Prohibition Lifesavers: When Butter-Rum was Butter-Yum!

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Jason Liebig

[UPDATE:  Timeline updated on March 4th, 2012]

There are but a select few branded confections that can claim to have been around a century, and as of this year, Lifesavers is one of them.  For a collector, Lifesavers provide such a history and array of offerings that you could have a hobby focused on them alone.

I’ve enjoyed the bits I’ve learned about the history of “The Candy with the Hole” and today I’m going to share one of the more colorful discoveries I’ve made about one particular flavor: Butter-Rum.

Lifesavers - Butter-Rum 6-pack box side - 1960's

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Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Wacky Wednesdays – Dots n’ Shots edition.

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jason Liebig

Happy Leap Day, everyone!  February 29th – a perfect day to launch Wacky Wednesdays.

Long before I started collecting candy, I was collecting and sticking Wacky Packages.  But my love of both originated at the same time; during my early childhood in the 1970’s.

For those that might not know, Wacky Packages are packaging parody stickers, whose targets are exclusively consumer-purchased products.  Wacky Packages were a huge phenomenon in the early 70’s, having even outsold baseball cards for a time –  an unprecedented feat where non-sport cards were concerned.

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Posted in 1970's, 1980's, Gum | 8 Comments

Nude M&M’s?!? – A pair of my favorite Australian candy packages.

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Jason Liebig

I’ve been seeing a new commercial for M&M’s here in the United States that I’ve gotten quite a kick out of.  It features a new M&M’s character at a party; Ms. Brown, voiced by Vanessa Williams.

M&M's Ms. Brown - Vanessa Williams

Because her candy coating is chocolate-colored, a few other guests get the wrong idea that she is, in fact, naked.  This culminates when Red (another M&M’s mascot) shows up, and thinking it’s “that kind of party” pulls off his shell and begins to dance.

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Posted in M&M's, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Bub’s Daddy – A 70’s stick of bubble gum goodness.

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Jason Liebig

If you weren’t around in the 1970’s, you might think that Bub’s Daddy is a strange name for bubble gum.  If you were around then, you’ll likely recognize it as a colorful mainstay from the candy shelves of memory.

Produced by Donruss, the earliest dated evidence of Bub’s Daddy I can find is a 1971 trade ad.  Trademark evidence points to Bub’s Daddy having a 1967 or 1968 release.

[Note: Trademark info for Bub’s Daddy shows a filing date of 2/2/1967 and a registration date of 1/30/1968.]

Donruss – Bub’s Daddy bubble gum trade ad – 1971

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Posted in 1970's, Bubble Gum | 105 Comments

Oscar Sunday and a Hooray for the Hollywood candy bar!

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Jason Liebig

It’s Oscar Sunday, and on a night that celebrates the cinema, I’d like to celebrate a few pieces of candy packaging that have a Hollywood connection.

In a way, so much of the vintage candy I talk about is connected to the movies.  After all, how many of our favorite confectionery treats were consumed during matinees in dark theaters?

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Posted in 1960's, 1970's, Chocolate | 8 Comments

Tart ‘n Tinys – Because Paul Rudd demanded it.

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Jason Liebig

Cards on the table – Paul Rudd didn’t actually demand this piece on Tart ‘n Tinys, at least not consciously.  Subconsciously on the other hand…

Paul Rudd with a bowl of candy - The Daily Show - February 24th, 2012

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Posted in 1970's | 6 Comments

Paul Rudd talking vintage candy with Jon Stewart today!

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Jason Liebig

I was already a Paul Rudd fan, so it was especially cool to see him bringing up some CollectingCandy.com favorites on today’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart:  Tart n Tinys, Bottle Caps, Choco’lite and Marathon bars.

Not sure if the embedded video will play on iPad/Iphone – for those devices, check out the direct link here.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Paul Rudd
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Oddball Spinoffs – Bit-O-Honey Edition

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Jason Liebig

These days, seeing special limited edition flavors of candy is a typical occurrence.  Just last night I came across Easter-themed packages of M&M’s Coconut and I’ve still got a bag of Candy Corn M&M’s in my fridge.

Companies have been spinning-off their franchise brands for decades, though in the past these were often meant to be permanent line extensions, not just limited run editions.

As a collector, I’ve long been particularly enamored with what I call “oddball spinoffs” of classic brands.  To me, they’re like seeing alternate-dimension versions of your favorite superheroes – I can’t tell you exactly why I have a special fondness for them, but I do.

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Posted in 1960's, 1970's, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

From the time-machine – Reed’s candy boxes from the 1970’s.

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Jason Liebig

When I posted about those 30-year-old unopened candy bars last week, I said that finding old candy wasn’t easy so you have to look for it wherever you can.

Today’s post will illustrate that while vintage candy is exceedingly difficult to find, it is out there and sometimes just takes the right kind of curiosity to uncover.  With that in mind, I’m going to share how I came into possession of a decades-old case of Reeds candy.

For those that don’t know, Reeds were a roll candy, somewhat similar to Lifesavers though they had their own appeal and dedicated fans.

Reed's candy trade ad - 1968

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Posted in 1970's, Hard Candy, Uncategorized | 18 Comments

Cellophane Struggles – Challenges of the See-Thru Stuff

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Jason Liebig

Cellophane – as a candy fan, it’s easy to love.  As a candy packaging collector – it presents  some challenges you have probably never considered.

Cellophane was first conceived by Swiss chemist, Jacques E. Brandenberger in France in 1900, and put into manufacture in 1912.  One of the first companies to embrace it was the Whitman candy company, initially for their Whitman’s Sampler.  Beyond just an early adopter of the new packaging material, Whitman remained the largest US importer of cellophane until 1924.

Whitman's Sampler - magazine advertisement - 1951 - Courtesy Wishbook

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Posted in 1970's, Uncategorized | 3 Comments