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Jawbreakers are a classic. They're round and hard, with seven or so layers in a variety of flavors: some fruity, some tangy, but all sweet. The layers themselves are slightly different hues, looking somewhat like the solar system. Jaw Breakers are fun, durable and a great treat for kids who never want their candy experience to end.
Jaw Breakers stand apart from other candies. One is their history. Jaw Breakers were a kind of sugar plum, with a central grain of sugar, replacing the nut or seed that was typically inside. But, unlike sugar plums, made mainly for the well-to-do, Jaw Breakers were made for kids, especially so-called working-class kids. Affordable, delightful, irreplaceable. The other attribute is its longevity. For well over 100 years, Jaw Breakers have held their own from general stores to penny candy stores to the internet stores of today.
As for the name: "jaw breaker" meant a hard-to-pronounce word way back in 1839 and later was slang for "dentist."
