Penny candy at the corner store was every kids’ sweet tooth dream. For us, that was the highlight of going to church — hot-tailing it down the street after services for something sweet to eat. There was nothing like entering the dank, smoke smelling shop and heading straight for the candy stand, handing over your change in exchange for a brown bag full of sugary sweets, and having a toothache by the end of the night. Which of these childhood treats were your fav?
Now And Laters
Colorful square pieces of taffy, Now and Laters, or as you probably referred to them as “nowalaters,’ came in delicious, fruity flavors like strawberry, fruit punch, and watermelon.
Jolly Ranchers
This fruity and flavorful candy came in the candy stick and tiny square package. Remember you would get mad when you cut your tongue on the candy stick, but that didn’t stop you from licking the sweet goodness . . . you were just careful not to use the cut-up side of your tongue again.
Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip
Sugar stick plus dip equals a sugar rush. You would use your sugar dipping stick like a spoon, licking the powdery candy and at the end, gobbling down the stick.
Ring Pop
Nothing like edible bling to keep you satisfied. You put a ring on it yourself long before Bey’s song. You would flaunt your ring finger with the huge cherry candy diamond, and be extra careful not to get it dirty. You were not trying to pick little particles off of it.
Lemonheads
A sweet, lemony flavored candy, Lemonheads were known for their bright, sunny-faced lemon head character on it’s box. This candy was yummy, with a twinge of tartness just like a real lemon.
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Pop Rocks
Bits of candy that would explode flavor on your tongue. Urban legend has it that a kid mixed this candy with a can of coke, and his tummy exploded.
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PEZ
The superhero/cartoony dispenser made this candy awesome to have in your possession. You would tote a mini Spiderman or Garfield dispenser around with you everywhere you went.
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Pixy Stix
Flavored sugar would pour effortlessly from paper tubes. Remember you would unload like three or four at a time for the ultimate sugar high. Why did we get mad when one end got wet from our saliva and clogged the tube? We improvised though, tearing off part of the it to get the rest of the sweet powder.
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Tootsie Pop
The big-eyed owl’s famous question “How many licks does it take?” had us licking and counting each time we savored one of these. Say it together now, ah wah-unn, two-hoo, tha-reeee . . .
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Gummi Worms
There was something super fun about dangling a worm above your open mouth, with the added bonus of being gummy and sweet. You would start by biting the head off and then eating the remainder of the body. Beats eating a fat, pink live worm any day.
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Smarties
Little, round packages of sweet circles always found their way in our Halloween, trick-or-treat bags. Big on sweet, little on size, perfect for tiny sugar-hungry hands.
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Jawbreakers
Slow and steady — that’s how you ate the jawbreaker, known as the world’s hardest candy and notorious for breaking a tooth or two. Big, round and sweet, it quite possibly could take a couple days, depending on size, to eat the whole thing, but boy were you determined to do just that.
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Big League Chew
Shredded gum in a package that resembled chewing tobacco was all the craze back in the day. You really felt like a pro baseball champ when you chewed your gum.
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Candy Cigarettes
With its chalky taste, kids would act like they were truly smoking with this candy. Some brands even emitted a smoky puff to help the allusion of actually smoking a cigarette.
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Sugar Daddy
A big, chewy caramel bar melted deliciousness right in your mouth. The bold red and yellow package would make your heart flutter with anticipation. Sugar babies would come soon after, so you could have the option of eating them by the handful rather than from a stick.
