thought I had been given Tang.  It was actually the juice of local oranges, freshly squeezed by hand and heavily sweetened.  When we finally convinced the woman to leave out the added sugar, it was wonderful and still very like Tang, or what Tang could be without the sugar overload.

On the candy front, Bonomo's Turkish Taffy is back.  More fun to play with, stretching it out, than to eat, we called it the world's only 50 foot candy bar.  (True religion:  after church, Mom & Dad got the New York Times, we kids (5-11 years old) got Bonomo's.  )

[brimic]

http://www.licoriceinternational.com/licorice/pc/Licorice-Babies-1-2-lb-14p71.htm

I remember them being called something REALLY politically incorrect which is why they aren't popular anymore.

[Hawkmoon]

Yes. Terrible-tasting fake powdered orange juice.

^^^ This. Horrible, horrible stuff. I only tried it once. That was enough to convince me I didn't want to become an astronut.

[Jamisjockey]

Candy cigarettes for the win.

[Ben]

I just remember it being marketed as the stuff astronauts drank. That was enough for most people to buy it.

Yup. Total peer pressure. All the other kids were drinking it, so how could i not? I remember Tang sludge and also putting into your mouth dry by the spoonful.

I vaguely remember candy cigarettes as something my dad would get me when I was four or five years old (mid 60s). There was some cartoon at the time that I can't remember, except for the hero used some kind of powerpacks that looked just like cigarettes, so I would both eat and play with the candy.

[brimic]

Candy cigarettes were very popular when I was a kid, as well as cigars made of bubble gum.

[geronimotwo]

i still like"good n plenty" on occasion, and my daughter is coming around to the licorice flavor.  and tang tastes just like the orange metamucil!

[mtnbkr]

Candy cigarettes were very popular when I was a kid, as well as cigars made of bubble gum.

I remember both of those, as well as bubblegum cigs with paper wrappers.

I just turned 40.

Chris

[Sergeant Bob]

There was some cartoon at the time that I can't remember, except for the hero used some kind of powerpacks that looked just like cigarettes, so I would both eat and play with the candy.

That was Tobor, The 8th Man. I watched a lot of TV as a kid.

[Ben]

That was Tobor, The 8th Man. I watched a lot of TV as a kid.

Dude - you are awesome! That's it! 

[Sawdust]

Chick-O-Sticks.

I loved those things as a little kid.

Hadn't seen one for 40 years until a few weeks ago. Toured the USS Iowa, and in the ship's swag store they had them.

Mmmmmmmmmmm...everything that I remembered.

Besides the candy cigs, there were also bubble gum cigs with each cig being wrapped in some sort of thin white paper.

Underneath the paper wrapping and on the outside surface of the cig was this fine, white powdered sugar - I assume to act as a dry lube so the paper sleeve wouldn't stick to the gum. You could take out a cig, and blow the powder out and act like the cig was lit.

Sawdust

[Sergeant Bob]

Besides the candy cigs, there were also bubble gum cigs with each cig being wrapped in some sort of thin white paper.
Sawdust

When they discontinued those, I switched to the real thing to get my fix!

[mtnbkr]

Underneath the paper wrapping and on the outside surface of the cig was this fine, white powdered sugar - I assume to act as a dry lube so the paper sleeve wouldn't stick to the gum. You could take out a cig, and blow the powder out and act like the cig was lit.

Sawdust

Yup, did that too. :D

Chris

[Sawdust]

Hot Tamales should be on that list, too.

Sawdust

[Harold Tuttle]

get thee to the cracker barrel

http://shop.crackerbarrel.com/b/6060227011

[brimic]

When they discontinued those, I switched to the real thing to get my fix!

Another thing about the candy cigs- they had a little plastic pull string to open them- just like Dad's cigarettes!

When I was still a preteen, My friends and I would ride our bikes down to the gas station, each buy a pack of candy cigarettes, then ride with our fishing tackle down to the mill pond.
Pull the plastic string (red in color) off the cigarette box, put it on a hook, sneak up the edge of the pond, dangle it in front of frogs which would grab it, then use the frogs to catch bass while eating the candy.

[AJ Dual]

Hot Tamales should be on that list, too.

Sawdust

They're "60's" but are just cinnamon Mike & Ike's. Still on the shelf in most any store.  Walmart, Target etc.

Seems to me candy on such a "nostalgia list" would have to be discontinued, or hard to find.

[Sawdust]

Still around, eh?

I don't troll the candy aisles anymore.

But you're right...needs to be at least very hard to find to be on the list.

Sawdust

[K Frame]

"Space Food Sticks"

Oh lord! I loved those things when I was a kid!