More than eight billion (some 13 million pounds) of the little hearts are sold in the six weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. Sweethearts make up 40 percent of the Valentine candy market, just behind chocolate, according to Aimee Scott, Necco’s marketing director.

One of America’s oldest candy companies, Necco was founded in 1847 in Boston by Englishman Oliver Chase, who got the business off to a good start by inventing devices that cut candy lozenges and pulverized sugar. Necco first sold confections similar to Sweethearts, but in the shape of scallop shells.

Sweethearts are still evolving every year. Smithsonian magazine has all kinds of interesting facts about Sweethearts. Link

(Image generated at Cryptogram)

Amanda Joyner makes fascinators and pillbox hats that she sells at her Etsy store. Several are modeled after candy message hearts that would be perfect for Valentines Day! Order yours early enough and you might be able to specify the color or message. Link

1. Coke

Perhaps the most documented failure of any American company was Coke II, aka “New Coke.” Humorously, despite the massive reaction against the beverage, Coke II actually smoked both Pepsi and original Coke in taste tests. While most people did prefer it, the idea of losing a beloved American classic was too much for some people, who protested and called the company headquarters until the old version was reintroduced three months later. Coke II continued to be sold until 2002 when it was pulled due to poor sales.

Of course, Coke II wasn’t the brand’s only failure, there was also Coca Cola with Lemon, Coca Cola Black Cherry Vanilla, Coca Cola Black (a coffee-flavored cola) and Coca Cola C2 (a low-carb version).

Image Via akeg [Flickr]

2. Pepsi

When you think of failed Pepsi flavors, let’s face it, one variety seems to come to mind before all others –Crystal Pepsi. While it might not have been the marketing disaster that Coke II was, it was still a huge failure and ended up being discontinued in the US only a year after its introduction. A little while later, Pepsi tried again with a citrus-flavored version called Clear from Pepsi, but that flavor also bombed and was quickly discontinued.

A few other Pepsi failures include Pepsi Kona (a coffee-flavored Pepsi that was only sold on the East Coast before it was discontinued), Pepsi Vanilla, Pepsi AM (Pepsi’s attempt to compete with coffee as the morning beverage of choice, this one contained far more caffeine than the average Pepsi), Pepsi Blue (a berry-flavored, non-cola beverage).

Image Via Roadsidepictures [Flickr]

3. Hershey

Hershey’s flops may not be as well-known as Coke or Pepsi, but they have far more discontinued flavors than either of those cola brands. You may remember some of these flavors but there are so many, at least a few will probably be new to you.

A few original products they discontinued included Bar None (a chocolate bar with two wafers and peanuts), Hershey’s S’mores (a chocolate bar with graham crackers and marshmallows), Swoops (chocolate slices shaped like potato chips) and Hershey’s Sticks (chocolate sticks individually wrapped and sold together in boxes).

They’ve also discontinued quite a few variations on their popular products, such as Hershey’s Cookies and Mint, Hershey’s Kissables (Hershey’s Kisses with candy shells) and Hershey’s Bites, which were bite-sized versions of their classic candies sold in bags.

Additionally, the company also experimented with beverages, discontinuing a premade bottled milk drink called Hershey’s Milkshake and their Hershey’s Chocolate Milk Mix.

Image Via theimpulsivebuy [Flickr]

4. Mars

Mars might not have so many discontinued flavors as Hershey, but the company is notable for discontinuing a rather popular product only because they don’t like dealing with peanut butter. The candy in question was known as PB Max and it contained peanut butter, oats, and a whole grain cookie that were all covered in chocolate. The bar sold well and earned the company $50 million in sales, but the Mars family apparently dislikes peanut butter.

Surprisingly, Peanut Butter M&M’s haven’t been placed on the chopping block yet, but Crispy M&M’s and Dulce de Leche M&M’s have, so only time will tell if the beloved M&M’s flavor will be canned solely because of its filling.

Image Via Rhian vK [Flickr]

5. Jell-O

When it comes to companies with a list of discontinued flavors longer than their existing flavors, you might want to look at Jell-O. Their discontinued gelatin flavor list includes Apple, Bubble Gum, Chocolate, Coffee, Cola, Root Beer, Mango, Passion Fruit, Maple Syrup, Sparkling Berry and more.

They also stopped selling all of their savory flavors after the mid-century trend of making Jell-O entrees and salads ended. During that period though, they sold a few notably disgusting-sounding flavors including Celery, Italian Salad, Mixed Vegetable and Seasoned Tomato.

The company has also discontinued a few unique products including their 1-2-3 Jell-O, a mix that prepared a three layer creamy gelatin, and their popular Jell-O Pudding Pops.

Image Via bunchofpants [Flickr]

6. Frito Lay

Of course, there’s probably no snack food as popular as chips and no chip company seems to have as many discontinued food flavors as Frito-Lay, which puts out Fritos, Doritos, Ruffles and other popular chips. Fritos has a long list of discontinued flavors, including Fritos Lite, Fritos Tabasco, Nacho Cheese, Wild & Mild Ranch, Cheddar Ranch Twists, Texas Grill and Buffalo Wild Wings & Ranch.

As for Doritos, one of their original flavors, Sour Cream and Onion was also one of the first to go –I guess regular chip flavors don’t work as well with tortilla chips. Of course, that’s not their only flavor to get the axe. A few other discontinued tastes include Pizza Hut Pizza Cravers, Nacho Chipotle Ranch Ripple, Cheddar Queso, Extreme Bold BBQ, Black Pepper Jack, Zesty Salsa and Texas Tang.

While I can’t find many discontinued Lays flavors, Ruffles hasn’t been as steady and some of their no longer sold flavors include Ranch, Cajun Spice and Flavor Rush (any idea what the flavor that was being rushed actually was?)

Image Via theimpulsebuy [Flickr]

7. Lunchables

When you want a more substantial snack, there’s nothing better than a Lunchable, assuming they haven’t already gotten rid of your favorite flavor. As of right now, you’re out of luck if your favorite Lunchable was All Star Burgers, All Star Hot Dogs, Taco Bell Tacos, Pizza Swirls, Pizza Stix or Fun Fuel (a slightly healthier option that included a bagel sandwich or a wrap). They also got rid of the entire line of Breakfast Lunchables.

Image Via samantha celera [Flickr]

Obviously there are tons of different snack food companies and hundreds and hundreds of discontinued flavors of said foods, so there’s no way I could have included them all here. That being said, everyone has their own favorite food that is no longer sold by the manufacturer. My favorite one is the 1-2-3 Jell-O mentioned earlier. What is your favorite discontinued snack?

Sources: Wikipedia #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, Refund Cents

Apparently, these delicious treats are starting to be carried at Walgreens. Have any of you seen these in person, or more importantly, tried them?

Link

Sure this Dalek looks cute on the outside, but it’s even better than it looks -when you crush the chocolate shell top with a wooden sonic screwdriver , you can find a tentacled Dalek inside. You can find directions to make your own at the link.

Link Via Craftzine

Super Heroes

They may not be the most artistic gingerbread creations, but these super hero designs by Sugar Swings are certainly adorable and they look absolutely delicious as well.

Russian Literary Greats

For those who like their gingerbread men to be a little less chipper and lot more serious, these figureheads of Russian culture by Craftster forum user Woolylogic are a good choice. Choose between Turgenev, Dostoyevsky (above), Tolstoy and Gogol.

Architectural Masterpieces

Sure anyone can make a one-room gingerbread shack, but turning a unique architectural design into a gingerbread creation takes a heck of a lot more skill. That’s why these great designs by real architecture firms went for so much money when they were auctioned off for charity. In fact, the one above, by Nick Milkovich Architects, Inc., sold for $610.

The Weasley Family Burrow

While this architectural marvel may not look familiar to everyone, Harry Potter fans will instantly recognize it as The Burrow, the adorably charming home of the Weasley clan. Creator mezcraft from the Craftster forums even added the special monogrammed sweaters Mrs. Weasley makes for each of her children at Christmas.

Hogwarts

Of course, the most iconic Harry Potter building is Hogwarts and Britta’s incredibly detailed gingerbread version is an impressive tribute to the majesty of the world-famous wizarding school. Best of all, she’s even got pictures of the entire arduous process so you could attempt to make your own at home…with a whole lot of time and dedication.

Up House

While the home in Pixar’s Up may not be as elaborate as Hogwarts, it is still certainly memorable enough to deserve its own gingerbread tribute, and this one, by Craftster forum user LawrenceKSRealEstate, is perfect, complete with its own set of giant balloons.

AT-AT

Have you ever wondered what would happen if an AT-At took a little off time to go walking through a winter wonderland? Rachel Klemek from the Black Market Bakery did and here’s the delightfully fun and disastrous results as photographed by Instagram user mommy_pants.

AT-AT

This is the only gingerbread creation with two incarnations here, but just look at this adorable design by Flickr user Chez 282 and you’ll realize why they both deserve to be on this list. While this one might not have the elaborate setting to go with it, it does feature far more decoration on the AT-AT itself.

Millennium Falcon

While this time lapse video by YouTube user FresoSweden doesn’t show you enough t instruct you to make your own fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, it does show you just how much effort went in to making this gingerbread masterpiece.

Ewok Village

Yes, one last Star Wars gingerbread creation (there are a lot to choose from). Here’s an Ewok village complete with a Death Star sitting on the sky above. The Infinate Yums has detailed photos showing the entire time-consuming process.

Starship Enterprise

Don’t worry Star Trek fans, while we may not have as many gingerbread creations from this side of the sci fi spectrum, you can at least enjoy this great Starship Enterprise by Reddit user nem8.

Tardis

Of course, we also have a gingerbread creation from the favorite sci fi series on the other side of the pond. This gingerbread Tardis by LiveJournal user theruu is not only bigger on the inside, but it also comes with detailed instructions to make your own, including a recipe for the gingerbread and frosting.

Serenity

For those that prefer their sci-fi to be a little less mainstream, this Serenity gingerbread model is certain to impress the fans of the cult-favorite Firefly. If you want to make your own, there are plenty of how to pictures on the FaceBook page of its creator, Kristoffer Gressli.

Teracotta Army

History buffs need not be too jealous of sci fi fans. While you may not have as many gingerbread options, you can always content yourself with your own gingerbread version of China’s famous Terracotta army. These lovely little warriors were created by The Pastry Case bakery as part of the 2007 Nantwich Food and Drink Festival.

Ninjabread Men

In the long-standing war between pirates and ninjas, the sneaky assassins have one distinct advantage: they also come in butt-kicking gingerbread form. Sure you could probably style some regular gingerbread men to look like pirates, but they just aren’t going to be as cool as these ones that were specifically designed with ninja moves in mind. Alternatively, you can always get one of these great gingerbread zombies from the Neatoshop knowing they’ll never go bad.

Of course, if all of these gingerbread delights aren’t enough to satiate you, then feel free to go back and enjoy Stacy’s look at gingerbread masterpieces from 2008. As for you guys, have any of you ever made a geeky gingerbread creation or are you planning to try one out this year? If so, what was your gingerbread design?

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, on the planet Endor, under the forest canopy, lies a village made of chocolate, breakfast cereal, and gingerbread! And don’t look now, but there’s a Death Star lurking above. The Canadian baker who blogs under the name The Infinite Yums built this Ewok Village for a charity auction. The post about it has the building process and plenty of pictures of the details. Link -via Boing Boing

Link Via BoingBoing

“They could speak a little English,” he recalled later. “Their clothes were patched and they hadn’t had gum and candy for two or three years. They barely had enough to eat.”

Halvorsen gave them two sticks of gum and promised to drop more candy for them the next day from his C-54. He said he’d rock his wings so that they could distinguish him from the other planes. Then he returned to the base and spent the night tying bundles of candy to handkerchief parachutes.

Not only did Halvorsen deliver he candy, but when word of his caper leaked out, Americans sent lots more candy to be dropped over Berlin. And Halvorsen did just that. Fifty years later, he encountered one of those children on a trip to Berlin, which you’ll have to go to Futility Closet to read about. Link -via Fark

You can read more about Halvorsen at Wikipedia. Link

I once referred to the candy bar as Peter Paul’s Almond Joy and my kids thought I was crazy. But that’s what the candy was called when I learned to love it! You’ll see all kinds of sweets that were sold a half-century ago in the 1949 NWCA Candy Salesman Book. Link -via the Presurfer

Designer Elsa Lambinet created this brilliant idea for chocolate flavoring mix and match sessions. You can put whatever you want in the middle and then put anything in the little center hole and experiment with all the flavor combinations you can possibly handle. I don’t know about you guys, but I’d love to go to a tasting party for these things.

Link Via Laughing Squid

Did you know that hard candy is technically a glass? Dr. Richard Hartel is a professor of food engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Watch him make lemon drops and act like it’s a chemistry lesson. -via the Presurfer

Halloween was so yesterday. Are you ready for Christmas? What! You act like I skipped Thanksgiving or something. Okay I did skip Thanksgiving, but I did it for a good reason. I couldn’t wait a minute longer to bring you the Bacon Candy Canes now available at the NeatoShop.

Bacon Candy Canes look like regular candy canes, but taste like bacon. Yum!

Be sure to check out the Bacon Store for more bacon goodness.

Link

(1) That despite various lobbying efforts, clear consensus within the peer review process was wholly absent. No agreement on any specific candy was represented higher than 5% of the total comments (although status of fresh versus stale versus fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls was especially hotly debated). Indeed, consensus was only noted in the following: that last year’s hierarchy, in a word, sucked. In fact, the word “travesty” and similar synonyms were uttered more than a few times (Koerth-Baker, 2010).

(2) That with current data, Candy Corn is impossible to rank. It is liken to the “String Theory” of candy: largely theoretical nature and difficult to pin down. In the hopes of moving forward on this strange phenomenon, we are currently exploring a grant proposal that would give us time on the LHC.

(3) That this study was a great portal to science culture in general. This was demonstrated by an example of scientific plagiarism (link), as well as the prevalence of scientist bias, because despite repeated commentary on the contrary, we stubbornly stand by our evaluation of Whoppers.

Of course, the new hierarchy, published at Boing Boing, has already sparked a debate over the merits of a certain American brand of chocolate. Link

Slowly snacking on Halloween candy every few hours, day after day, keeps your teeth bathed in enamel-corroding acid, the byproduct of bacteria feeding on sugar and other carbohydrates in your mouth. This leads to dental caries, or cavities.

So I guess even if you’re a candy stealer, it’s still better to steal it all in one night than stretch your thievery out.

Link Via The Mary Sue

Admit it, you’ve experienced this scenario yourself at one time or another, haven’t you? From the webcomic Loading Artist by Gregor Czaykowski. Link -via The Daily What

Ring Pops are fun, but I light up candy rings are way more fashionable. These would be good for kids, but they would even be awesome for adults going out at night. If you want to make your own, Instructables can teach you how.

Link Via Geekosystem

A new poster print from Pop Chart Lab connects ingredients to candy bars, or alternatively, tells you what flavors are in your favorite candy bars, in a pleasing kaleidoscopic graphic. See how it all comes together by enlarging it at the site. Link -via Laughing Squid

Is your sweet tooth demanding something smoky, meaty, and sweet? Satisfy your inner beast with Bacon Candy from the NeatoShop.  Each delightful tin contains 12 bacony treats. Yummy!

Be sure to check out the Bacon Store for more bacon fun!

Link

]]> http://www.neatorama.com/2011/09/30/bacon-candy/feed/ 0 http://www.neatorama.com/2011/09/14/body-parts-sushi-gummy-candy/ http://www.neatorama.com/2011/09/14/body-parts-sushi-gummy-candy/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:11:45 +0000 Tiffany http://www.neatorama.com/?p=52923

Body Parts Sushi Gummy Candy – $3.95

Halloween is right around the corner. Are you looking for the perfect sweet treat to go with your zombie costume? You need the Body Parts Sushi Gummy Candy from the NeatoShop. This gruesomely delicious candy is shaped like sushi pieces with body parts and includes a handy dandy pair of chopsticks. This is what all the sophisticated zombies are eating.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fantastically strange Mints & Candies and Zombie fun!

Link

You may have already seen Scanwiches, a site documenting scans of sandwiches, but now’s your chance to enjoy dessert with your sandwiches -through the new site Scandybars that shows a variety of candies after they’ve been sliced in half.

Link Via Laughing Squid

Ok, so they may not be readable, but they are absolutely adorable and seem simply delicious. They could also be a great way to excite the kiddos about back to school time.

Link Via Craftzine

Narwhal Horns Candy – $3.95

Are you crazy about narwhals? Well, you are going to love the Narwhal Horns Candy from the NeatoShop.  This fantastic arctic mint flavored candy is shaped like little narwhal horns.  Unicorns of the sea are awesome!

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fantastic Mints & Candies.

Link

Luc St. Pierre took this colorful photo of an assortment of candies on display at Boqueria Market in Barcelona, Spain. Oh, what fantastic selections!

Via National Geographic's Travel Photo of the Week

I’m a candy fiend, but I don’t think even I could tackle these massive sweets. Alas, they’re not really edible – each of the four pieces created by student Nicola Freeman are made of plaster and/or resin. She finds inspiration in artists like Jeff Koons and Claes Oldenburg and wanted her work to make viewers think about mass consumerism.

“For me, it’s more about the attraction from the perspective of the viewer – Everyone seems to be able to relate to these pieces, and find that they’re bringing back their childhood memories. The sweets I’ve chosen have been around for quite a long while. I remember these from my childhood,” she told Craftzine blogger Andrew Lewis.

Link via Laughing Squid

If you won’t be in England to see any of the gems in person this weekend, maybe you can make it to Florida – the sugary creations are on display in the lobby of the Dolphin hotel through the wedding events of this weekend. Link-via Cakewrecks
Photo link

Just like Pop Tart Cat, these are sweet and colorful and fun, but they are also real marshmallows treats you can make at home. The instructions are at the decorated cookie. Link -via Laughing Squid

We showed you 13 Hilarious Peeps Candy Easter Dioramas and led you to Sci-Fi Peeps Dioramas, but since it’s the season for Peeps, there are always more! Check out a roundup of Peeps dioramas that aspire to what we call high culture: scenes of artists, art galleries, famous artworks, and literary references, and a symphony as well, in this collection of pictures from the Chicago Tribune’s competitions at mental_floss. Shown here is a marshmallow version of Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles. Link

Just in case you’d rather have one large Gummi Bear instead of the 1400 regular-sized candies that would be the equivalent, you can buy one from Vat19. There are seven flavors to choose from. Each contains 12,600 calories and will set you back $30. Good luck keeping people from touching it. Link -via Boing Boing

Peep Show

This classic, sexy Peep diorama is probably the most famous ever made as it has spread its way across the internet for years. The oldest version I could find comes from Flickr user Amenhotep4, but I don’t think he’s the creator of the diorama. If you know were it comes from, please let me know in the comments.

Sweety Todd: The Demon Barber of Peep Street

This diorama by Flickr user mreraser’s friends Matt and Teresa is by far one of my favorites. There is so much detail in the decorations and I can’t help but love the blood on the decapitated Peeps and the maniacal look on Sweety Todd’s face.

We Come In Peeps

This adorable diorama was created by Dan Paddock and sent in directly to BoingBoing after the site posted this bizarre and slightly scary fake magazine cover called “Rest In Peeps, Anna Nichole Smith.”

Alien Peeps

Of course, not all alien travelers are peaceful as Daniel Spiess made clear in his chest-burstingly scary Peeps diorama, which was based on the movie Alien.

Peeparassic Park

This Peep-filled tribute to Jurassic Park by Flickr user babelglyph was so massive that one photo couldn’t capture the full detail. This Jeep attack shot is my favorite of the series as it shows just how terrifying the dinosaur attacks actually were.

The Village Peeps

This disco-themed diorama by Flickr user Chris Williams is great, but perhaps the best detail is the adorable little hats the Village Peeps are wearing.

Bacon Peeps

If you love bacon then you’re sure to love the bacon peeps featured on the Peeps Diorama Contest blog.

Fail Peeps

Twitter lovers everywhere are sure to recognize this symbol of failure, recreated in Peep form on the Peeps Diorama Contest blog.

David & Golipeep

That same contest blog also brought us this brilliant recreation of the classic biblical story of David versus Goliath. Golipeep is one intimidating marshmallow character, he almost looks like he should be the villain in a Ghostbusters movie instead.

Anniversary Apollo Peeps

If you think working at NASA was all serious science with no time for fun and games, you are wrong my friend. This adorable Apollo 40^th Anniversary diorama was put together by the space program’s printing and design team.

Peepcropsy

Ever wonder what the organs of the little sugary sweet candies must look like? Flickr users Ben+Sam did, which led to the creation of this detailed Peeps autopsy lab.

The Peeple vs. Scott Walker

This Peep version of the Wisconsin protests is so accurate that it actually incited quite the debate between our Neatorama commenters, just like the real protests. It was first uploaded by escapetochengdu, but it’s hard to say if he made it and, if not, who the real creator is.

Office Olypeeps

If you’re a fan of the office, then you’ll love The Office Peeps Contest held at Office Tally. While this one didn’t win, it’s still my favorite, not least of all because I absolutely love that episode.

If you’re interested in checking out more, the biggest Peeps diorama contest is the one hosted by The Washington Post, so you can see their past winners and current entries by clicking the link. And, of course, feel free to share any links to dioramas you have made at home.

Are you bored with traditional Easter candy?  Why not fill your Easter basket up with Pet Tarantula Gummi Candy from the NeatoShop!  It’s sweet, kind of creepy, and definitely not boring. It kind of reminds me of my college physics professor.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Mints & Candies!

The candy is fluoride-free and protects teeth in two ways. First, it raises pH levels to neutralize more acid than saliva alone. Second, it protects the minerals in tooth enamel. Arginine, an amino acid, combines with calcium in Cavistat, the candy’s main ingredient, and sticks to teeth — leaving behind a layer of protection.

Kids who ate two mints twice a day for one year had 68 percent fewer cavities in their molars than children who didn’t chew the mints.

"The number of cavities, we think that ultimately is going to get to almost zero," Dr. Kleinberg said.

That would bring a smile to just about everyone’s face.

Link

As you collected all those Altoid tins for various projects, you may have developed a taste for the “curiously strong peppermints.” Instructables has the recipe so that you can make them at home, with only four ingredients and one extra tool. The flavor is your choice. Link -via Lifehacker

Easter is just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Are you looking for ways to get in tune with your inner bunny? Try Salt Lick Candies from the NeatoShop. These candies pair up great with a little carrot juice.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more delicious fun!

Circle City Marketing and Distributing doing business as Candy Dynamics, Indianapolis, IN, is issuing a voluntary recall of all Toxic Waste® brand Nuclear Sludge® Chew Bars, all flavors, Net wt. 0.7 oz (20 g) package. The product is imported from Pakistan.

A recent test performed by the California Department of Public Health has indicated that a lot (#8288A) of the cherry flavor of the above-listed product contains elevated levels of lead (0.24 parts per million; the U.S. FDA tolerance is 0.1 ppm) that potentially could cause health problems, particularly for infants, small children, and pregnant women.

Out of an abundance of caution, the company has determined to recall all lots and all flavors of the product distributed from the product’s inception in 2007 through January 2011.

Link -Thanks, Mitch B!

Since I am apparently going to eat peanut butter candy every day, I went with Reese’s Peanut Butter Bells. Then after snacking on Nestle Crunch Bells, Gobstopper Snowballs, Christmas SweeTarts, and gummy reindeer, by night time it was becoming somewhat clear: candy isn’t very filling.

It’s filling enough to ruin your appetite for a meal, but it doesn’t work that well as a meal replacement. I’m thinking the key is just to eat more of it. So I ate a giant plastic candy cane filled with Reese’s Pieces. It was only about two hours later that I realized I had already eaten Reese’s Pieces for breakfast. Maybe the candy was starting to affect my brain.

And that was only day three! By day seven Posch was afraid his brain was starving. But he still likes candy -about half as much as he did before the experiment. You can read each day’s entry at Zug. Link -via J-Walk Blog

Some familiar candy brands have been in production for more than a century, while some others reach back even further. How did these sweet treats get their start? We’ve got their sugar-coated beginnings right here.

1. NECCO WAFERS

The oldest mass-produced candy brand in the United States, NECCO wafers got their start in 1847 when Oliver Chase, a candy-making English immigrant, went into business selling the wafers with his brother Silas. (Chase also invented the machine the wafers were stamped out on.) Their company became the basis for the New England Confectionery Company, which rebranded the candy as NECCO Wafers around 1910 or 1912.

2. SQUIRREL NUT CHEWS

Adults today might be more familiar with Squirrel Nut Zippers as an eclectic rock band active in the 1990s, but the candies the band took their name from reach back a full century earlier to 1890, when the first of the excessively chewy taffy candies known as Squirrel Nut Chews rolled off the line of the Austin T. Merrill Company in Massachusetts. The “zippers” candy arrived in the 1920s. Since 2004, the candies have been made by NECCO.

3. HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE BAR

The quintessential American chocolate bar got its start in 1900 when Milton Hershey perfected a formula to mass-produce milk chocolate, which until that time had been a confection limited primarily to the upper classes. The bar’s widespread success helped Hershey to found what is now the Milton Hershey School, in 1909, which provides education for disadvantaged children.

4. TOBLERONE

The famously triangular bar of Swiss chocolate with nougat, almonds, and honey got its shape and name (a combination of the last name of inventor Theodor Tobler and torrone, the Italian word for “nougat”) in 1908. Given the image of the Matterhorn on its wrapper,  you may be forgiven for thinking the triangular shape is a tribute to the Alps, but the company website maintains the shape was actually inspired by “a red and cream-frilled line of dancers at the Folies Bergeres in Paris, forming a shapely pyramid at the end of a show.”

5. GOOGOO CLUSTERS

A regional favorite from Nashville, Tennessee, where it was invented in 1912, this circular candy bar’s claim to fame is that it was the first “combination” candy bar -that is, the first made with more than one type of candy (in this case, marshmallow, caramel, and roasted peanuts), all covered in milk chocolate. In the 1930s, the Standard Candy Company advertised the GooGoo Cluster as “a nourishing lunch for a nickel!” -a claim they’d be unlikely to get away with today.

6. MARY JANE

These pocket-sized taffies made from molasses and peanut butter were named for the aunt of Charles N. Miller, who invented the candy in 1914 and inherited the candy company his father had founded in a house originally belonging to Paul Revere. Mary Janes eventually became so popular that the Miller Company stopped making other candies to focus on that brand alone. At the moment, however, the candy is being made by NECCO.

7. CLARK BAR

The crispy, peanuty chocolate bar was the signature bar of the D.L. Clark candy company, named for Irish immigrant David Clark, and founded in what is now the north side of Pittsburgh in the early 1900s. The Clark Bar came into existence in time to become a favorite for U.S. soldiers fighting World War I, and its popularity carried over after the boys came home. Like so many early candy favorites, this one is also currently produced by NECCO.

8. BABY RUTH

A popular misconception about this chocolate-covered bar of caramel and peanuts, created in 1920, is that it was named for baseball player Babe Ruth. While disputed, it has never been proven false. But Baby Ruth candy maker Curtiss Candy Company sued another candy maker who put out a “Babe Ruth Home Run Bar”, on grounds that the candy names were too similar. The official line from Curtiss Candy, echoed to this day from contemporary producer Nestle, is that the bar is named after Ruth Cleveland, daughter of U.S. president Grover Cleveland. Some sources allege that Curtiss Company made up the Ruth Cleveland story in order to win the lawsuit and that it was actually named for the baseball player. Skeptics note that “Baby Ruth” died in 1904 -16 years before the creation of the candy bar.

9. MOUNDS

The Mounds Bar was created in 1920 by the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company and was originally a single bar of chocolate-covered coconut instead of the current two smaller bars. Although the Peter Paul Company would later produce a number of coconut-based treats (including Almond Joy), during World War II the company faced severe coconut shortages. Rather than ration its top product, the company temporarily discontinued several other candy brands to ensure that Mounds would stay in production.

10. MILKY WAY

Mars Inc., one of the largest privately-held companies in America, got its start with this candy bar in 1923, when the candy maker Forrest Mars developed the candy to approximate the taste of a malted milk drink in chocolate bar form. In 1926, the bar was offered in chocolate and vanilla flavors, with the vanilla version becoming the Forever Yours bar for over fifty years before becoming the Milky Way Dark bar (now the Milky Way Midnight).

BEST-SELLING CANDY BY COUNTRY

1. United States: M&Ms

2. Australia and the United Kingdom: Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar

3. Germany: Milka milk chocolate bar

4. Brazil: Trident chewing gum

5. Japan: Meiji chocolate bar

6. France: Hollywood chewing gum

7. Russia: Orbit chewing gum

8. Mexico: Trident chewing gum

9. Thailand: Hall’s cough drops

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The article above was reprinted with permission from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader History’s Lists.

Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader is having their annual Holiday Sale, in which you can save 30% on your purchase! Get free shipping on orders of $35 or more by using the code HOL10SHIP. And check out the BRI’s newest volume, Uncle John’s Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader.

Harry Potter Cockroach Clusters

You’ve probably all seen the Harry Potter jelly beans with such delightful flavors as earwax, pepper and vomit, but these cockroach clusters are equally disgusting although less popular. Like a real cockroach, they have a squishy center with a crunchy shell. Fortunately, these candy versions have a gummy underbelly with a crunchy candy shell on top.

Hotlix Suckers

If fake cockroaches don’t do it for you, perhaps real bugs will. Whether you like worms, crickets, ants or scorpions, Hotlix sells a variety of bugs sealed in a lollipop. All of them are entirely edible and utterly icky.

Image via Erin_M [Flickr]

Fear Factor Candy

With all the nauseating eating challenges in Fear Factor, it’s only sensible that the show spawned its own line of revolting treats. While there are way too many products to list here, some highlights include slimy gummy octopuses in syrupy goo and gummy frog legs with crunchy bones that come with a blood dipping sauce.

Chocolate Doo Drops

While this may look like dog droppings, it is actually made from one of Europe’s finest chocolatiers, Guittard Chocolate of California. Best of all, it’s over a 1/3 of a pound…yummy!

Chocka Ca Ca

Bodily functions are a huge seller in the nasty candy category, which is why it’s not surprising that there are not only dog poop candies, but chocolate turtles in baby diapers as well. On the upside, the diaper is still clean and usable, so many parents will find the packaging to be refreshingly useful.

Urine Sample Candy

Nothing like a sterile sample of urine to get your sweet tooth buzzing. Naturally the flavor is a slightly sweet and sour lemonade candy, just be sure not to get the candy mixed up with your company’s random drug test sample or you’ll have a terrible taste in your mouth while you try to explain the results to your boss.

Zit Poppers

Pus is yet another of those exciting bodily fluids that excite the gross candy maker’s mind. With gummy Zit Poppers, you can squeeze the pimples and enjoy the sweet strawberry and watermelon flavor of the bloody pus inside.

Candy Blood Bag

For aspiring vampires that haven’t yet acquired the taste for real iron-rich blood, these candy blood bags are a good stepping stone.

Lick Your Wounds Candy Scabs

Like real scabs are to blood, these candy scabs are essentially the same thing as candy blood, only in a dried version. They supposedly taste like cherry sweet tarts, but the real fun isn’t in the taste, but the design. The Band Aid part sticks to your arm and the bandage area opens to reveal the edible scab. You can even refill the bandage with more scabs so you can keep munching.

Ear Wax Candy

When you are ready to move from scabs to ear wax, try these utterly sickening ear wax candies instead. The plastic ear is filled with candy gel that you can enjoy when you pull it out with a lollipop stick shaped like a Q-Tip.

Hose Nose

If you would rather swallow snot than ear wax, then you may enjoy the Hose Nose. It pours liquid candy that can be squeezed directly into your mouth with the nose shaped dispenser which looks like a giant schnoz.

Chum Bucket

While the candies above are all gross due to the design, there are some candies that are just gross by nature (salted liquorice, I’m looking at you). While the packaging of the Chum Bucket is gross, the fact that the candies actually taste like chum is what makes them completely revolting.

There are tons of other gross candies out there, these are just the sickest ones I was able to find. If you know any others, feel free to add them in the comments.

You rarely see candy cigarettes for sale anymore because someone got the idea that it’s not a good idea to give children candy that resembles something they should never, ever ingest. Therefore, I think it would be best to reserve these biohazard candies for adults only. Andrea Newberry was inspired by the TV show Dexter to adapt a lollipop recipe into edible medical slides containing blood samples! Yes, these are homemade, and she has complete instructions for making them at Forkable. Link -via Rue the Day

The new season of Clone Wars is coming soon, so it’s about time to make your own Clone Army of these tasty candy pops, either in Clone Wars style clone trooper form, or old school storm trooper versions.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Dot.

Sometimes the taste of one of these beans brings on a sweet Proustian memory related to an almost forgotten flavor from the past. Other times the memory is not so sweet. The smell of the four cheese pizza jelly bean was so foul that it had people fleeing from the mixing room. With a bit of tweaking it was reincarnated as barf, a disturbingly popular flavor.

In an echoing, high-ceilinged chamber in Northern California, there spin row upon row of what look like small cement mixers. The gleaming metal drums churn for hours on end while white-uniformed technicians pour in sugar, corn starch, color, and certain other, more miraculous concoctions. Out of one drum comes a whiff of red apple, conjuring a fall afternoon spent picking fruit; from another comes the buttered-popcorn scent of an evening at the movies. Out of drum after drum, all down the room, come smells evoking everything from apple pie to piña coladas to freshly mown grass.
Here, at the Jelly Belly candy factory, memories are reincarnated as jelly beans.

Link – Via Pop Culture Junk Mail

Milk Duds. It kind of sounds like something Linda Richman would say on Coffee Talk: “Milk Duds. They’re neither Milk, nor Duds. Discuss.” But the fact is, they’re both. The “Milk” comes from the high amount of milk used in the product when it was created in 1926, and “Dud” comes from the fact that the candies were meant to be perfectly round, similar to a malted milk ball. Rather than spend copious amounts of money and effort trying to get the candies more spherical, Hershey’s opted to call it a “Dud” instead and simply market it that way. And although there’s still milk in the product, there’s a bit less of it in the past few years since Hershey started using vegetable oil in some products to replicate the expensive cocoa butter used in milk chocolate.
Only slightly related: a lady who mistook her hearing aid for a Milk Dud.
(Image credit: I Am Inspired)

Junior Mints. These little bites of minty goodness were favorites of mine long before they plunged into the body cavity of a helpless surgery patient on Seinfeld. In a clever marketing ploy to tie the candy in with the movies, Junior Mints were named after Junior Miss, a show that was all the rage on Broadway at the time. These days, I’d say the namesake confection is much more well-known than the play, even though it eventually became a radio show starring Shirley Temple. Robert Welch, the inventor of the Junior Mint, also created the Sugar Daddy and Sugar Babies. I have nothing against Sugar Babies, but the Junior Mint is far superior, at least when it comes to pop culture: you can find references to the dark chocolate round in Seinfeld, Family Guy, Two and a Half Men, in Jimmy Buffett’s song “Fruitcakes,” in Hüsker Dü’s song “Eiffel Tower High,” in Augusten Burroughs’ book Possible Side Effects and in Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Not too shabby for a mint.

Sour Patch Kids. The mere mention of Sour Patch Kids makes my mouth water. When the candy was invented in the ’70s, they were known as Mars Men and were sold as loose penny candy in stores. It wasn’t until Cabbage Patch Kid-mania hit in the ’80s that the pucker-inducing gummy was retooled to be shaped like dolls to capitalize on the craze. The first Sour Patch Kid on the package was modeled after the inventor’s son.
(Image credit: Flickr user dklimke)

Sno-Caps, Goobers and Raisinets. The Blumenthal Brother Chocolate Company of Philadelphia really knew how to make good movie theater candy. Goobers – chocolate-covered peanuts – came first in 1925. The success of taking a simple product and dunking it in milk chocolate inspired them to give raisins a shot, and thus Raisinets were born in 1927. Finally, sometime in the late ’20s, Sno-Caps followed under the name “Bob Whites.” The Blumenthal Brother Chocolate Company has long since disbanded – Sno-Caps, Goobers and Raisinets were all acquired by Nestle in 1984 – but their sugary legacy lives on. Bizarrely, Time magazine noted that “All the Blumenthals are excellent pinochle players,” so I guess they had that to fall back on if the whole candy thing didn’t work out.

Red Vines. I think most licorice lovers can be divided into two categories: those who love Red Vines and those who love Twizzlers. The American Licorice Company introduced Black Licorice Vines in 1914, and those did well enough that they were able to branch out into Raspberry Vines in 1920. They were renamed “Red Vines” in 1952. Despite being around for as long as Elizabeth II has ruled, Red Vines’ first television ad didn’t air until 2008. More fun trivia from the American Licorice Company: they created a licorice shoe for Charlie Chaplin to carve up for a meal in the 1925 movie The Gold Rush.
(Image credit: Flickr user Incase.)

Dots and Crows. If you need proof as to how popular these chewy gumdrops are, you need only look to the numbers: the Tootsie Company produces four billion Dots every year. But Tootsie didn’t own the company that invented Dots until 1972 – prior to that, Dots and their sister line, Crows, were a product of the Mason Company. In fact, you’ll occasionally hear some people continue to refer to them as “Mason Dots.” And there’s a nice story that Black Crows, the black licorice-flavored alternative to Dots, should have been called something else entirely. The story goes that the Mason Company informed their candy label printer that they were making a new candy called “Black Rose,” which the printer misheard as “Black Crows.” But Candy Professor nicely debunks this one with a 1911 trademark application from the Mason Company that clearly asks to protect “Black Crows,” not “Black Rose.”
(Image credit: Flickr user pmarkham)

What’s your favorite movie theater treat? Junior Mints are my choice for taste, but if I go that route I usually just have an empty box by the time previews are over. To make it through a whole movie, I like Gobstoppers.

You’ve probably snacked on m&ms your whole life. But have you ever wondered how they’re made? This article takes a look at the interesting, unique, and delicate manufacture process behind the m&m candy.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Webiny.

Think of them as edible rhinestones, or maybe lollipops without sticks. Chica and Jo not only have the recipe and step-by-step illustrated instructions for making hard candy jewels, but also warnings about what could go wrong and why. The results are lovely bright colored hard candies folks won’t believe you made yourself! Link -via Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

Dew Dew, Scallop and Squid candy, Gummy Collagen? While they are certainly strange – I’d be willing to try any of them.

If you thought the food in Japan was a bit strange, have you ever seen Japanese candy? Not everything is sweet or made of chocolate and sometimes the things made of chocolate are very surprising. Say what you will about Japanese cuisine, but they are extremely adventurous when it comes to new flavors, especially in candy. Whether you like your candy sweet, chocolaty, sour, or maybe even a bit savory there’s a Japanese candy out there that you’ve got to try. (We’ll be honest, there’s plenty to avoid too). Take a look at this sampling of Bizarre Japanese Candy and decide for yourself what sounds delicious or disgusting.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by tj241.

Mario Question Block Coin Candy - $3.95

You never know what you'll get from a question block in the video game Super Mario Bros., but there's no question here. You'll get awesome coin-shaped candies from Boston America's Mario Question Block Coin Candy.

The candy, licensed from Nintendo, comes in a collectible metal tin and is now available from the Neatorama Shop: Link

More Super Mario Bros. themed stuff from the Neatorama Shop:

Super Mario Bros. Mushroom Tin - $3.45	Mario Bros. Super Star Candy - $2.95	Super Mario Bros. Power Up Energy Drink - $2.95

Kids and adults alike collect PEZ dispensers to store the beloved candies. But PEZ wasn’t always so fruity. It was developed as a peppermint candy more than 70 years ago in Vienna and marketed as a cigarette substitute. (In fact, the name PEZ was derived from the German word for peppermint: PfeffErminZ). Although PEZ has come a long way from its anti-smoking roots, it’s still a popular treat. Today, more than 3 billion PEZ candies are consumed annually in the U.S.

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This clever candy is packaged to look like our favorite lucky cat, Maneki Neko! But open the cellophane and all you get are two white balls of candy. The cellophane is where the cat is at -in fact there are several wrappers with different cat expressions. Link -via Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

8. Condiments and Cutlery

Probably from bachelor types who forgot it was Halloween – answered the door because they thought it was the pizza guy – and then mined their condiment stash so as not to disappoint. Though little containers of peanut butter and jam are passable, plastic packs of soya sauce, ketchup, relish, mustard, and plastic fork and knife sets really don’t do the trick for a treat!

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Peachi.