Some candies are definitely a sign of the
times. We can even pinpoint certain eras just by the type of candy that was sold. So let’s
take a trip back in time before smartphones and smart TVs and check out more Top 10 Best
Candies of the 90’s. Blow Pops Remember Blow Pops? They were a proverbial
favorite for many kids in the 90’s. Basically, they were lollipops with gum in the center.
The Charms company, which has been around for over 100 years, produces these candy treats.
The company was started by Walter W. Reid Jr of New Jersey in 1912. The original candies
were not lollipops at all, but individual cellophane wrapped hard candies that came
in Tropical flavors. It was during WWII that the candy shot to stardom. However, it took
a while for them to morph into the Blow Pops that we know today. Blow Pops were only developed
in the early 1970s and by the 1990's had become the best-selling item ever released by the Charms
Company. In the 70's, lollipops were all the rage and were made even more popular due
to the 70’s detective show Kojak. The show starred Telly Savalas as the title character
Kojak - a cool bald-headed detective who sucked on
lollipops while solving crimes. Did you know that Blow Pops were the first bubble gum-filled
lollipop in the world? Kids loved them because it was like getting two candies in one - a
hard candy and a chewy gum center. Blow Pops came in different flavors like watermelon,
strawberry, cherry, grape and sour apple. Charms were also the makers of Charm Squares and
Sweet & Sour Pops and Sour Balls. In the 80’s, the company was sold to the Tootsie Roll Company,
the largest lollipop manufacturer in the world. Runts The “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids” of candy,
who doesn’t remember loving Runts? These tasty candy treats come in different shapes
of tiny pieces of fruit. We first saw them hit the market in the early 80’s, but they
hit the pinnacle of their popularity in the 90’s. These candies are packed with lots
of flavor and each fruity Runt consists of compressed sugar (much like a SweeTart) with
a hard outer candy shell. Runts originally came in banana, cherry, strawberry, orange
and lime flavors - with each respective flavor in the shape of its corresponding fruit. In
the late 90’s they added watermelon and blue raspberry but discontinued the lime flavor.
In the 2000’s, various other flavors were tried and then subsequently discontinued as
well. Runts pack quite a punch, both in flavor and in crunch. These candies are quite hard
and you could easily crack a tooth while crunching into one. Runts were invented by The Willy
Wonka Candy Company, which was later acquired by Nestle. Yes, there truly was a Willy Wonka
Candy Company. So if you're looking for a small candy packed with a kick, then Runts
are for you! Though you better have a good dental plan just in case. Big League Chew Big League Chew is a popular bubble gum brand,
easily recognizable largely due to the image of a cartoon baseball player on its package.
It has been around since 1980, but reached the pinnacle of success during the 90’s
when every kid loved to chew on this bubble gum - especially if you were into playing
baseball. Big League Chew Gum was the brainchild of a Portland Mavericks baseball player named
Rob Nelson and bat boy Todd Field. Their idea of a shredded bubble gum that came in a pouch
was pitched to the Wrigley Company as an alternative to chewing tobacco, which was popular among
ball players. Since its inception, 800 million packs of this gum have been sold worldwide.
So popular is this brand that it even has an official endorsement from the Baseball
Hall of Fame. It is sold in its traditional pink color with cartoony packaging originally
designed by artist Bill Mayer. Other flavors include sour apple and grape. Today, Big
League Chew is manufactured in the United States by the Ford Gum & Machine Company
after acquiring the rights from Wrigley. The original slogan from the 80’s "You're in
the big leagues when you're into Big League Chew!" is still used to this day. This is
one of the best candies from the 90’s that is still going strong today. Jujyfruits Jujyfruits is a brand of chewy, gumdrop-like candy
which became very popular in the 90’s after being referenced in a Seinfeld Episode. These
candies are not only a favorite with kids but adults alike. Every hero needs a nemesis
and Jujyfruits are no different. They are in direct competition with another favorite
American chewy candy - the jujube. Jujyfruits may have been popular in the 90’s, but they
were actually first produced in the 1920’s by the Heide Company. It was started by a
German immigrant, Henry Heide in 1869, and his name was stamped on each Jujyfruits candy.
The brand changed hands a few times since then and is now owned by the Ferrara Candy
Company. Jujyfruits first made a name for themselves after mainly being sold in cinemas
and theatres. But today they can be found almost anywhere. Interestingly enough, although
Jujyfruits are fruity flavored and come in fruit and vegetable shapes, the flavor corresponds
with the colors and not the shapes. So, you may get a surprise when you put them in your
mouth. But, that’s all part of the fun. The different shapes include Asparagus, Banana, Pea
Pod, Pineapple, Raspberry, and Tomato. Fruity flavors include raspberry, black licorice, lime, orange
and lemon. You can also find a sour variety. Once upon a time, the green colored Jujyfruits
were mint flavored. In 1999, Hershey, the company that owned them at the time, changed
those mint candies to lime after a survey proved the flavor was not that popular with
customers. Mint or lime, Jujyfruits were all the rage in the 90s and still are. Spin Pops Talk about gimmicky! Spin Pops were another
popular lollipop that made its first appearance in the 90’s. They were basically a battery-operated
lollipop that spins around. Sounds cool, but when you think about it, it’s kinda like
we all got lazy in the 90’s and needed this one because we couldn’t do the licking ourselves.
Invented by two couples from Virginia, Ann & Bill Schlotter and Tom & Ann Coleman, in
1993, Spin Pops sold 15 million lollipops in one year at $4 dollars a pop. They started
as a home business; while they were all working for the U.S. Postal Service, they were living
the dream as amateur inventors. The Spin Pop was basically a lollipop with handles that
hold batteries. The Spin Pop handle, which is reusable, holds the stick of a ball-shaped
lollipop. At the flick of a switch, the candy rotates. They also invented the Laser Pop
the following year in which the handle acts like a flashlight, illuminating a 4-inch-long,
sword-shaped candy on the end. We’re not sure how many of those they sold, but let’s
just that they were all able to retire. These novelty lollipops still have a place in today’s
market with the concept even expanding to rotating Pez dispensers. It continues to be
a multimillion-dollar venture and popular with kids. Having licensing deals to create
Spin Pops based on Disney Characters, Comic book heroes, Minions or Star Wars characters
probably doesn’t hurt either. Spin Pops may have started in the 90’s but they are
still a fan favorite. Mega Warheads Mega Warhead Candies are another hard sour
candy of the 90’s that will have you puckering up your lips. These candies are super sour
fruit pellets that will make tongues tingle with their sour power. Kids would run to the
store to buy tons of these packets to share with friends just to watch their faces contort.
They came in flavors such as Apple, Black Cherry, Blue Raspberry and Watermelon. Warheads
Candy was actually invented in Taiwan in 1975, before making its way to North America in
1993, by way of The Foreign Candy Company of Iowa. Today they are produced by Impact
Confections who purchased the brand in 2004. Its fierce sour flavor is one of the most
intense tasting sour candies on the market. How sour are these candies? Just check out
the face on the wrapper! Yes, your head will explode. Imagine popping a few of these into
your mouth at the same time. The sourness of Warheads Candy comes mostly from the powdery
coating on the outside of the candy which is made from malic acid. The exclusive special
coating on Warheads Candy is kept top secret. They are still very popular today as sour
candy never really goes out of style with the kids. The packaging also comes with a
warning stating that, "Eating multiple pieces within a short time period may cause a temporary
irritation to sensitive tongues and mouths”. Mega Warheads are still one of the best sour
candies of all time if you want to numb your mouth for days. Candy Ice Cream Twist-N-Lik Candy Ice Cream Twist-N-Lik was another invention
from the 90’s that had all the kids buzzing. It was more like a liquid or jelly that came
out of a cone shaped container. A far cry from actual ice cream, the product was very
gimmicky. First, it did not resemble anything like milky white ice cream or even close to
it. In fact, kids probably enjoyed it more for its packaging than anything else. Invented
by Koko’s Confectionery & Novelty of Maryland in 1995, Twist-N-Lik was more along the lines
of a toy. This novelty candy came in a lot of plastic packaging that kids had a hard
time unwrapping. But once they tasted the jelly like product that oozed out of the colorful
cone, they loved it. No fuss, no mess, all they had to do was remove the cap, twist the
bottom, and the fruit flavored candy would ooze out from the top. Flavors included Blue
Raspberry, Cherry, or Strawberry. No vanilla, chocolate or any other typical ice cream flavors
in this product line. The company went on to make other similar candies and did very
well. Another popular product added to their roster was Slush Puppie squeeze candy. Tiny Size Gum The most memorable of the Tiny Sized Gum was
made by Chiclets. Chiclets were introduced in the 1900’s by the American Chicle Company
founded by Thomas Adams. Introduced originally only in peppermint flavor, the Chiclets name
is a Mexican Spanish word meaning sticky stuff. It refers to pre-Columbian chewing
gum which was found throughout MesoAmerica. This pre-Columbian chewing gum was made out
of sap from various trees, but especially from the sapodilla tree. Chiclets are essentially
the same as the indigenous chicle, with the innovation of a hard sugar coating offered
in various flavors and colors. They were a popular chewing gum for most of the century;
it was not until 1962 that the tiny version was introduced in the form of little gems
that came in different fruit flavors. They reached the peak of popularity in the 90’s,
and it was around this time that the formula changed too. The candies' interiors became
color & flavor-coordinated with the outer shell to give the gum an even fruitier flavor.
They eventually disappeared off the shelves but made a return briefly in 2008. As of 2016,
the brand was discontinued in the US, but you can still find chiclets in Mexico where
they are still manufactured, under the name Motitas. Squeeze Pops Another all-time favorite of the 90’s that
will open the memory floodgates and cause the sweet taste of nostalgia to ooze out are
Squeeze Pops. The most popular brand was by Hubba Bubba. Many people recognize the name
Hubba Bubba because of the bubble gum. These were not your typical hard or chewy candy
but a squeeze tube that oozed a colorful fruity flavored liquid gel. Originally produced by
WM Wrigley Company, Squeeze pops came in three different flavors: Cherry, Watermelon and
Raspberry. Later they added Sour Squeeze Pops. The Hubba Bubba Brand was discontinued
in the U.S. in the early 1990s, but was still being sold in many countries worldwide.
It did make a brief resurgence in 2014 but this Squeeze Pop brand has not been sold for
years. However, you may still find some for sale online. Squeeze Pops were one of the
best things invented in the 90’s. These days they have something called Ooze tubes:
gooey liquid candy which looks almost identical, and they even have a Green Apple flavor to
try. Pop Rocks Pop Rocks are legendary. They even play a
starring role in a widely recounted urban legend. These were a favourite of many kids
in the 90’s, and they came about completely by accident. Pop Rocks were discovered by
two chemists at the General Foods lab while they were trying to design an instant soft
drink in the 60’s. The product only actually came to market in the 80’s, but General
Foods later withdrew it from the marketplace in 1983 saying the product was not successful.
After Kraft’s purchase of General Foods, it licensed the Pop Rocks brand to the company Zeta
Especial S.A. who continues to manufacture the product to this day. By the 90’s, Pop
Rocks were all the rage. They popped and fizzed when you put the candies in your mouth. If
you were brave, you would drop the whole packet in your mouth at once, creating an exhilarating
candy explosion. No wonder the kids loved them. The urban legend surrounding Pop Rocks
was that drinking soda with them would cause your stomach to explode. One of these stories
involved child actor John Gilchrist (Mikey) from the Life Cereal TV ads. Rumor had it
that he died after consuming excessive amounts of Pop Rocks and Coke. Well don’t believe
everything you hear as Mikey is still alive and well and has become Sales Director at
the MSG Network. This legend gained further traction with the dawn of the digital age
when people began to post videos of themselves doing... well, anything—including mixing
pop rocks and soda. These videos have yielded millions of views online, proving that the
interest in Pop Rocks still exists today. And more importantly, the theory that one's
stomach would explode if consuming both Pop Rocks and soda was put to the test many times,
and it ultimately failed, proving that Pop Rocks are indeed safe. You may get a little
gassy, but you will survive! Stick around and tap that screen for more
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