8 Forgotten Candies Your Grandparents Still Dream About
Remember when candy tasted like pure childhood magic?
Your grandparents sure do, and they probably still get a little misty-eyed thinking about treats that have vanished from store shelves.
Back in the day, candy wasn’t just sugar; it was an experience wrapped in colorful paper that made every trip to the corner store feel like an adventure.
1. Astro Pops
Rocket-shaped and space-age cool, Astro Pops launched onto candy shelves when the moon race captured everyone’s imagination. Cone-shaped hard candy on a stick made you feel like an astronaut exploring flavor galaxies with every lick.
Layered colors of cherry, passion fruit, and pineapple created a visual treat before you even tasted it. Grandma might remember clutching one while watching moon landings on television. That pointed tip and sturdy stick made them last forever, delivering hours of sugary entertainment.
2. Marathon Bar
Eight inches of braided chocolate and caramel glory made the Marathon Bar a legend among candy lovers. Packaged in a ruler-printed wrapper, it practically dared you to measure just how much deliciousness you were about to devour.
Eating one became an endurance event rather than a quick snack. That chewy caramel center wrapped in milk chocolate lasted so long your jaw got tired! Grandparents still talk about slowly savoring every inch, making their allowance money stretch as far as possible.
3. Chick-O-Stick
Crunchy peanut butter and toasted coconut came together in this bright orange stick of pure happiness. No chocolate needed when you’ve got this dynamic duo creating texture magic in every bite!
Crumbly and flaky, it practically melted on your tongue while delivering serious flavor punch. Grandpa might have grabbed one at the gas station counter during road trips. That distinctive taste and texture made it instantly recognizable, even with your eyes closed. Still available today, it remains a nostalgic favorite.
4. Bit-O-Honey
Honey-flavored taffy studded with almond bits created a chewy masterpiece that stuck around (literally) for ages. Golden and sweet, each piece delivered old-fashioned flavor that reminded you of simpler times.
Unwrapping the waxy paper revealed a treat worth the effort your jaw was about to put in. Grandma probably loved how long one piece lasted, making it perfect for church or long movie matinees. That combination of smooth honey sweetness and nutty crunch kept generations coming back for more bites.
5. Necco Wafers
Chalky, pastel discs of polarizing flavor divided candy fans into love-it or hate-it camps for over a century. Eight flavors including lemon, lime, orange, clove, cinnamon, wintergreen, licorice, and chocolate came stacked in iconic paper rolls.
Some people compared them to eating flavored chalk, but true fans appreciated their unique texture and subtle taste. Soldiers carried them during wartime because they didn’t melt. Your grandparents probably remember the satisfying snap of breaking one in half before letting it dissolve slowly.
6. Candy Buttons
Tiny sugar dots stuck to paper strips turned snack time into an arts and crafts project. Peeling them off without getting paper bits in your mouth became a skill that separated amateurs from candy button experts!
Pink, blue, and yellow dots offered more fun than actual flavor, but that hardly mattered. Kids spent hours carefully nibbling around paper edges, and inevitably eating some anyway. Grandparents remember buying whole sheets at penny candy stores, making them last through entire Saturday afternoons of play.
7. Wax Bottles
Miniature wax bottles filled with sweet syrupy liquid offered a two-part candy experience unlike anything else. First, you bit off the top, then slurped out the colorful juice before chewing the waxy bottle like gum!
Cherry, orange, blue raspberry, and other mystery flavors came in those tiny containers. Grandma might recall the satisfying pop when teeth broke through the wax seal. Sure, the juice was gone in one sip, but gnawing on that flavorless wax afterwards felt strangely satisfying anyway.
8. Teaberry Gum
Wintergreen’s sophisticated cousin delivered a unique minty-sweet flavor that tasted like nothing else on candy shelves. Clark’s Teaberry Gum came wrapped in distinctive pink paper, signaling you were about to experience something special.
That mysterious teaberry flavor came from an actual plant found in northeastern forests. Chewing it made you feel fancy and grown-up somehow. Grandpa probably remembers the Teaberry Shuffle dance from television commercials that made this gum a cultural phenomenon beyond just its taste.
