The 10 Most Delicious Extinct Candies from the '80s
Posted at 5:01 AM Aug 13, 2008
By Bryan Hartzheim
The universe is filled with the unfair and inexplicable; us humans can only stare blankly into space pondering why so much good leaves this mortal coil so quickly. We’re not just talking the Heath Ledgers and James Deans of the world; nerds are preoccupied with even the most banal questions that undermine our existence. Why is there a Madagascar 2 but still no sequel for Akira? Did Clearly Canadian soda really deserve such a short life? How come the Chicken Dinner Bar died, but Smarties continue to thrive?
This last question is especially irksome, for while plebian crap like Dum Dum Suckers and Candy Corn continue to fill up many a sad Trick-or-Treater pumpkin-shaped pail, so many innovative and satisfying candies have died premature deaths, from Abba Zabbas and Fresh Mint Skittles, to hap pappy Uncle Buck. But this isn’t a list celebrating the Candy Man’s greatest comedies (although there damn well should be). Rather, it’s a paean to that last great candy decade, the 80s, decade of so much unhealthy greatness.
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10) Drink-Flavored Gum
People used to chew a lot of gum. That’s the history of the '80s—we were all chewing our gum, and then, one day, evil drink corporations decided that they would make gum-versions of every child’s second favorite vice, soda. Pretty soon, store shelves were flooded with Dr Pepper Gum, 7-Up Gum, A&W Root Beer Gum, and, the best of the bunch, Gatorade Gum, which didn’t actually hydrate the chewer, but the package said it contained electrolytes so everyone believed it did anyway. GatorGum started out sour, then got sweet, and then, like all gums, tasted like shit, but its initial stages were so delicious that you just had to swallow a few dozen packs before hauling your gum-filled belly to the hospital for a stomach pump. Supposedly Orbit lemon-lime gum tastes like Gator Gum, but what’s the point if there’re no electrolytes?
9) Candilicious
Back in the inception of the Google Search Bar, a search for the name “Candilicious” would have turned up far fewer slutty Facebook and MySpace profiles of 40-year-old cougars, and maybe just a few more pages featuring the marvelous Starburst offspring. Starburst, though a classic, is a little brittle. Candilicious were like Starburst left out in the sun, but without the musty warmth. Fruit and tropical flavors were only half the story, as many a kid bought them expecting the acid-induced hallucinations promised in the commercials: animated lucid dreams full of multi-colored monsters with Cheshire Cat smiles swallowing the candies whole and morphing into the Candilicious logo.
8) Bonkers
Bonkers were chewy two-tone blocks that came in a complementary pair of flavors – strawberry and banana, or mango and watermelon. And then there was the chocolate chew, which, surprisingly, wasn’t crap, but was a logic-defying chewy piece of chocolate. The marketers clearly knew how good it was too, since the eaters in their commercials are hysterically laughing with pleasure despite the fact that they’ve had half their bodies horribly crushed by monstrously sized fruit and chocolate.
7) Fortune Bubble Gum/Gold Rush Bubble Gum
Okay, a good bubble gum isn’t so much delicious as it is clever, and we’re all for that here. Except for Fortune Gum, which was delicious and clever. It had an orange tang and came with hilarious fortunes which can’t possibly be remembered now. Gold Rush Bubble Gum, on the other hand, wasn’t anything special, but it had the best damn wrapper ever: a little cloth pouch that is absolutely perfect for pretending you’re a mage or wizard. Or a miner, but who ever wants to be a miner.
6) Willy Wonka’s DinaSour Eggs
Some of Wonka’s products might have dated, but leave it to the heartless corporation named after the kindly, psychotic philanthropist to make a gobstopper for poor kids that lasts for DAYS. Of course, it sort of sucked to suck on the monotonous Everlasting Gobstopper for days, but the DinaSour Egg had variation – it would change flavors and colors based on how long you sucked, and in the center was a refreshing burst of sweet, sugary powder. DinaSour Eggs would later evolve into tinier Runts-like eggs that looked more like Dinosaur Dingleberries than actual eggs, but Darwin wasn’t kind on the hard-shell candy. The only dinosaur egg candy found today is in chocolate form with an orange jelly inside, letting kids simulate the feeling of sucking out the yolk of an unborn baby dinosaur.
5) Dweebs
Like their real-life counterparts, Dweebs, so much better than their more popular, less talented cousins Nerds, never really got a fair crack at life. A squishier Nerd with more leg space and a surprise in the middle, Dweebs were more substantial, less sour, and displayed a greater depth and complexity than Nerds. Sure, they were fatter, but that shouldn’t be a bad thing when it comes to your candy. And sure, their box art had them performing generally infantile things like yo-yoing or rollerblading, but they surely made up for their lack of social skills with not two, but three flavors in the box. Jesus Christ, trying to justify their worth through an analysis of their personalities is not working. Look, they just tasted freaking better.
4) Nestle’s Alpine White
Nestle’s almond-laden white chocolate bar is gone, and that’s a sad thing, because almonds and white chocolate in a fancy wrapper for the price of a Mr. Goodbar should be a wonderful thing. Instead, Alpine White was put out of commission, leaving its milk and dark chocolate brothers with sole control over the candy turf (that really wasn’t meant to sound as racist as it did). Quite frankly, white chocolate just doesn’t get the respect in this country that it truly deserves. It’s always been associated with effeminate men wearing shawls and middle-aged women who sip chardonnay, and the Alpine White commercials surely didn’t help that elitist image. Elitism only works when your candy bar is the Grey Poupon of all candy bars and monocle-bearing geriatrics start eating it in their limos.
3) PBMax
The peanut-butter infused chocolate cookie doesn’t just make Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups look like a PB phony (there was real peanut butter in them cookies!), it also harkened back to a time when southern stereotypes in commercials were a positive attribute that denoted your product was WHOLESOME, and HEARTY, and not at all BIGOTED, or BARBARIC, or any of the dozens of negative stereotypes Hollywood hoists upon the south today. A southern accent signaled, hey, this mass-produced product can’t be that heartless if it’s supported by this sincere, shoeless rube in his straw hat. Oh, and the peanut butter was crunchy, not smooth. Pure PB bliss.
2) Chocolate Fruit Roll-Ups
Without photos or sound bites, I run the risk here of being called a liar and cheat, but, to paraphrase one of Seinfeld’s breast implant-suspected girlfriends, not only were Chocolate Fruit- Roll-ups real, they were fantastic. Well, they were kind of filmy, and there were some lousy flavors like butterscotch, but the masses could not be deceived. The Chocolate Fruit Roll-up had no fruit, but was a square, congealed sheet of milk-chocolate, slightly chewy, but rich with milk chocolate flavor. Unfortunately, there was some piss-poor PR hawking these things, and Mrs. Crocker and her marketing thugs distanced themselves from its commercial failure by pretending the Chocolate Fruit Roll-up never existed. And now, only a select few can ever recall them again.
1) Hershey’s Bar None
There were two candy bars that, when they were stricken from supermarket shelves, took pieces of every American’s heart with them (metaphorically speaking, of course, because that would be grotesque). One was the Summit Bar, a chocolaty concoction with whole peanuts inside layered on top of two solid wafers. Much better than that lame other pair of bars, Twix, the Summit Bar had a place on this list before rumors surfaced that it has made a comeback through online retailers. That’s great news and leaves us only with that one other milky wafer bar to futilely pine for: Bar None.
Bar None was like what the Six-Dollar Burger was to all other burgers at its conception – it was a premium chocolate in a budget wrapper, simply outclassing all other similarly-priced chocolates. Fortunately and unfortunately, Bar None didn’t last long enough to see its price skyrocket and its competitors churn out copycat bars. There hasn’t been anything quite like Bar None’s combination of creamy richness, crushed peanuts, and shockingly crispy wafer for its price since (though Tim-Tams and some other boutique chocolate cookies come close in flavor, those products cost upwards of several dollars). Old Man Hershey was impatient with Bar None, toyed around with it by splitting it into two bars, and it was never the same. Supposedly it can be spotted hiding out in Mexico candy shops, injecting ungodly caramel into its veins while telling the other bars that it had so much to live for before life and its cruel arbiters of taste decided to kick its face in.
Comments
Oh man, PB Max was the best! Used to be my favorite candy bar. I can't believe I forgot about those things. Have to see if I can order them from somewhere
Posted 08/13/2008 at 06:46:46 AMGold Rush Bubble Gum is still made and still sold many places across KY. Mostly at the diffrent mines around the state and their gift shop and at sites like http://www.oldtimecandy.com/gold-mine-gum.htm
Posted 08/13/2008 at 08:44:53 AMOH MY GOD, I used to LOVE gatorade gum! It had this amazing saltiness (electrolytes?) that was like artificial grape flavor on PCP. The yellow green stuff used to be the only reason a little nerd like me would have been caught dead in the sporting goods store...well...that and the bows and arrows.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 09:01:17 AMCandilicious were great. Bonkers... I was craving for them a couple of weeks ago. If i coulded have chocolate it would be grape.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 09:16:03 AMThank you for assuring me that I'm not crazy. (about candy anyway)
Posted 08/13/2008 at 09:22:56 AMNo one believes me about chocolate fruit roll ups, and yes, they are amazing!
What about my Halloween favorite, "Skull Crushers"?
Posted 08/13/2008 at 09:31:58 AMLittle white chocolate skulls that when you crushed them caused red strawberry filling to ooze out of their eye sockets.
For a kid, the most awesome candy ever!
Bonkers were great. I heard Wonka recently came out with Gummy Nerds, I wonder how similar those are to Dweebs.
While not candy, Pine Bros. Honey Cough Drops tasted as good, if not better than pretty much any candy on the shelves these days. I'd down boxes of those in a matter of minutes.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 10:07:31 AMI would like to mention that at some point the recipe for Willy Wonka's Gobstoppers changed. They used to be these great hard-as-hell jawbreakers, but now you can just chew them up... I don't like them anymore. I bet some dumb kid broke a tooth so the lawyers made them change it... BOOOOOOOOOO
Posted 08/13/2008 at 10:48:41 AMI miss the Marathon Bar. But since it was inspired by Bruce Jenner (or maybe he was just their spokesperson), I think it was a candy of the 70's and not the 80's. It was braided caramel covered in chocolate. Yum.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 11:09:34 AMWent to the grocery aisle when they discontinued Bar None and bought every six-pack they had left. Even as the last few bars were turning white a year later, it was still the best.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 11:40:43 AMHey, Smarties are awesome! By the bag, anyway. One smartie is like a peck on the cheek.
Anyone remember Godzilla Gum? It must've been from the late 80's, since I was chewing it to get the taste of Coors Light out of my mouth...
Posted 08/13/2008 at 11:40:53 AMYea the Gold Rush Bubble gum is still available in candy stores in Canada too.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 12:48:59 PMMan that fortune gum was the best. I could get a paper bag full of 97 pieces for $1. The dweebs are probably roller skating not rollerblading.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 01:17:32 PMOMG DinaSour Eggs. Oh how I miss them.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 01:29:02 PMWhat, no Reggie Bar?
Posted 08/13/2008 at 01:54:36 PMMy favorite candy from the 80's was Willy Wonka Punkys. They came in a box and the top flipped open. The candy was sort of pill shaped and fruit flavored.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 01:57:48 PMmmmm...dinosours!
What about Yikes!Stripes! gum?
Posted 08/13/2008 at 01:58:09 PMActually, the Seinfeld line was "they're real, and they're spectacular". Not to be a stickler or anything
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:02:44 PMI'm still bitter than they added caramel to Whachamacallits. They needed caramel? BULLSHIT!
BITTER! BITTER!
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:03:38 PMI'd like to also nominate candy cigarettes. I know they sent a terrible message, but they were damn tasty.
And on the polar opposite of the spectrum, does anybody else remember peas & carrots candy? It looked exactly like the vegetables, but tasted like candy.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:03:50 PMYeah, the chocolate fruit rollups were actually marketed as "pudding rollups".. Those were delicious. I've got one almost no one will probably remember...There was a product called Magic Shake, that was basically like a can of whip cream but it had a chocolaty "shake" product that you would squirt into milk to make an instant "milk shake"
And PB Max was DELICIOUS...No idea why they quit making it.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:06:30 PMTart 'n Tinys FTW.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:07:06 PMHow about the old Bottle Caps. Not the thick dime shaped ones we have today, but the half dollar think ones of my youth. I used to walk across the highway barefoot on vacation in Florida just to buy them.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:10:30 PMthere are actually still dweebs, theyre just not made by willy wonka anymore and theyre harder
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:11:34 PMThe chocolate fruit roll-ups were actually called "Pudding Roll-ups" If you google you can find tons of images and commercials. I loved these things! I wish they would come back, everything else does.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:13:12 PMSummit Bar, yes! I knew I hadn't dreamed it. They were like Twix's uptown cousin. And Gatorade Gum. The original lemon lime flavor about knocks you off your feet it's so bitter. Like a refreshing slap in the mouth.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:17:35 PM"I'd like to also nominate candy cigarettes. I know they sent a terrible message, but they were damn tasty."
These are still available in some places. I just bought a pack a few weeks ago. Just as chalky as they ever were. They just aren't called candy cigarettes on the package anymore.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:21:53 PMI remember the one I loved the most that I can't find anywhere is Chaleston Chew and Big buddies those candy bars were so big at least to a kid... I even got hit by a car while holding a handfull of Chareston Chews
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:22:02 PMI remember the one I loved the most that I can't find anywhere is Chaleston Chew and Big buddies those candy bars were so big at least to a kid... I even got hit by a car while holding a handfull of Chareston Chews
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:22:07 PM@DNA: No kidding! I was only a secondary victim of the Gobstopper switch, but my brother, who was severely addicted to the tune of a box a week, could probably tell you exactly when they switched. You're right, they got softer, and they got smaller, too, losing maybe a quarter-inch in diameter. Lamesauce.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:22:42 PMi remember the million different 'Now and Laters' flavors that you used to be able to buy in little 10 cent packs. in grade school - we'd buy a bunch and sell them for 50 cents a pack to other kids in school and make a good profit. Now they only come in the bland single pack of grape, cherry, and lime :(
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:25:38 PMDaredevils and Dinosour Eggs....elementary school essentials.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:26:47 PMAlthought the awesome Marathon bar is no longer with us, Cadbury makes a similar bar named Curly-Wurly. It's sold in Canada and Europe (dammit) but some of your specialty candy boutiques might have it.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:27:30 PMNo doubt. Banana and Grape Now and Laters, how could I forget those....
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:29:16 PMThe Golden Nugget gum in the cloth pouch still exists in the UK.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:34:09 PMI know the Bar none rumor but i have searched for it for like 2 years here in Mexico and have never found it :( it was my favorite chocolate when i was a kid
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:42:09 PMI miss Chews when they used to come in individual flavour packs. You used to be able to get Banana, Cherry, Orange, Grape and possibly others in their own $.10 packages. Sure Chews still do exist, but they aren't the same as the ones I mentioned. They're less sour then they used to be.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:44:26 PMGood 'n Fruity.
Yeah, it's back on the shelves, but it isn't the same candy it once was.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:44:39 PMYou can still get bonkers candy in the New England area of the United States. They still sell them in Shaws grocery stores as well as the confectioners in downtown Newport. I get my bonkers fix whenever I visit my relatives in Newport , RI.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:45:20 PMtwo words: GUSH BALLS!!! If you remember that one you are an old schooler...
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:46:06 PMAlthough not technically a candy (remember, chocolate fruit roll-ups were on the list), my favorite from the 80s was "Fruit Nips". No other fruit snack has come close since then...
Posted 08/13/2008 at 02:57:06 PMA part of my youth died when Dinosaurs went the way of their namesakes. I'm still bitter.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:00:43 PMTwo Words: Caravelle. The caravelle bar was twice as good as Twix.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:07:38 PMfunny thing you mentioned Alpine White. I went to the store the other day to find something like an Alpine White. To my horror, NO WHITE CHOCOLATE AT ALL!!! wtf?!?
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:11:22 PMI loved the marathon bars. . Does anyone remember the original Mars Almond Bars? The almonds were on top of the nougatty goodness AND they were two little bars. I think they also were last seen in the 70's.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:24:57 PMGold Nugget gum is also available in the US, or at least was available at Meijer a while back on their classic candy display.
What should be on this list is Volcano Rocks (or perhaps Rinky Dinks), both from Wonka. Also, what ever happened to those watermelon jawbreakers that would come in a tiny cardboard crate (two per "crate")?
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:27:38 PMI used to love...I think they were called Royals. They looked just like M&Ms, except they were mint-flavored and were stamped with a crown instead of an "M".
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:28:22 PMin a fit of nostalgia i went out and bought some of those little wax bottles filled with juice. i had been jonesing about them for the better part of a month and when i finally bit into one, to my horror, my mouth was flooded with memories of how terrible they were... oh and ps getting wax out of your teeth is a bitch.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:37:38 PMThe Marathon Bar sounds very similar to an English chocolate bar I grew up with as a kid called Curly Wurly...it's still around so you can probably order it online.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:41:24 PMThe Curly Wurly bar is also available in Australia - i think someone mentioned before it is like Marathon. The best we had here was those little candy cigarettes used to be called "Fags" back in the 80s. Since this is no longer pc, the name was changed to "Fads" i think sometime around the late 80s. Also, i don't believe we have Jolly Ranchers any more, although i think they're still around in the US...
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:49:59 PMStrawberry Dweebs were the best candy ever created, sighs and walks away sad.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 03:50:13 PMDoes everyone forget Chipopities? It looks like a candy but it's a cookie! (Now *that* advertising firm should've gone platinum for that jingle!)
Funny you posted this, b/c, for some strange reason, I thought of Bonkers the other day. Dunno why, nor how, but yeah, those were good candies!
Posted 08/13/2008 at 04:23:18 PMMarathon Bars were the best. As big as a Charleston Chew but way way WAY better.
and frozen... forgitabouttit
kp
Posted 08/13/2008 at 04:43:47 PM@Rich: you can still get charleston chew here in canada (nova scotia). I got a box of bite sized pieces the other day.
I also loved the pudding roll ups, even the butterscotch. I think the ad had a kid dressed as a private eye or something. One thing I miss is "chunks" they were shaped just like chunky's, but instead of raisins they had plain chocolate, caramel filled and peanut filled.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 04:53:39 PMHere's a question: Nestle makes a bar in Canada called Aero. We used to have something like it in the US back in the 70's and 80's (but better). Basically it's aerated with holes all through it, and it melts in your mouth amazingly fast. I don't think it was called Aero, anyone remember?
Posted 08/13/2008 at 04:59:58 PMPB Max was a lame rip-off of Koogle (Peanutty Koogle with the Koo-Koo-Koogley eyes!).
You'll have to go back to between '71 and '74 for some. It came in 4 flavours - Chocolate, Vanilla, Cinnamon and Banana.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 05:02:49 PMWe still have Abba-Zabba in Seattle. And those disgusting, plastic, tooth-breaking BB Bats. Eww.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 05:12:54 PMScott... I think you are thinking of Mirage bars, which are like Aero but thicker. We had them in Canada too... I'm not sure if we still do though.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 05:19:13 PMdr pepper gum.....
Posted 08/13/2008 at 05:22:35 PMdr pepper gum.....
Posted 08/13/2008 at 05:22:48 PMGreat post.
I recognize about half of these, but only remember the flavor of one - Gatorade Gum - that was good stuff!
Posted 08/13/2008 at 05:26:42 PMRemove the gold rush gum, which is still being made. In it's place put those little wax soda bottles fill with the fruit flavored water. Those fucking owned.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 05:29:22 PMScott:
The aerated chocolate bar here in the states was choco-lite.
Here's an online petition for Nestle to bring'em back :)
http://www.petitiononline.com/cl2005/petition.html
-mwm-
Posted 08/13/2008 at 05:40:22 PMThey were NOT "chocolate fruit roll-ups", and that's probably why you can't find anybody that remembers them, or any pictures of them. They were called PUDDING ROLL-UPS. :)
Posted 08/13/2008 at 05:54:37 PMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpvaAJwhSqk
Rascals. I miss em.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 06:04:07 PMPudding roll-ups duly noted and fondly recalled. Thanks guys.
Chris - The Reggie Bar? Really? You didn't think it was nasty?
Posted 08/13/2008 at 06:08:09 PMGatorade Gum was awesome.
Fortune/God Rush Bubble were awesome.
But, I'd forgotten about those two most excellent candy bars: BarNone and Alpine White. In HS/College I used to eat BarNones like they were Swedish Fish. And Alpine White was awesome when you were looking for a little more class in your candy bar.
Thanks for the memories.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 06:19:09 PMFortune Bubble was great coz they were about $.05 a piece. And I miss the original Good N'Plenty horribly, not the weird 'new' version floating around there now. Dinosour Eggs, man....
Posted 08/13/2008 at 06:29:45 PMWhere is ZAPS on this list? ZAPS!!!!
Oh and the blueberry and strawberry Bonkers were my vice in high school. I miss them.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 06:37:11 PMAnyone remember ice cream flavoured jawbreakers. There was chocolate, strawberry, caramel and some white one with pink spots. Those were the absolute best. Period.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 06:48:19 PMTwo Words: Delfa Roll
Posted 08/13/2008 at 07:25:04 PMhttp://www.oldtimecandy.com/abba-zaba.htm
Abba-Zaba's are still available dude!
Posted 08/13/2008 at 07:48:56 PM@Scott...
The candy I think you're thinking of was "Whispa" by Cadbury. The bubbles were much smaller than an Aero bar and the chocolate was better. If this is the candy you're thinking of then you may want to try a candy bar called "Dairy Milk - Bubbly" by Cadbury. Dairy Milk is essentially their plain chocolate bar brand and has variations like the Hersheys; almond, toffey, etc. The Bubbly variety is sold in England and can sometimes be found in specialty candy or import stores, or on the internets.
And if this isn't what you're looking for - it should be! The only difference I can tell between this and the original is the shape of the bar - I like both shapes and would miss the new shape if it were to go, but I still crave the old one too. Best of luck.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 08:00:35 PMhttp://www.oldtimecandy.com/abba-zaba.htm
Abba-Zaba's are still available dude!
Posted 08/13/2008 at 08:00:43 PMThanatos said:
PB Max was a lame rip-off of Koogle (Peanutty Koogle with the Koo-Koo-Koogley eyes!).
You'll have to go back to between '71 and '74 for some. It came in 4 flavours - Chocolate, Vanilla, Cinnamon and Banana.
I thought I was the only one who remembered that peanut butter. I LOVED THAT STUFF!! Sure wish they had it still. Though I probably wouldn't like it now.
Also does anyone remember the big chocolate candy that came in a foil covered tube called Flicks. Usually the foil was blue or green. They were like huge hershey kisses. Those were good too.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 08:04:23 PMWhat great memories. Growing up in the '80s, SweeTarts were a staple, and my favorite were the lime ones. In 2001, Nestle changed the green ones from lime to sour apple and severed the link to my childhood. Damn you, Nestle! Damn you to candy hell!
Posted 08/13/2008 at 08:09:17 PMFerrara Pan's Mr. Melon was a devastatingly good confection. They're total dicks for discontinuing it.
Tart 'n Tinys were perhaps the perfect candy. I'm pretty sure The Indians (the one's who were squatting on our American land when we found it) used Tart 'n Tinys as currency.
Brachs once made a product called, I think, Brach's Rocks. They were fruity, jelly bean-like candys with a shell that looked like a rock. I believe they contained real fruit pectin. I'm pretty sure the geology lobby shut them down.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 08:56:48 PM@Conor
The wax bottles are still being made. We have them at the local dollar stores in PA.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 09:26:28 PMHow about Big Mouth suckers (like a huge jawbreaker on a stick!). And Laser Discs ... they were sour dime-sized candies that turned into gum after a few seconds of chewing them. They came in a clear cellophane package and were pink and blue in color. I'd love to have some of those again.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 09:32:35 PMNot necessarily 80s, but better to me than the A&W Root Beer gum was the A&W Root Beer candy by Ferrara Pan. I remember purchasing my last boxes at the vending machine in the arcade at the OmnIMAX theater at Caesar's Palace in Vegas.
When they stopped carrying them, I inquired to lots of candy companies, even ready to order a 40lb bag--and could never secure any. Bummer. =)
They were the size of lemonheads, but soft and chewy--very root beerish.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 10:10:08 PMAmelia said:
And Laser Discs ... they were sour dime-sized candies that turned into gum after a few seconds of chewing them.
Don't know about Laser Discs, but try Razzles for the experience of candy to gum. Love those things, and they're still around 25 years later.
Best candy that hasn't changed? Charleston Chews, hands down. Warm or frozen.
Posted 08/13/2008 at 10:25:30 PMWow. I didn't miss ANY of these. They all sucked. Go back to the 80's where guys wore pink and wore Mousse.
Gimme Reese's PB cups, or real Nestle Chocolate any day. Oh, they still sell those? That' prolly because they don't SUCK ASS.
Come back when your taste doesn't leave me wondering if you like the New Coke. (which also sucked ass)
Posted 08/14/2008 at 01:06:20 AMdoes anyone remember the willy wonka scrunch bar?
Posted 08/14/2008 at 01:52:16 AMI'm so glad the dinosaur eggs went away. In my opinon, They were nasty. I don't care what you think. ;) Enjoyed the gum though.
Posted 08/14/2008 at 02:22:13 AMHow about wacky wafers they were great, had 5 different flavors.
Posted 08/14/2008 at 04:43:40 AMNot sure if they are still around, but Cherry Clans were THE BEST.
Posted 08/14/2008 at 08:24:44 AMYeah - Brachs Rocks!! they really did look like rocks. We gave one to our junior high geology teacher to identify. We were all laughing our asses off behind his back. The next day he said all he could determine was that it was manmade. I mean really - who doesn't lick a rock in the identification process? We were way smartable.
Posted 08/14/2008 at 08:25:22 AMDinosour Eggs! I remember most of these, which I guess makes me old. Bar None was awesome.
My lost candy bar: the Reese's Crunchy PB Cups (made with crunchy peanut butter). They brought back a pale imitation a couple of years back as a "limited edition", but it was no match for the original.
Posted 08/14/2008 at 08:52:58 AMI think you skipped over one of the best.
Posted 08/14/2008 at 09:35:41 AMDoes anyone remember 7-Ups.
It came with 7 different flavors covered in chocolate with an 8th surprise flavor.
Awesome
Posted 08/14/2008 at 10:48:14 AMI don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but I bought Gatorade gum a few months ago at a local sports store, Sports Authority. It was still great but definitely tasted like shit after about 10 minutes.
Posted 08/14/2008 at 12:17:35 PMI'm surprised no one's remembered wax lips!
Posted 08/15/2008 at 12:31:12 AMthose were function AND edible!!!
i miss those....
I saw 'Golden Nuggets' gum for sale in a shop on the seafront, in Millport, Cumbrae, Scotland. This is probably too far for some of you to travel for them.
Posted 08/15/2008 at 11:38:06 AM*sigh* Wonka's Oompa Loompas. Sugar coated chocolate and peanut butter a la M&Ms w/peanut butter. But much tastier; M&M's version runs a very poor second.
Posted 08/15/2008 at 12:10:36 PM"Choco-lite" Whipped chocolate bar with air bubbles in it. Greatness!!! :D
Posted 08/16/2008 at 10:03:50 AMI TOTALLY agree with your #1 most delicious extinct candy, Hershey's Bar None. I loved those so much! Did you know there's a place to talk about discontinued candy, including Bar None? I found it recently and posted a comment under Bar None; it's here: http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/item/i_miss_bar_none
Some of the other candies you mentioned...I don't even recall! Oh well, chalk it up to senility...
Posted 08/18/2008 at 09:04:27 PMWhat about Marathon Bars and those little garbage cans with the pieces of candy that looked like chicken bones and cans.
Posted 08/19/2008 at 10:13:51 AMi can remember chewing gum shaped like cigerettes. powder sugar coated, so when you puffed on them, it kinda looked like smoke.
Posted 08/20/2008 at 01:12:26 PMyummm now i want candy!!!
what about the hot war heads i think it was cherry and grape maybe? i have seen the sour ones still but i miss the hot ones!!!!
and i wish i rememebered the name of this one candy/snack from the late 80's early 90's it was like a can of frosting with cookie sticks to dip in it yummmmmm
Posted 08/23/2008 at 08:11:07 PMI remember Willy Wonka's Super Scrunch Bar, it was the best candy bar ever.
Posted 09/03/2008 at 01:29:08 PMFortune Bubblegum had Maple Sugary taste in my opinion and it was the only candy I could routinely afford when I was a kid as the local candy store sold it for penny each. But I lament the loss of Nestle's Alpine White most of all.
Posted 09/21/2008 at 05:43:33 PMAnyone remember "Bingos?" They were kinda like flatter, harder Now 'N' Laters. They were nasty, but I loved 'em!!
Posted 12/16/2008 at 02:43:09 AMLaser discs were the best. I have looked high and low on the internet and cant seem to find any information on them. I dont even know who used to make them. I would love to get my hands on some but if they started making them again they would prob screw them up like they have with the good and fruity's.
Posted 02/11/2009 at 04:01:16 AMPunkys were my favorite. I would do anything to have just one more box of those sweet and sour candies!! They were absolutely delicoius, I used to buy 2 or 3 packs at a time they were so good.
Posted 02/11/2009 at 03:52:01 PMLet's start a petition to bring them back. email me:
bringpunkysback@hotmail.com
I loved Bar Nones and 7ups were awesome.
Posted 02/12/2009 at 11:16:42 AMAbba Zaba are still made in Hayward CA by Annabelle Candy Co and are available in many states. You can also order them online. Annabelle Candy Co also makes Rocky Road, Big Hunk, U-NO and Look.
Posted 04/07/2009 at 08:22:13 AM