Last night, Wade brought this home with him:
Not literally packaged in the 60s. At least I hope not.
I’m all about surprise candy, so as soon as the kids were sufficently distracted, I started rummaging through the box. I was trying to remember what kind of candy we ate as kids; I was hoping for some Tootsie Rolls (mmm). No luck.
However . . .
Do you see what I see?
Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em, kids!
Candy cigarettes! Who doesn’t remember candy cigarettes? And who can even IMAGINE buying them for a kid NOW?
When I showed Wade the pretend glowing end on one of the “cigarettes,” he said, “What were they THINKING?”
Duh. They were thinking that we would all learn that smoking is COOL! And that it tastes just like candy. Really bad stale candy.
We spent the evening rummaging through the box looking for something really yummy. I ate the candy necklace and the Bottle Caps and the Smarties lollypop; Wade went with the pumpkin seeds and the Bit O’ Honey. We were amused by the clearly not 1960s packaging; the French Vanilla taffy included a cheery declaration that it contained “1 gm FAT PER BAR!” The candy cigarettes don’t actually have the word CIGARETTE on the packaging, although I’m pretty sure they did when I was a kid.
“You know–you KNOW,” Wade said, “that somewhere in the files of one of the tobbaco companies there is a memo about those things. ‘We heartily endorse the manufacture of candy cigarettes!’ You KNOW it.”
Anyone got a light?
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That’s hysterical! No, not hysterical, what’s the word I’m looking for? It sure shows how things have changed. Does the box have rum-flavored jellybeans too? Thanks so much for your visit and comment.
By scribbit on 10.05.06 10:42 am | Permalink
Try this:
http://www.oldtimecandy.com/enter.htm
Look under the ‘decade’ assortments.
I loved Abba-Zabba bars. Oh, and Bit of Honey.
By daysgoby on 10.05.06 10:56 am | Permalink
Wow, I used to love those KINGS CIGARETTES!! Hard to believe that it used to be cool to give those to kids.
By kfk on 10.05.06 11:06 am | Permalink
God, I hated those things…perhaps that’s why I never started smoking.
By mamatulip on 10.05.06 11:10 am | Permalink
We used to walk around the house with those candy cigs hanging out of our mouths! Wow– what beautiful memories!
By Anne Glamore on 10.05.06 11:23 am | Permalink
No pop rocks?!? Or little wax bottles filled with sugar-goo?
By Mir on 10.05.06 11:44 am | Permalink
Aaah…candy cigarettes. *I* remember them. They were good!
I guess we can always be thankful that they didn’t progress to candy crack rocks or coca-cola in little bourbon flasks, huh?
Good time, good times. ;o)
By The Crib Chick on 10.05.06 11:48 am | Permalink
I remember the candy cigarettes, and candy pills; I just wonder why those candy joints never took off.
By Sheryl on 10.05.06 12:17 pm | Permalink
Well, the Pop-Rocks were 70’s candy, right? And you know, Mikey the kid from the Life Cereal commercial? You’ll never believe it! He ate a whole bunch of Pop-Rocks…and then he drank a Coke…and then his stomach exploded and he DIED!
True story!
I actually do remember walking around with a pack of the candy cigarettes rolled up in my T-shirt sleeve. I think I got that from the Fonz.
By Velma on 10.05.06 12:46 pm | Permalink
My friend and I were just talking about the candy cigs from our youth! She particularly liked the ones that came wrapped in paper b/c when you put it to your mouth and lightly exhaled it looked like you were really smoking (the “smoke” from the candy residue).
By Chilihead2 on 10.05.06 12:50 pm | Permalink
Chili, I probably shouldn’t say this, but those were my FAVORITES. Although I never ate the candy, because it was gross; I just liked the pretend smoking part.
Okay, that is totally embarassing.
By Susan on 10.05.06 1:39 pm | Permalink
FYI… the Pop-Rocks and Coke story is a hoax.
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/poprocks.asp
P.S. I loved those candy cigarettes … but never had a desire to use the real ones. Thank goodness!
By Anonymous on 10.05.06 4:07 pm | Permalink
LOL at Velma! I remember that true story, too.
By Jenorama on 10.05.06 4:32 pm | Permalink
I used to love pretending to smoke with those candies. I thought I was so cool. I miss going to the penny candy store and picking out a bag of candy…
By boogiemum on 10.05.06 5:19 pm | Permalink
I loved candy cigs, and if you want to get the taste now, just drink a Mug Root Beer. Same exact taste, I swear!
By Anonymous on 10.05.06 5:21 pm | Permalink
that was hysterical. i remember loving candy cigarettes as a kid, and no one minded me having them, but then again, everyone was still smoking in the 70’s. very funny post - glad i found you.
By jen on 10.05.06 5:47 pm | Permalink
Ah, yes. The candy cigarettes. And they used to actually be called “candy cigarettes” on the package. Now it’s just “candy.” I guess they think we won’t notice that they’re still cigarette-shaped? Or that the packaging still looks JUST LIKE real cigarettes?
By Candace on 10.05.06 6:07 pm | Permalink
Memories, like the candy cigarette smoke clouded corners of my mind….
By Andie D. on 10.05.06 8:46 pm | Permalink
I bought some this summer for my kids, who are teenagers and get the irony. I also got cigars for my son and they’re so realistic that somebody actually stopped him in town and yelled at him about smoking stogies!
You can get all this of the period candy at Yummies. www.yummies.com
By margalit on 10.05.06 10:09 pm | Permalink
They had the candy cigs also that were a long piece of chewy chocolate (taffy?) with a paper wrapper.
And I was talking earlier today on BB about the ashtrays in the doctors’ offices. Nobody thought anything about it.
By Granny on 10.05.06 10:43 pm | Permalink
oh my! i DO remember those cigarettes! and they DID say CIGARETTES on them! we ’smoked’ and posed and flicked the ash and thought we were the cat’s meow–oh, maybe that was before my time. what did we think we were? cool. yes. that’s it. shudder.
By kyra on 10.06.06 7:25 am | Permalink
*pounces* Want!
My mum used to give me candy cigarettes that were in a tube with powdered sugar or something, so that if you blew on them it looked like they puffed smoke.
Nummy!
By Nire on 10.06.06 10:35 pm | Permalink
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