1980's candy was totally gnarly
The 1980's, when everything was so blindingly bright. Neon colours became a cool statement. The fashion seemed completely absurd, to say the least, and the music was made up of overly digitalized sounds. Commercialism was at an all-time high, pop culture was exploding, and the money was abundantly flowing.
We began to imagine a distant future, as Micheal J. Fox took us on a time-warped journey, in "Back To The Future." While every kid on the block was trying to kick as high as Ralph Macchio and dreamed of a sensei with the wisdom of Mr. Myagi. We met the most gentle extraterrestrial, and a whole nation becomes fixated as E.T. rides a bicycle through the sky with his new best friend Elliot.
Michael Jackson danced and sang across stages worldwide, teaching us the moonwalk. We begin to hear the first sounds of rap music and tried to memorize every word of "Rapper's Delight". Cyndi Lauper explained that "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and Tina Turner asked us "What's Love Got To Do With It". While MTV taught us much more than we needed to know.
We wished for the A-Team to have our backs, and we needed Macguyver to get us out of trouble. We wanted our Grandmothers to have the spunkiness of the Golden Girls, and we dreamed of cheesy romances that sparked aboard the "Love Boat".
The Valley girls wore bright neon spandex while they rushed to their jazzercise classes. Some of us fell victim to sweatbands and scrunchies and wore plastic bracelets up our arms. Parachute pants were sought after, and every girl wore electric blue mascara with ridiculously oversized shoulder pads.
Everything was different now, the '70s seemed like a distant dream. We discovered the addictiveness of Pac-Man, and spend countless hours with the colourful challenge of the Rubix cube, which perplexed many. But among all the inevitable changes in the world, there were delicious candy discoveries to be found, and of course some "totally Radical" new candies!
Here are our Top 10 Retro Candies from the 1980s...
#1. Airheads Candy
Airheads candy is a taffy-like, chewy, fruity taste of pure awesomeness! This retro confection came out in 1985, it was thought of by Steve Bruner who worked for Perfetti Van Melle. The name Airheads were thought of one night when Bruner approached his three sons and asked them "What do you call your friends when they do something silly?" Finally one of his sons yelled out "Airhead". Steve Bruner thought it was perfect, the name was set. Airheads Candy started out with just one red flavour, now there are over 17! These are sold in droves to children, adults and everyone in between, and for good reason. Airheads Candy are tremendously delicious, perfectly chewy and intensely flavourful! One is never enough. As their slogan says "The World Needs More Airheads!".
#2. Big League Chew Bubble Gum
Shredded, sweet and pleasingly chewy, this retro bubble gum came out in 1980. Big League Chew Bubble Gum was thought of in a bullpen by Portland Mavericks pitcher, Rob Nelson. He was tired of all the chewing tobacco and wanted a healthier choice. Bubblegum was the tasty and ideal solution as a replacement.
Big League Chew Bubble Gum comes in a shredded form and is packaged in a pouch. You can grab a pinch or eat the whole bag, you decide! Big League Chew Bubble Gum is an exceptional bubble gum with its intense taste and ability to blow giant bubbles!
Big League Chew was once made by Wrigley's until being acquired by its current manufacturer The Ford Gum & Machine Company. This retro Bubble Gum comes in a variety of mouthwatering flavours including Ground Ball Grape Bubble Gum, Swingin Sour Apple Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy Bubble Gum, Wild Pitch Watermelon Bubble Gum, and the original Big League Chew, Outta Here Original Bubble Gum. Big League Chew is always a home run!
#3.Skor Candy Bars
This retro, delectable candy bar first came out in 1981. The Skor Bar is a thin and crisp chocolate bar made of brittle butter toffee, coated in milk chocolate. It's a retro candy bar that is worth savouring. The Skor Candy Bar is made by Hershey's. Originally this candy bar came out to compete against the "Heath" candy bar, (the Skor bar's twin) but since Hershey's has now acquired the Heath candy bar, there really is no competition.
These bars are almost identical, there are subtle if any differences between them. The Skor Candy Bar has a more buttery and stronger tasting toffee, the Heath Candy bar's toffee is lighter in colour and more nutty tasting. Both, covered in milk chocolate. These two candy bars tie, they are neck and neck in terms of deliciousness. But to be honest, I think Skor offers a better tasting toffee! If you really want to Skor, you need the Skor Candy Bar!
#4. Runts Candy
Runts Candy have all the fruitiness you desire! They even come in fruit like shapes and cute little hearts! Runts Candy came out in 1982, with the original flavours of Banana, Orange, Cherry, Strawberry and Lime. Throughout the years some of the flavours have changed, Banana, Orange and Strawberry were the sole survivors of Runts, but added to the mix were Grape and Green Apple. Runts Candy were born of the sweet delightfulness of Willy Wonka's imagination, and are known for being hard on the outside and soft on the inside.
With their colourful fruit shapes and enticing fruity flavours, Runts are guaranteed to make you feel like a kid again!
#5. Cow Tales
These creamy and chewy retro candies first came out in 1984. Cow Tales are long, cylinder-shaped candy with an outside coating of delicious caramel and a creamy filling of Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate or Caramel Apple. Cow Tales are made by Goetze's Candy, but before Cow Tales hit the market Goetze's Candy was famous for their Caramel Cream candies, also known as "Bull's Eyes". Since 1984, Cow Tales have been held in eager, countless hands and savoured among millions of Cow Tale fans. They are timeless, chewy and so satisfying! Cow Tales are a loved candy that is recognizable to generations! A retro caramel candy we will never forget!
#6. Garbage Candy
Life as a kid during the 1980's, just would not be complete without a trip to the store for some Garbage Candy! Perhaps thought of as a celebration of dumpster diving, or a clever candy idea that had never before been done. The creator of Garbage Candy is also the man who created "Garbage Pail Kids", a poke at the popular 80's doll the "Cabbage Patch Kids", Art Spiegelman.
You'll find the most delicious, disregarded trash in this garbage can! Among the candy, there are old boots, bottles and a fish carcass. Alongside the yummy candies, the reusable garbage pail is always fun. You can hide your tiny treasures inside after indulging in its sweet garbage! This is one 80's candy, you'll never kick to the curb!
#7.Skittles Candy
"Taste the Rainbow", brings to mind the colourful time of the 1980's, and one of the best retro candies around, Skittles! These retro candies were first made in Britain, before coming to North America in the early 80's. These round and colourful, chewy candies are filled with some of the most marvellous fruity flavours you will ever taste!
Skittles are currently manufactured by the Wrigley company which is a division of Mars Inc. When Skittles candy finally landed in North America, they quickly climbed to the top of the candy charts, and equally as quickly, our mouths! The original flavours of Skittles were grape, lemon, strawberry and green apple. The flavours remained the same up until 1989. Now there are countless varieties, some of their most recent must try Skittles, include the Sweet Heat Skittles and the Sweets and Sour Skittles. With every new release of their intense flavours, the popularity of Skittles only grows.
Skittles candy is produced in 50 countries and sold in 185 countries. Skittles have become a delicious, worldwide phenomenon. All over the world, this tiny, brilliantly coloured candy is enjoyed. It is the rainbow!
#8. Nerds Candy
The world of candy, simply would not exist without the tangy and crunchy deliciousness of Nerds Candy. With Its tiny little morsels of sweet goodness that are always more than delightful to crunch on. Nerds Candy hit store shelves in 1983, and also began to fly off the store shelves. Introduced to us in the 1971 film, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, this candy automatically brings to mind our beloved friend, Willy Wonka. Nerds Candy are currently manufactured by the Ferrara Pan Candy Company.
Nerds come in a dual-chambered box and originally only came in two choices, Cherry/Orange or Strawberry/Grape. The flavours of Nerds has greatly expanded over the years, the choices seem endless! The magic of this retro candy is that although so tiny, Nerds Candy is so intensely flavourful. Some of us like a few at a time, and some love to pour the entire contents into our mouth's at once. No matter how you eat them, Nerds candy will always be one of the most well-loved and popular candies of the 1980's!
#9. Twix Candy Bars
This retro candy bar was first started in the UK before it made it's sweet way to North America in the early 1980's. The Twix Candy Bar contains two bars of a butter cookie center that is topped with creamy caramel while being completely smothered in rich milk chocolate. It quickly became a candy bar favourite in its shiny gold packaging and retro looking orange letters. The Twix Candy bar has a nice crunch to the cookie portion while offering us it's delectable caramel and chocolate combination. This retro candy bar is already enticing as it offers us two twin bars, making it convenient to save some for later or share with a friend. (As if! We both know you are going to eat both)
There were some variations of the Twix Bar in 1989 when the manufacturer, Mars Inc., decided to replace that luscious caramel with a creamy peanut butter. This proved to be not as popular and this peanut butter twist of a Twix bar was soon discontinued. But, there are whispers that it could soon reappear on the market.
The Twix candy bar always hits the spot, great for that afternoon lull or anytime the craving strikes. This delicious bar is full of exquisite crunch and so pleasing with its perfect chocolate and caramel taste. One of the best and most popular candy bars to come out of the 1980's!
#10. Lotsa Fizz Candy
This retro candy is always exciting as it creates a real fizzing sensation in your mouth. Lotsa Fizz Candy is made of a hard outside shell and a special, fizzy and sour powder on the inside. Lotsa Fizz Candy is linked together in a strip of five, so you can't just eat one! The Lotsa Fizz Candy is manufactured by Alberts Candy Company.
Lotsa Fizz candy comes in some awesome fizzy and fruity flavours including Orange, Cherry, Grape, Green Apple and Blue Raspberry. Crunching on one of these retro candies is sure to get your mouth tingling and your tongue fizzing!
Any child of the 80's will remember the Lotsa Fizz Candy fondly, as many recesses were spent counting how many candies you could eat at once. Lotsa Fizz Candies are not only delicious to eat, but they're also a unique and fun candy to experience.
Did 1980's Candy Make You Break Dance?
Some of us spent much of the 1980's practicing break dancing or trying to do the Moon Walk across every slippery surface we could find. There were walkmans and fuzzy legwarmers, but the best thing that happened during the 1980's was most definitely all the delicious candy!
1 comment
Lime was one of the original green Skittles, not apple.