COMMENTS

32 responses to “Open Thread Update: Your Fave Penny Candies”

1. Loved the wax lips or wax bottles filled with sugar water. ICE CUBES were the best, I long after felt that Cadbury’s chocolate eggs ( the little candy coated ones) reminded me of that creamy chocolate. I believe there were ground hazelnuts (aka “filberts”) in the chocolate. A very special treat for me, there were no penny candy counters in my neighborhood, but I enjoyed visiting one near my cousin’s house. Her mom would give us a little change, and I think it was a mile walk to the store. 1965

   Reply to Barbara Sloan

2. My grandmother use to sell penny candy in my grandfather’s grocery store. Everyone use to love looking through the glass counter and point to their favorites…then decided which one they were buying that day. She enjoyed it all. Happy memories for me.

   Reply to Cathi Zelazny

3. Peanut butter kisses , they came in a pack of 4 . There were other flavors like chocolate, strawberry and lemon but the peanut butter flavor was my favorite

   Reply to Reba Taylor

4. I used to love “Mint Juleps.” They were an individually wrapped 1″ square of lovely minty green chewy goodness.

   Reply to Linda

5. Pixie Stix full of some flavored colored sugar!

   Reply to Paulette Houston

6. I loved sipping from those little wax bottles filled with whatever. I acted grown up “smoking” those sugar cigarettes. My Catholic grammar school sold penny candy at recess. I think the money went to the missions.

   Reply to Kate Walter

7. I remember the 2″ crispy peanut butter log. It was light colored and had stripes and each one was individually wrapped. Crunchy and delicious. I also bought jawbreakers because they lasted so long.

   Reply to Ann Naple

8. I’ll never forget the little square wrapped candies called “Now Laters.” They came in sour apple, grape, strawberry, cherry, lemon, etc. Also, Lemonheads and Tootsie Rolls.

   Reply to Diane S.

9. Little wax bottles with some unknown liquid in them, frozen marshmallow chocolate covered twists, double bubble chewing gum, pretzels, and red and black twists,
   Marc S

   Reply to MARC

10. Nik-L-Nips

    Reply to Soosie

11. I forgot to mention in my comment that my favorite penny candy was what would now be called a gummy. It was a red disk with a dollar sign on it. I also loved licorice, red and black, and candy necklaces.

    Shhh, don’t tel anyone, but I also loved those boxes of sugar cigarettes.

    Reply to Virginia S

12. When I think of penny candy I think about the woman who owned a rickety old house she turned into a store. She never renewed her inventory. The “soft” candy was hard and stale, and the hard candy was stuck together. Plus she didn’t seem to like children. Why we kept going there I don’t know.

    Reply to Virginia S

13. Yes, yes, yes to Sixlets. I always thought of them as the unappreciated cousin of M&Ms. The colours were brilliant and contained heaven-only-knows what chemical dyes, but I loved them. They were sold at a wee stationery store in my town just steps away from the elementary school I attended. (How convenient…and caloric!)
    Thanks for posting this. it was nice to take a trip down (Candy) Memory Lane.

    Reply to Debbie Feldstein

    1. You said it, sister! they are still being made and sold online and soon will be sold in Cracker Barrel locations. You can buy a box of 72 cellophane packets for about 30 bucks, but you’ll need to buy an ice pack so they don’t melt. I think you’ll agree with me that it’s not the same when they come in a box.
       They were a favorite of mine at the candy stand in the schoolyard.

       Reply to Virge

14. I loved the experience of shopping with my own money too!
    That is a memory I will never forget, going to the penny candy store with my BFF.
    And I loved the licorice rolls.

    Reply to Lorie Williams

15. Love this discussion! I’m a big candy fan – tootsie rolls, peppermint patties, licorice, caramels etc… It was only a day after the penny was discontinued when I purchased a no tax item for 4.99, paid with $20, and I got $15.05 in change. I made 4 cents on the deal!

    Reply to Andrea Hancock

16. Kits, in strawberry, chocolate, banana and peanut butter. Bazooka bubble gum with a cartoon inside! Hot dog shaped cinnamon gum. Ice Cube chocolates.

    Reply to Chris

    1. OMG! Ice Cubes!!!! I don’t know what kind of chocolate they used but it was awesome!

       Reply to Virge

    2. Ice cubes were one of my favorites. Those little “melt in your mouth” delicacies were the BEST chocolate! We had Uncle Hemi & Aunt Rula’s store if I got off the bus to get the mail and then walk home. Uncle Hemi always kept a wonderful stash of penny candy behind the counter in boxes to choose from. You had to be careful! If Aunt Rula was behind the counter you got your nickel’s worth and no more….but if it was Uncle Hemi you got WAY more than your nickel or a few cents worth.

       Reply to Cindy Miller

17. I loved penny candies growing up. Spent all of my 50 cents allowance every week on a boatload of penny candies. My favorite was Snaps, a licorice candy with candy coating . Also liked the licorice record wheels, Banana Splits, and the candy necklace you could wear and bite off as you wanted. Those were the days when a penny went a long way.

    Reply to Patti P

    1. Ice cubes were one of my favorites. Those little “melt in your mouth” delicacies were the BEST chocolate! We had Uncle Hemi & Aunt Rula’s store if I got off the bus to get the mail and then walk home. Uncle Hemi always kept a wonderful stash of penny candy behind the counter in boxes to choose from. You had to be careful! If Aunt Rula was behind the counter you got your nickel’s worth and no more….but if it was Uncle Hemi you got WAY more than your nickel or a few cents worth.

       Reply to Cindy Miller

18. I loved the original Frenchy’s candy nougat. It was a “penny candy that featured a jelly nougat or “Frenchie.”These Penny Candies were chewy white squares with bits of colored jelly, often coated in powdered sugar to prevent sticking, and wrapped in clear plastic.

    The candy was made by a Greek-owned company in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, founded by the Langis family in 1916 and closed in 1992. There are currently knock off versions, but nothing like the real thing. I still miss them…

    Reply to Christopher D. Salerno

    1. I lived around Pittsburgh PA during the Marcellus Utica shale boom and went with som local folks to Klavons Ice Cream shop. I felt like I stepped back in time! There were penny candies and ice cubes. It was so old fashioned inside it took me back to the 60’s ice cream shop we had next to the theater in Wyoming. I was so nostalgic. The ice cream in the booths and the soda fountain brought back many lovely memories!

       Reply to Cindy Miller

19. Boston baked beans were my fave penny candy. I ralso ecall buying Lemon Heads, Now Laters, and Bit O Honeys at the corner store with my siblings and cousins to satisfy our sweet tooths. They sell penny candies in some dollar stores nowadays but they don’t taste the same.

    Reply to Tiff S

20. Oh my. Sweet memories. Candy buttons on strips of paper, and candy corns. Nothing better. About pennies: I am going to hang onto my pennies from now on, just for the memories. For years we’ve talked about getting rid of them, with opposition from the copper-producing states; and now it is happening. Now, finally, retail prices will no longer end in that ridiculous number: .99 cents!

    Reply to dr jeanne powell

    1. I recently gathered as many “shiny” pennies as I could (mostly 2024’s) so I could give them to my great nephews as gifts. In 1967 I travelled to England and stayed in a decent, but very basic b&b. The loo was down the hall. If you wanted to take a hot shower, you had to put an English half-penny in a device and then you got X amount of hot water. When I had four teenage boys living at home, I really thought about that device for managing their use of hot water! Wish I had saved one!

       Reply to Pat

21. I worked at the local store which sold hand dipped ice cream, soda , chips, bread ,milk and tasty cakes
    Of course selling Penny candy in little brown bags was the most important part
    I kept the penny candy neat & tidy and stocked
    I loved working and started @4th grade sorting soda bottles
    Worked for the lady until I was a junior in high school
    I personally loved red hot dollars and hats
    Peppermint sticks
    Sorry to see the penny go but you can always buy 5 pieces of penny candy!!

    Reply to Nancy

22. Red Hots, Milk Duds, Lik-a-Maids, and cinnamon balls. Also, those little paraffin pop bottles with colored juice inside. Does anybody remember what they were called?

    Reply to Susanne

23. Mary Janes and buttons which stuck to the paper.

    Reply to Cynthia

    1. I remember the “buttons”. In Milwaukee we called that strip of paper with the candy dots “measles”.

       Reply to Pat Dankert

    2. Kits. Each package contained 4 or 5 individually wrapped chewy candies. I preferred the banana flavored or the peanut butter ones.

       Reply to deEtt Allen

    3. Wax lips. Lick-a-Maid. Wax bottles filled with cokEe

       Reply to Emily