Chuckles Candy

Chuckles are sugar-coated jelly candies in assorted flavors which are cherry, lemon, licorice, orange and lime.

Also: Chuckles Jelly Rings

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Fred W. Amend started in the candy business in 1875, when, at the age of sixteen, he went to work in the plant of the Henry Heide Company in New York City. At the time, Heide's specialty was almond paste, and candy was only a sideline. So began a string of jobs for Amend in the candy business. In 1887 he started working for Dr. Beeman's Pepsin Gum. By 1900 he was selling mainly bulk candy for Whitman's in Chicago. In 1915 Amend and his son, Fred B. Amend, became employees of the Paul F. Beich Company, operating Beich's Chicago plant. 

In March of 1921, Fred W. Amend went into business for himself manufacturing marshmallow. Later that year he began producing jelly candy from a formula he himself had developed. The formula solved a problem of the time which was the outbreak of "sweat" on the surface of jelly candies. Fred's wife suggested the name of the product which hit the market in 1921.

The jellies were wrapped by hand in a rolled package. A twist at each end of the roll kept the candies from falling out. Today they are packaged in a strip of 5 flavors to compete with candy bars sold at store counters.

Much of the early candy was sold in bulk to syndicate stores such as the F. W. Woolworth Company. With business growing a new plant was built in Danville, IL in the 1930s. Originally the company was in downtown Chicago. 

At the start of World War II, the popular candy became the center of an extensive advertising campaign for the Amend Company. The campaign was launched in twenty-one markets east of the Mississippi River and north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Billboards, car cards, newspapers and radio stations were used to promote the product. Slogans used were "5 flavors - 5 cents, America's favorite jelly candy," "Purest candy tastes just dandy, keep it handy" and "Best candy buy in town."

In September of 1974 the candy teamed up with Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil and his unsuccessful jump of the Snake River Canyon. With national coverage it brought a lot publicity for the candy but it wasn't so successful for Knievel.

The company has been owned by Nabisco and Hershey. Today it is owned and managed by Farley and Sather's Candy of Minneapolis.

Chuckles candy memories... I got introduced to Chuckles as a kid. I've always like jelly-type candies (gum drops, orange slices, etc.), but I think what was attractive about Chuckles was the variety of colors and the large size of the pieces. When my dad would go to the feed mill in town, I and my brother would often go along. While my dad was busy having feed ground, we'd run all over the mill, climbing on the towering stacks of feed sacks and playing hide and seek. 

The front room where you'd pay had other intriguing attractions, such as a scale that we'd weigh ourselves on, and a candy-dispensing vending machine that was unlike any I've ever seen, before or since. It was a tall, skinny, white metal box that contained little shelves upon which rode all sorts of great treats, including Chuckles. There was a large brown dial on the side that enabled you to maneuver whichever candy you wanted into the correct position. The money went in somewhere, and then the pull of a level sent the candy to the bottom where you could retrieve it. 

We didn't often buy from that vending machine, as we seldom had any money, but we loved to turn that dial and watch the candy bars and other treats parade past the window over and over again. The owner of this same feed mill kept a box of Safety Pops behind the counter to give out to kids that came in, so we always went home with something sweet! I had forgotten all about Chuckles until recently when I spotted some in a store. I have since found other old favorite candies turning up here and there and am putting together a bag of treats for each of my nieces and nephews to give them at Christmastime. ~ Jay from Minneapolis

When I was in early elementary school growing up in a small town in Wisconsin, I remember going to the Mom and Pop corner grocery store with my mother in the winter. The grocery store was not much bigger than a convenience store today. My mother would scurry around the little store picking up a week supply of groceries. I always looked forward to picking out a piece of candy if I was good. Chuckles were my favorite candy. Before we drove home, I would lick off the sugary coating on the top and then chew the jelly centers. I think the package was always empty by the time we arrived home. ~ Cheryl from Wisconsin

Chuckles candy memories >>>