Zotz Candy History: The Retro Treat That Fizzes and Pops in Your Mouth

From True Treats, the Undeclared, Unofficial ZotZ Shop

One of the many beauties of candy is it reflects our culture and interests. So, you can imagine the goings on in candy companies during the Cold War when Americans were obsessed with UFOs, the space race, nuclear bombs and imminent doom (in the candy world, anything is fair game!). While the variety of explosive/fizzy/neon-hued candies has hardly died down, there’s nothing like the classics. One of the most inexplicable is ZotZ, the strange hard candy with an unruly name, back story, texture, and taste.

In case you didn’t know, Italian-made ZotZ candy has a deceptively tasty hard candy shell, reminiscent of the sweets in old time candy bowls. But let the candy dissolve in your mouth – or better yet, bite into it just as it hits your tongue – and a sour foam erupts—classic candy that pops in your mouth. This experience, which once was the stuff of pranks, is now considered a delightful candy indulgence. But ZotZ are not unique, rather a latecomer in the lineage of fizzy candy, imbued with hilarity, audacity, and scandal —if you’re wondering what makes Zotz fizz.

Retro Candies with a Fizzy Twist

Napoleon Sours

The first to enter the fizz-scene is the lesser-known Napoleon Sours. Napoleon Sours were made in the Netherlands in1912.  The candy has a delightfully tart lemon shell and a tangy lemon powder inside. As Napoleon Sours are all-natural, their flavor is pure sour, not brash or chemical like today's sour candies. As for the name: candy-maker, Louis Janssen, apparently was having a drink with a candy-maker friend, who had just named his newest chocolate creation “Caesar.” Inspired, Janssen named his candy “Napoleon.” Two great candies, two monumental dictators. What gives the candy its powdery zing? The ingredients are simple enough - Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Citric Acid, Dextrose, Natural Flavor, Colored with Turmeric.

Flying Saucers (Satellite Wafers)

Another Cold War star, Satellite Wafers, aka Flying Saucers, were made in Belgium in the 1950s. The outer shell of these unique candies is made of thin, edible rice paper, that dissolves in your mouth instantly, leaving a sea of crunchy sugar beads. They were made to look like flying saucers as the name reveals. Shake them and the tiny candy beads roll around like happy extraterrestrials. Unlike ZotZ, which was made specifically as a candy, Satellite Wafers were invented by a communion wafer maker in Belgium whose sales were down. So, he used his communion wafers to make his other -worldly candy creation.

Pop Rocks

Perhaps the most remarkable of the Cold War delights is the ever-popular Pop Rocks. No doubt, this candy’s success has to do with the Pop Rocks scandal, likely the most volatile scandal to hit any candy, Cold War or not. Pop Rocks was invented by chemist William A. Mitchell, the mastermind behind quick-set Jell-O, the non-dairy whipped cream Cool Whip, and Tang, the official beverage of astronauts, all very Cold War-ish in their own ways. But Pop Rocks, his biggest hit, started as a failure.

In 1956, Mitchell attempted to make a powder that instantly turned still water into a carbonated drink. The drink was a flop, but Mitchell knew he was onto something candy-wise. He patented the idea in 1961, but to no avail. The invention lay dormant until Pop Rocks, the candy, finally hit the market, essentially little extraterrestrial rock-like candies that exploded in your mouth. That was in 1976. All was well until 1979 when the Pop Rocks scandal erupted.

Pop Rocks vs Zotz: What’s the Difference?

Call it a fizzy candy comparison with attitude: Pop Rocks are tiny CO₂ grenades—sugar glass packed under pressure that snap, crackle, and gossip on the tongue. Zotz are pranksters in suits, a sweet shell concealing acids plus baking soda that foam like a cheeky volcano. Instant fireworks vs. slow-burn eruption: pick a party, pop accordingly.

Hysteria > Chemistry: The Urban Legend That Wouldn’t Fizz Out

Somehow, somewhere, someone decided that Pop Rocks would explode in your stomach if consumed with soda. No mere cautionary tale, this tidbit escalated into hysteria with claims saying that children were dropping dead everywhere, including a well-known TV personality who was, and likely still is, alive. In response, General Foods sent thousands of letters and newspaper ads insisting that the worst Pop Rocks could do is make you burp. Even the FDA weighed in, setting up a hotline for parents should they suspect that their kids took a lethal dose of Pop Rocks and soda. As for the kids? The horrors circulating about Pop Rocks stocked their enthusiasm for the product incalculably. Pop Rocks were simultaneously banned, blacklisted and purchased to towering heights, until, ultimately, manufacturing shut down.

Obviously, Pop Rocks did reappear and is with us today. Us candy enthusiasts are grateful.

 As for the question, what ingredient, be it magical or deadly, causes the explosion? The answer is definitely a let-down to the scandal-inclined: an infusion of carbon dioxide.

The Unexpected Origins of Zotz

 All this brings us back to ZotZ. We know the flavor. We know the texture. What remains are two salient matters: Why the name and what makes it foam. Let’s start with the name. Unlike Pop Rocks and Satellite Wafers, ZotZ, the name, has no direct connection to the Cold War. Or does it? On the mundane-ish side, the word Zotz actually goes back to a German surname meaning “tuft” or “plume” although some sources say it means “bat” - as in the flying kind.  Other experts say it goes back to the ancient Mayan culture. The company, on their Web site, explains, the company owns the name because “With two ZZs in FIZZ and two ZZs in ZOTZ” it just workz. And, we must admit, that reasoning has a slight, 1970s Cold War flourish.

But wait! The true Cold War connection is undeniable as an umbilical cord. That would be the 1962 comedy/science fiction movie “Zotz!” In the movie, “an ordinary, everyday absent-minded professor” as the narrator tells us, comes across an amulet of great interest to the Americans and their real-life foes, the Russian Communists. The amulet has three powers any modern-day superhero would envy. First, just pointing the amulet at any living creature causes great pain. More to the point, just saying the word "Zotz!", will make time go in slow motion. Most remarkable, simultaneously pointing the amulet and saying "Zotz!" will cause instant death. What better name for a Cold War-era exploding candy?

The Science Behind the Fizz

What makes ZotZ fizz? For readers curious about Zotz candy ingredients, it’s a benign mix of malic and tartaric acids with the ever-powerful sodium bicarbonate, better known as baking soda—chemistry’s equivalent of a handshake that turns into jazz hands the second it meets saliva. The sweet shell plays decoy, the core cues the reaction, and suddenly the tongue’s hosting a tiny foam party.

Where to Buy Zotz and Other Retro Candy Today

Want to buy ZotZ candy? We have some waiting right here, right now at True Treats. Want to watch Zotz! while eating ZotZ the exploding candy? Here’s a link: Zotz Movie - Fan of modern short videos? No problem! The company has numerous Instagram/TikTok sized videos compliments of YouTube, now dubbed “Fizz Power Candy!” And if browsing beyond ZotZ sounds sweet, explore our wider trove of nostalgic treats at our retro candy shop.