Have you ever wondered when your favorite childhood candy was invented or if it was as good as you remembered? Well, I did. I compiled a list of different candies that were invented or introduced in every decade from 1900 till now and put them through a rigorous taste test. Below are my results.
1900s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RUEvir59v8
During 1900 Milton Hershey created the highly coveted recipe for Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars and shared it with the world. It is this candy that would forever change American snacks. One such instance of this change is the lovable taste of s’mores. What would s’mores be without Hershey’s milk chocolate? Nothing. I have tasted many variations of s’mores and none taste quite as much like childhood as those made with Hershey’s chocolate.
1910s
https://youtu.be/WJoO07WMahQ?t=4s
Next on our list, the invention of the Heath bar, which was first marketed as a health bar. While not cheap, the bar gained popularity during the depression (). It is ridiculous to me as to who in their right mind would spend hard earned money on toffee. Gross!
1920s
https://youtu.be/BiOQbXCU4WY?t=4s
The roaring 20s: a decade of candies covered in chocolate. There were 2 notable candies introduced during this time, The Oh Henry! Bar and the highly popular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
The Oh Henry! is bar containing fudge, peanuts, and caramel all coated in chocolate. It was introduced in 1920 in Chicago, Illinois and was supposedly named after a boy who would flirt with the girls who made the candy.()
Only 8 years after the Oh Henry! bar, Reese’s cups were invented. Reese’s peanut butter cups are the perfect blend of sweet and a little salty. Even today, Children love this delicious candy.
1930s
https://youtu.be/EOfU-tvBr7Y?t=3s
As you have probably figured out by now, many of these candies are now produced by the Hershey company. However, the 5th Avenue bar was actually created by Hershey in 1936 in order to keep up with their competitors who had created Butterfingers and the Clark bar.
1940s
https://youtu.be/paZ3JxJQZC0?t=5s
M&Ms were introduced in 1941 as a convenient way to give soldiers chocolate. The idea being that the coating would ensure the chocolate wouldn’t melt. (Yeah, like that works.) The chocolate has become such a success that M&Ms can be found pretty much everywhere.
1950s
https://youtu.be/N08TrDWozgE?t=2s
The ’50’s gave us credit cards, Velcro, bubble wrap, and, yup you guessed it, Candy Necklaces. I don’t know about you, but I loved candy necklaces. While they were mostly just sugar on a rope, they are no doubt an everlasting day of fun and wearable sugar.
1960
https://youtu.be/A1rMzWymtj8?t=2s
In the 60s girls were mooning over The Beatles, but the kids, they were puckering up over the sour taste of Lemonheads. Created in 1962, their sweet shell and sour middle can be tasted hours after you eat it.
1970s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No1rd0HaUZU
Undoubtedly the most popping decade for candy, the 70s brought the introduction of pop rocks and ring pops. Invented in 1956, pop rocks did not make their debut to the market until 1975. I blame the long wait on the research scientist who invented the exploding candy, William A. Mitchell. 4 years later Ring Pops made their debut as another wearable candy. (though if we are honest, Ring Pops are far messier than candy necklaces).
1980s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VynsLf0Uxlk
Airheads, the name for someone forgetful and well, stupid. It is also the name of the sugary chewy candy that kids 30 and under don’t remember the world without. It was just another August day in 1985 when Steve Bruner submitted his plans to develop Airheads, one of the most popular non-chocolate candies to hit the shelves.
1990s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_BwmjtP1hM&t=8s
“Baby Bottle Pop, Baby Bottle Pop, you can lick it, shake it, and dunk it.” Invented in 1998 this fun candy had everyone singing. Though, I am still unsure of why it is shaped like a baby bottle.
2000s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUhGMN8dVVU
I can imagine it now, hitting my brother with a Sweet Tarts Soft and Chewy Ropes. Unfortunately, this candy was not introduced until 2009, which meant that at the young age of 15 I was too old to get away with hitting my brother with candy.
I am unsure of how popular they really are, but I guess like all of the candies we will have to just wait and see. I do have to point out that rope candies were a big invention of the 2000s.
2010s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOlDfCZWf4w
Rope candies are out, and bite-sized candies are in. Airhead bites, only one of the many bite-sized remakes, was introduced in 2013. It is basically an airhead with a weird creamy textured center. I don’t love ‘em but check them out and taste for yourself.
P.S. I do not recommend eating as much candy as I did in one sitting.
