Last time we talked about the end of the penny and penny candy, and unlocked many sweet memories. Several readers like Lorrie mentioned the excitement of making their own purchases.
Readers like Cathi Z and Cindy were lucky enough to have a candy store in the family (Let’s hear it for Uncle Hemi!). Reader Nancy started her retail career young:
I worked at the local store which sold hand dipped ice cream, soda , chips, bread, milk and Tastycakes. 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….
Reader Cindy gave us a complete trip down memory lane.
I lived around Pittsburgh PA during the Marcellus Utica shale boom and went with some 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…the ice cream in the booths and the soda fountain brought back many lovely memories!
Grab bag
Several folks picked up on just one: Linda’s fondness for ‘Mint Juleps” (“1 inch square of lovely minty green chewy goodness”), Reba’s peanut butter kisses and Tiff’s fave, Boston Baked Beans.
Some penny candies were just sugar delivery systems: those little wax bottles filled with a sweet liquid, called “Nik L Nips” and favored by Marc, Soosie, Emily, Susanne, and Kate W – or the Pixie Stix paper tubes, or those dots of colored sugar on a strip of paper, called ‘buttons” by Dr. Jeanne, and ‘measles” by Pat in Milwaukee!
Other candies faves were Red Hots, Now and Laters, Tootsie Rolls, Snaps, Mary Janes, Kits, candy cigarettes, and Smarties candy necklaces. Reader Chris said his fave was “hot dog shaped cinnamon gum.” I had to research it and yes Hot Dogs really existed.
Kindred Spirits
I’m not alone in loving Sixlets; reader Debbie points out why.
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.
I’m happy to report that Sixlets are still being made and sold online and soon will be sold in Cracker Barrel locations. I’m also happy to note the many fans of Ice Cubes, those tantalizing creamy chocolate cubes.
Candy History
Reader Christopher gave a shout out to an extinct US candy with a bit of history tossed in.
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…
I think we’ll all agree with Christopher that the originals are still the greatest, and Tiff notes “They sell penny candies in some dollar stores nowadays but they don’t taste the same.”
YOUR TURN
We’ll keep the comments open so please share your faves, including any not mentioned yet. Turkish Taffy? Dad’s Root Beer Barrels?
Original column:
On November 12, the US Mint produced the last penny. With it goes a currency produced since 1793, and dozens of references in popular culture like “Penny for your thoughts,” and “pennies from heaven.”
But the biggest loss to me was the end of penny candy.
One of my early childhood memories was of the joys of penny candy. It was my first ‘adult” transaction. John’s grocery store on Third Street kept the penny candies in jars on the marble counter near the register. Sometimes I cashed in some Coke bottles for the deposit, other times I had cadged a few cents from Mom. Either way I had the experience of shopping, selecting, and paying for a purchase (and sometimes even getting change).
It was heady stuff; much more intoxicating than when Mom or Dad paid.
FAVORITES!
Besides, penny candies were fun. Sure, I could spend my whole nickel on a Black Cow in the schoolyard candy stand….but I preferred to buy five Sixlets, small cellophane tubes holding a roll of small spheres of candy coated chocolate. And if I didn’t feel like Sixlets, there were Mary Janes, Smarties, Jawbreakers, Tootsie Rolls, Bit O Honey, Pixie Stix, Licorice Whips….I get a sugar rush just from the memory.
YOUR TURN
But that’s me. Penny for your thoughts! What were your favorite penny candies?
Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; she writes frequently on Old School New York City and performs at open mic readings throughout New York City. Send Open Thread suggestions to [email protected].