Candy from the past
The days when we squeezed bright pink bubble gum from a tube are sadly far behind us now. So here’s a nostalgic look back at these ultra-sweet candy favorites of yesteryear. Tattoo bubble gum and Fireballs—do you remember them?
Lipstick candy
On many beauty blogs, you’ll read that sugar is the perfect ‘natural scrub’ for your lips. In the case of this candy, that’s debatable. It mainly made your lips sticky and certainly didn’t give them a beautiful color. One advantage: afterward, you had a whistle. Chanel could learn a thing or two from that.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMRmq2ch25b/?utm_source=ig_embed
Sour belts
Still a favorite. How did you eat yours? Rolled up? Torn into strips? Or did you let it hang out of your mouth and work it upward while chewing?
https://www.instagram.com/p/1ynsFTlzyG/?utm_source=ig_embed
Nerds
They looked like mice on steroids, and it was mainly the cheerful packaging that did the trick, but these little hard rainbow candies still make us happy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Be-CGIch7jt/?utm_source=ig_embed
Tattoo bubble gum
The gum was inedible, but oh my, the suspense every single time. Because: which tattoo would be inside? A tribal? A spider? Pluto? The fact that they ultimately had an even shorter lifespan than the flavor of the gum itself didn’t matter.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRKnpDFAdLW/?utm_source=ig_embed
Edible paper
Still a mystery: dry and tasteless, but pastel-colored and edible. So you ate it anyway.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf230D9FucK/?utm_source=ig_embed
Big Baby Pop
No idea what was so appealing about sucking on a bottle like a baby, but with a Big Baby Pop in your mouth, you were cooler than cool. ‘Lick, dip, shake and suck!’
https://www.instagram.com/p/0DqNOAsDIu/
Tubble Gum
Squeezing deliciously bright pink, ultra-sweet strands from a tube and biting them off. Life didn’t get any better.
https://www.instagram.com/p/By0VZyECqrv/
Ring Pops
How many Ring Pop marriage proposals have you had?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfohXbdHdeF/?utm_source=ig_embed
Smurfs popping chocolate
One of the few foods your parents were okay with you eating while holding your mouth wide open. Naturally, your popping mouth had to be heard. The popping effect is caused by CO2 being trapped in the sugar, creating tiny bubbles. The sound you hear is the result of the pressure from the trapped CO2 being released.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtR7dqEHhNW/
Crazy Dips
Even more popping! This time combined with a chemical lollipop and another dip-and-lick setup. It was clearly a nineties thing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BU_6BdqFciR/?utm_source=ig_embed
Candy shells
Impossible to eat without cutting open your lip or tongue. Actually, more or less impossible to eat at all. But that made the reward of a green gelatinous blob all the greater.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXWF_EEAMg9/?utm_source=ig_embed
Push Pops
Ideal for the thrifty candy lover: lick away, put the cap back on and return it to the bag.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4SMSodoeIO/
Foam blocks
Did you know foam blocks are quintessentially Dutch? They were created by the Hoepman family, who started a confectionery business in 1895. They’re popular in Spain too, where they’re called ‘Tochos Refrescantes’ and come in strawberry and sour flavors.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtYnEWelr0x/
Fireballs
Sometimes you ate things not because they tasted good, but to show off. Fireballs belong in that category: rock-hard and scorching hot.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BabOAVWAZU2/?utm_source=ig_embed
UFO candy
In the edible-paper category. Impossible to chew, but great on cakes and party treats.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3wgj0hF2kM/
Gummy bears
Remember those little bags? Were you the type to eat them all at once, or did you sort them by color first and even trade flavors with your classmates?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV2X2C4DDXR/?utm_source=ig_embed
Puffed rice
Light, pastel-colored and sweet. What more could a child want?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE3Ja1YzRdZ/
Astropops
The cross between a Rocket and a Push Pop. If you ever wondered what the flavors were supposed to represent: cherry, passion fruit and pineapple.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzrvQm9jRXh/
Chalk lollipops
Unlike all the other lollipops, these weren’t transparent, fluorescent, sour or extremely sticky, but they were every bit as popular—and delicious.
https://www.instagram.com/p/4PCgVijY_l/?utm_source=ig_embed
Bubble Tape
Just like Tubble Gum, you could choose your own size. The eating techniques were more reminiscent of sour belts: rolling it up, cutting it into pieces or letting it hang. And let’s not forget the huge bubbles you could blow with it. Party time!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3GFiF4BWd2/
Salty licorice rows
The colors were anything but appetizing. As was the idea of children eating them. Yet salty licorice rows are still one of our favorites.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuW1nTXhxBL/
Gummy burgers
Fast food and candy in one! Do you know the pizza version too?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRT_eM9B4bw/?utm_source=ig_embed
And, of course, everything with Spice Girls
Licking the head of your favorite Spice Girl was pretty much the ultimate for every Spice Girls fan. Okay, even better was being able to put that lollipop in an automatically rotating ‘microphone’ holder. Convenience for the fan.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgK9TT2nN3n/?utm_source=ig_embed
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