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Author Archives: Jason Liebig
The Colorful Characters of Shari Candies!
I’ve written before about my appreciation of private label or store brand candy packaging and how it offers all manner of variety in what could otherwise be a fairly repetitive category. Oftentimes, private label candy packaging is simply the name … Continue reading
Posted in Bubble Gum, Chocolate, Gum, Gummies, Hard Candy
Tagged candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, mascot, packaging, packaging design, private label, store brand, sweets, vintage candy wrappers, wrapper
3 Comments
Good And Plenty’s Groovy 1960’s Day-Glo Posters!
Candy-related premiums are not a big part of my focus or area of interest though I do find myself enamored with one from time to time, especially when they turn out to be more than just a cheap tchotchke with … Continue reading
Posted in 1960's, 1970's, Boxed
Tagged 1960's, 60's, anti-war, candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, counter-culture, hippie, packaging, packaging design, sweets, vintage candy wrappers, wrapper
2 Comments
Willy Wonka’s DinaSour Eggs – A Classic 80’s Treat!
As Jurassic World continues its weeks-long Summer box office domination, I thought it would be fun to revisit some dinosaur-themed confectionery treats from the past. Most kids delight in dinosaurs and many (myself included) even go through a phase of … Continue reading
Posted in 1980's, Boxed, Hard Candy, Wonka
Tagged 1980's, 80's, 80's candy, 80's Wonka, candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, dinosaur, packaging, packaging design, sweets, vintage candy wrappers, Willy Wonka, Wonka, wrapper
28 Comments
Australia’s Starburst Gummies & More!
As a candy enthusiast, historian and collector, I love finding unusual product or flavor extensions of candy brands I already know well. There’s just something especially compelling about that familiar logo matched up with unfamiliar elements that makes up a … Continue reading
Posted in Gummies, Mars
Tagged Australia, candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, gummi, Gummies, gummy, mascot, New Zealand, packaging, packaging design, Starburst, sweets, vintage candy wrappers, wrapper
4 Comments
Annabelle’s “Sir” Bar – Another Forgotten Classic!
Annabelle’s “Sir” bar is one that has long fascinated me, partly because I loved the logo for it and I had never come across a wrapper for one, as well as the fact that I didn’t really know much about … Continue reading
Posted in 1960's, 1970's, Chocolate
Tagged 1960's, California, candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, logo design, packaging, packaging design, regional, San Francisco, sweets, vintage candy wrappers, West Coast, wrapper
7 Comments
The Pre-Hershey History of Kit Kat USA: Discovered and Uncovered!
Kit Kat’s earliest days are well-recorded. Created in the United Kingdom by the Rowntree company all the way back in 1935 as Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp (officially branded as Kit Kat in 1937), it would eventually grow to become a worldwide … Continue reading
Posted in 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, British, Chocolate, Hershey, Nestle
Tagged candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy history, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, Hershey, Kit Kat, packaging, packaging design, Rowntree, sweets, vintage candy wrappers, wrapper
10 Comments
Avengers Candy Assemble (again)!
This weekend Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron is hitting theaters in the United States, so I thought it was the perfect time to revisit some Avengers-related candy pieces from my collection. Make the jump to check them out!
Posted in 1970's, 1990's, Canadian, Chocolate, Hershey
Tagged Avengers Age of Ultron, Avengers movie, candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, licensing, Marvel, movie, packaging, packaging design, superheroes, sweets, The Avengers, tie-in, vintage candy wrappers, wrapper
4 Comments
The Return (and History) of Reese’s Crunchy!!
This year the Hershey company has given the confectionery world a tasty flashback with their latest revival of Reese’s Crunchy! It’s exciting news and prompted me to look back over the history of Crunchy’s various revivals as well as its … Continue reading
Posted in 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, Chocolate, Hershey, Peanut Butter
Tagged candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, packaging, packaging design, peanut butter, peanut butter and chocolate, Reese, Reese's, sweets, vintage candy wrappers, wrapper
1 Comment
TheCandyGeek Vlog Premieres Today!!
My new TheCandyGeek video blog (or vlog) launches today and I wanted to share the news here on CollectingCandy.com. Make the jump to check it out!
Posted in Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Holiday, TheCandyGeek
Tagged candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, packaging, packaging design, sweets, vintage candy wrappers, wrapper
2 Comments
Sweetarts Easter Candy and More From the 1990’s!
Happy Easter, everyone! To mark today’s holiday, I’ve opened my archives and dug back to the 1990’s for a wonderful set of Sweetarts Easter promotional sales materials. These feature a surprisingly diverse and delightful array of Easter product under the Sweetarts … Continue reading
Posted in 1990's, Boxed, Easter, Gummies, Holiday, Nestle, Sour Candy, Wonka
Tagged candy collecting, candy collection, candy collector, candy wrapper collection, candy wrapper collector, collectible, collecting candy, confectionery, confections, packaging, packaging design, Sweet Tarts, Sweetarts, sweets, Sweettarts, vintage candy wrappers, wrapper
3 Comments
![I was going to title this “If your family was poor and you grew up in the 1980s, this image will hit your soul.” but after some consideration, I realized that in 1983 your family didn’t have to be poor to want to find whatever way they could to save money.
Those early 1980s years were a period still coming to grips with years of inflation and other economic troubles. Those realities helped give way (and opportunity) to not only lower-cost private label products, but also “generics”.
The idea behind generics was that you were getting the absolute lowest cost possible for the item in question. Not a cent spent on design or advertising - it was plainly utilitarian.
The generics area of any grocery aisle (or your pantry) was visually stark and minimalist, so if you loved specific brands or eye-catching branding, it was also kind of sad. But for families that were struggling, cents mattered and these products were lifelines.
In the post pandemic years, we’ve had to endure similar inflation and so we’ve seen big growth in the private label category. Though I haven’t seen a movement to embrace “generics” in the same way.
Rather, private label has been an area of colorful innovation, offering the cost-savings without sacrificing all of the flash.
And while these generics of old were products one might have felt sad or embarrassed about having as a child, as a brand historian I find them nostalgic and deeply moving for the struggling family story they can help tell.
[Pictured are several early 1980s generic Mac and cheese boxes from my historical packaging archives.]
#privatelabel #branding #1980s #80snostslgia #genericproducts](http://collectingcandy.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)