Retro Penny Candy Store in a Box

Size: A pound of retro favorites in a 10x7x2" box

root beer barrels (Sugar, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Artificial Color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1), caramel cubes (Sugar, Corn Syrup, Skim Milk, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Cottonseed and/or Palm Kernel Oil), Whey Powder, Milk Cream, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Mono and Diglycerides, Artificial Flavor), Fireballs (Sugar, Contains Less Than 2% of the Following: Modified Food Starch (Corn), Artificial Flavor, Carnauba Wax, Acacia (Gum Arabic), Titanium Dioxide (Color), Red 40 Lake), candy buttons (Corn syrup, sugar, food starch-modified, malic acid, natural and artificial flavors, sodium citrate, and artificial colors), Cream Caramels (Wheat flour, corn syrup, dextrose, sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, modified whey, skim milk, cream, mono & diglycerides, salt, soy lecithin, corn starch, and artificial flavors) Dubble Bubble(Sugar, Dextrose, Corn Syrup (Glucose), Gum Base, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Artificial Flavors, Artificial Color (FD&C Red 3), Corn Starch, BHT (to maintain freshness), Pixy Stix ('DEXTROSE, MALTODEXTRIN, CITRIC ACID, AND LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL FLAVORS, BLUE 1 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE, RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 5 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE), Charleston Chews (Corn Syrup, Sugar, Palm Kernel and Palm Oil, Nonfat Dry Milk, Cocoa, Lactose, Milk Protein Concentrate, Egg Albumen, Artificial Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Soy Protein, Salt, Sodium Citrate), Nik L Nips (Refined Wax, Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Artificial Flavors, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (preservatives), Artificial Colors (FD&C red 40, blue 1, yellow 5, yellow 6), BHT (to maintain freshness). Soy may be present)Dum-Dums (Sugar, Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Salt, Artificial Flavor, Color Added (Includes Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 1), Bit O’ Honey (Corn Syrup, Sugar, Nonfat Milk, Hydrogeneted Coconut Oil, Almonds (Almonds,Safflower and/or Cottonseed and/or Canola Oil), Honey, Salt, Egg Whites, Modified Soy Protein, Natural Flavor), pulled creams (Sugar, Real Dairy Cream , Real Dairy Butter, Chocolate, Salt, Baking Soda, Vinegar, Glycerine, Potassium Sorbate, a preservative, Tenox (an anti-oxidant to prevent rancidity.), candy sticks (Sugar, Citrus Acid, Peppermint Oil, Artificial Food Coloring), jelly beans (Sugar, Corn Syrup, Cornstarch, Modified Cornstarch, Maltodextrin, FD&C Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Titanium Dioxide, Blue 1, Red 3, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Carnauba Wax, Beeswax, Confectioner's Glaze), Circus Peanuts (Sugar, Corn Syrup, Gelatin, Pectin, Artificial Flavor, Color Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40), Taffy (CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, COCONUT OIL, SEA SALT, EGG WHITES, EVAPORATED MILK, COCOA, MALIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, ARTIFICIAL COLORS (INCLUDING FD&C BLUE 1, RED 3, RED 40, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6), Tootsie Rolls (sugar, corn syrup, palm oil, condensed skim milk, cocoa, whey, soy lecithin, and artificial and natural flavors.)Lifesavers (Sugar, Corn Syrup, Artificial Flavor, Stearic Acid), Jaw Busters (sucrose, contains less than 2% of the following: modified food starch, natural and artificial flavor, carnauba wax, gum acacia, color added, red 40 lake, yellow 5 lake, yellow 6 lake, yellow 6, blue 1 lake, and blue 2 lake), gummy bears (Gelatin, sugar, glucose syrup, starch, flavoring, food coloring, citric acid)

Penny Candy was made in the mid-1800s, many by pharmacists who used sugar in medicines. Sure they were made especially for working class kids; for most a chance to purchase something in a store. And yes, the candy, chewy, spicey, sweet and delicious. But the best part was that kids could buy those marvelous treats in a penny candy store. One of the beauties of the penny candy store was how you collected the stash. Some were unwrapped and you picked these up with a small scoop, set of prongs, or at the beach-side shops when no one was looking, your bare hands. Others were individually wrapped and ready, labeled, sanitary, and above all, self-contained… So who invented penny candy in the first place? Take a look:

Penny candy was a product of innovation and industry. African American engineer Norbert Rillieux invented a revolutionary sugar evaporator, making sugar processing quick, clean, and relatively safe. While trying to make glue, industrialist Peter Cooper invented instant gelatin, a key ingredient in many marshmallows and other sweets. And, in 1847, pharmacist Oliver Chase invented a pill cutter which he used to make NECCO Wafers, an early penny candy and parent to Conversation Hearts. In England, meanwhile, Quaker chocolatier Joseph Fry developed the first chocolate bar.

 American candy production halted during the Civil War then returned with a momentum fueled by marketing. Names were paramount to success, hence the success of the corn-like candy “Chicken Feed”  later called “Candy Corn” (1880); “saltwater taffy,” a seaside delight with no salt in it (1880s); “Good & Plenty,” the first branded candy that said it all(1893); and British “Allsorts” (1899), with all sorts of licorice in one serving. Chewing gum, with a tree resin base, was sold in the late 1880s. Selections included Adam’s “Black Jack” gum and “Beemans” with a picture of the very handsome Dr. Beeman in the ads.

In the late 1800s, chocolate morphed from a gritty drink to a satiny delight, thanks to two Swiss chocolatiers. One, Rodolphe Lindt, invented a machine that made chocolate smooth and satiny. The other, Daniel Peters, invented milk chocolate with his neighbor, pharmacist Henri Nestle. Americans joined in, such as H.O. Wilbur maker of a chocolate “kiss” and Milton Hershey, a marketing master. But from chocolate-covered nuts to enrobed caramels, Americans loved “French” chocolate best – even if it was made in the U.S.!

Best of all, the exclusive candies of the wealthy morphed into penny candies: fun, tasty, and cheap. Whether Tootsie Rolls or rock candy, they were glistening and ready to delight kids of all classes and backgrounds. And so they did!