Classic Candy: America's Favorite Sweets, 1950-80

by Darlene Lacey

Candy may well have its origins in medicine (think peppermint sticks), and many Americans still think of candy as an edible salve with which to cure and to celebrate. Today, Americans consume more than 600 billion pounds of the sugary stuff each year. Most Americans have their favorites, their go-to candy bars that bring them comfort. And most of us yearn for the candy of our youth, those treats that made us feel better no matter the occasion. From classics such as the Hershey bar and M&Ms to trend-setters like PEZ and Atomic Fireballs, candy has a special place in our hearts and memories. Lacey details the evolution of candy in America, looking at the classics from a variety of angles. With a look at everything from chocolate to fruity sweets, from simply packaging to product tie-ins, Lacey examines the classic candy of the late-twentieth century, including what it meant--and what it still means--to most of us. Readers will savor this colorful walk down memory lane to Candyland, filled with familiar signposts such as Bazooka, Clark, Necco, and Tootsie Roll.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Ebooks

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Darlene Lacey writes about the past with a sharp lens on what it means to us today. She is the author of books and articles about America’s (almost) forgotten history and the curator of the Candy Wrapper Museum.

Her books:

A Woman's Guide to Low Self-Esteem

The Musical Touch of Leonard Nimoy: His fascinating musical career and discography

Classic Candy: America's Favorite Sweets 1950-80

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of interesting facts about different brands of candy over the years. The writing is more like a research paper than an engaging and entertaining portrait. I don't know, something just didn't connect for me.

Lovely photos of candy, showcasing mid-century design, which is always a plus for me.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book! It was a wonderful trip down memory lane to the simple days of spending hours in the five and dime stores perusing the candy and deciding which ones to buy. I remember how much a quarter could buy in those days - being from Texas, I had to have a pink peanut patty at least once a week for a nickel. I was also a fan of Baby Ruth, Oh Henry and 5th Avenue bars(those may have come along later). Anyway, I hope she writes a sequel! So much candy - not enough pages!

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun to read and peruse! What a fantastic walk down memory lane for everyone in my multi-generational household, this book has been! Everything candy is here. My beloved Wacky Packages, Bottle Caps, JujyFruits, Good and Plenty, Dots and so many more! Outstanding book Darlene Lacey! Can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.

[Khris Sellin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little read about the history of my favorite food group.

[jimtown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I'd sampled quite a few candies in my time, growing up in a small town where I could walk uptown daily to buy nickel candy bars and full bags of penny candies for a dime. Many of my favorites were explored in this book that mainly features the rise and fall of the popularity of certain candies and the start and sale of companies and the candies they made. I never realized there were so many I'd never even heard of. This is an informative look at the big business of candy. I'd have liked more nostalgia but there were plenty of pictures of the treats and the wrappers and promotional items. I may have missed it, but I didn't see Bazooka Joe or his comics, even though other bubble gum was talked about, even the hard, stale, flat old pieces of gum that came in packs of baseball cards.

I always like Nestle' best of the top three, but would eat almost anything chocolate, no nuts, thank you. I wasn't fond of sour candy, or sticky, chewy caramels. Some of the most fun were candy dots, candy necklaces, wax pop bottles, candy cigarettes. Halloween was the best time to sample things that I didn't ordinarily buy.

Oh we were the sugar generation.

[Bhargavi.lawbookskettlebells · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable, quick read. This thin slip of a book takes us on a whistle stop tour of candy history in the US between the 1950s and the 1980s. While I enjoyed it, I wanted so much more! I wanted the book to dive deeper into what all these big and small candy companies were, and the stories of their origins (and endings). Most acquisitions and takeovers seemed likely to have a story behind them, I wanted to learn more about the whats, hows and whys of each candy innovation. This teeny book barely scratches the surface, but it's certainly left me keen to know more.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a neat book about different kinds of candies between 1950-80 and the companies that made them. A lot of these were before my time and I don't remember, but there are some that I remember from childhood that are no longer made, and it was neat to see these once again.

[Patrick Macke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A too-short trip to the candy store of yesterday that lives on in the souls and cavities of a generation ... Thanks Darlene

[Mark Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick review regarding famous candy

Short, not much detail, but reminds you of some child favorites. It is a story of big candy mougels, eating up the little guys.

[Bonnie Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick read. It kept me interested and it was well formatted. It would be a cute little coffee table book.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a child of the 70s and 80s, it was a great to walk down memory lane and see all of the great junk food I used to pig out on way back when, as well as the stories of how all of the different companies that used to make your favorites merged with each other. It was really cool to see and read about candy I haven't heard about in ages, including Tart And Tinys and those little coffins, garbage cans, and other plastic containers of candy that I used to gorge on in my youth. Not a large volume, but a fun read while it lasts.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting, well researched and nostalgic 63 page account of the history of candy from the 1940's to the 1990's. A multitude of pictures of candy wrappings, packaging, advertisement and commercials brought back many memories. Besides the ever present candy lined store shelves, there were the candy memories of past Halloweens, Christmases, Easter, Valentines, St. Nicholas, etc. Classic Candy was a quick, easy read of a book with an alliterative title.

[Randy · Rating 1 out of 5]

It almost took as long to download this as to read it. It took 40 minutes to read on the Y's treadmill. Totally lightweight read that seemed little more than a Wikipedia entry. The pictures of the candy were terrific though.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick read.....I'm intrigued to delve deeper into some of the history's of famous and not so famous candy brands

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun facts, doesn't get into much of the history but gives some interesting fun facts, and pictures of candy I never thought would have existed.