Remember trying to satisfy those sweet tooth cravings as we were growing up? Those of us from my generation were really lucky, because the variety of sweets seemed to be greater, and a lot of them that now would cost anywhere from a quarter to a dollar or more, cost us a penny to a nickel.

I remember going down to the Mom and Pop Corner Store at the end of our street, and cashing in a few pop bottles and walking out carrying a small paper bag with a handful of candy treats, sure to take care of those cravings, and probably spoil our dinner too.

It seems, too, that many of those varieties of candy and such have been taken from the shelves of our stores today. Some may be able to be found in bulk sections of supermarkets, or at a vintage store (i.e. Vidler’s), and some can maybe even be found online and purchased that way. Otherwise, many of those favorite bite sized morsels are just good memories of a time gone by, but I bet they can still tickle our taste buds, just thinking about them, and the times they represent.

See if these make your mouth water and maybe return you to the days of your youth:

¯ Jellied Cinnamon Squares

¯ Marshmallow Peanuts

¯ Peanut Butter Kisses

¯ Good-n-Plenty

¯ Tootsie Rolls (bite sized and Candy Bar Sized)

¯ Mike-n-Ike

¯ Chuckles

¯ Ju-Jy Fruits

¯ Necco Wafers

¯ Mallo Cups

¯ Rollo

¯ Smoothies

¯ Chunky Candy Bars

¯ Bit-O-Honey

¯ Nik-L-Nip (Wax Bottles)

¯ Dad’s Root Beer Barrels

¯ Licorice Laces (Black and Red – Looked like Spaghetti)

¯ Baby Ruth Candy Bars

¯ Pixy Stix

¯ Red Hots

¯ Candy Necklaces

¯ Wax Lips

¯ Hot Tamales

¯ Candy Buttons (on strips of paper)

¯ Dum Dum Suckers

¯ Funny Face Fruit Drink (Competitor of Kool-Aid)

¯ Atomic Fire Balls

¯ Goobers

¯ Fizzies

¯ Raisinettes

¯ Clark Bars

¯ Double Bubble Gum

¯ Tootsie Pops

¯ Bazooka Bubble Gum

¯ Brach’s Candies

¯ Turkish Taffy

¯ Jelly Nougats

¯ Charleston Chew

¯ Clove Gum

¯ Pez Candies

¯ Beemans Gum

¯ Sour Balls

¯ Black Jack Gum

¯ Saf-T-Pops (Remember the looping string holders?)

¯ Juicy Fruit Gum

¯ Fruit Stripe Gum

¯ Doublemint Gum

¯ Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum

¯ Coconut Watermelon Slices

¯ Ice Cube Chocolate Squares

¯ Old Fashioned Fruit Slices

¯ B B Bats Taffy Pops

¯ Caramel Cubes

¯ Sugar Daddy Pops

¯ Giant Gumdrops

¯ Jawbreakers

¯ Sugar Babies

¯ Vermont Maple Leaf Candy

¯ Old Fashioned Ribbon Candy

¯ Lifesavers

¯ Raspberry Filled Hard Candy (Looked like candy raspberries)

¯ Kookaburra Licorice (Red and Black)

¯ Kits Candies

¯ Jelly Beans (Black Licorice were my favorites)

¯ Old Fashioned Horehound Drops

¯ Goetze’s Caramel Creams

As stated, some of these are still on the market. Some are in stores we visit regularly, some are found in specialty candy stores, some are in supermarkets, and some are on websites. Most are probably good to stay away from due to our age and balancing sugars in our bodies, or maybe dealing with teeth issues, but you can’t tell me that these morsels of sweetness don’t bring back memories of good times gone by, and mental reminiscences of our personal ages of innocence (though not too many of us were completely innocent back then.)

On a March 1981 episode of M*A*S*H titled “Bless you, Hawkeye,” Major, and Psychologist, Sidney Freedman was called to diagnose Hawkeye’s excessive sneezing and itching. When he got to the root of Cpt. Pierce’s issues, they found it was something that happened to him in his childhood, and it was brought back by a scent that Hawkeye encountered. Hawkeye was surprised at this discovery diagnosis by Dr. Freedman. Major Freedman told Hawkeye that the slightest thing could trigger a memory, good or bad. Things like a song, a picture, a place, a taste, and even a scent, could bring him back to something significant from his past, be it a good memory, or a bad one.

I am counting on, even betting on, Sidney’s diagnosis regarding this piece, thinking the mention of some of these sweet treats might bring back a special taste, or stickiness, or texture, etc., that will take you back to a great time in your lives. It might even send you to the store, or online to get some of the confectionaries you made your favorites when you were a kid, and still would enjoy today.