7 Candies from the '70s That You Need To Try Today

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in Candy Blog

The year is 1975 and you’re walking back from school while Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson is blaring in the background. As the sound grows closer you realize the echoes are coming from the convenience store located on your street.

You walk in, looking to cure the sweet tooth that’s been bothering you since lunchtime.


The clerk, who isn't much older than your high school brother, asks, “what’s crackin’” as you speed by him on a solo mission for sweetness. Immediately your eyes catch the sign that designates the candy aisle and you pivot your steps in the direction, ignoring the hair care products, pharmacy section, and back coolers packed with soda.

Upon arrival you are met with a mountainous wall of sweets covering every flavor and texture. Your mind begins to race as MJ transitions into September by Earth, Wind, and Fire and your eyes pander across the selection before you.

Do you want to grace those gums with a piece of hard candy? Maybe an Everlasting Gobstopper straight out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or maybe a stretchy and gooey Laffy Taffy that you know will get stuck between your braces.

With determination, you reach to the shelf and grab a handful of sweets you know will hit the spot. This collection is one that marks your childhood and paints the picture of exactly what life is like at that moment...sweet. 

Moments like these happen everyday and sometimes we need to be reminded about how great they are. As a candy company that loves to take you back in time, we thought we’d spend the next few weeks talking about some of the most iconic candy decades starting with the ‘70s. 

This decade marked the beginning of forward fashion (thank you knitted flare pants), CGI movies (much appreciated Star Wars), video games (well done Atari 400), and so much more. While we’d like to throw you in a time machine and send you flying back to this groovy decade, we can’t. 

But you know what we can do? Take your tastebuds back!

Here are 7 ‘70s candies you probably haven’t thought about in awhile and should try again...

1. Everlasting Gobstopper

Known as Slugworth’s secret in the 1971 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this candy is both iconic and tasteful. Sure it won’t last the same amount of time that Mr. Wonka claimed, but best believe it makes a great snack to suck on while kicking it back and rewatching one of the best candy films of all time.

Grab yourself a box by clicking the link right here

2. Laffy Taffy 

We all know this one, but sometimes we forget that Laffy Taffy is packed with more than a sweet treat—it also has jokes!

This candy was originally developed to be a flavored caramel sweet, but was changed to fruit flavor that would last longer. Today, you can find a variety of sizes and flavors of Laffy Taffy all over the place, just make sure it doesn’t get stuck in those teeth!

If you’re in the mood for a good laugh and some sweetness, go ahead and grab a few from our aisles right here

3. Pop Rocks

Do you remember the rumor around Pop Rocks?

Well, back in the day people used to say that if you ate a bag of pop rocks, then guzzled down a soda, your stomach would boil over—some parents even thought that it would cause their kids to explode! Crazy, right?

Those rumors were put to rest pretty quickly but the Pop Rock candy continued to grow into a tasty and tactile treat adults and kids love. It’s a simple mixture of sugar, lactose, and flavoring, but when put under the pressure of carbon dioxide, it gives the candy its signature crunch and pop sound. 

If you find yourself missing a little mouth feel, go get yourself a few bags right here

4. Reese’s Pieces

Nobody can forget the little boy and his alien friend who sat around scarfing down Reese’s Pieces on the big screen.

Originally released in 1978, the Reese’s Pieces was the chocolate brand’s version of the M&M. After seeing wild success with their pillar products—you know those delectable cups—they wanted to create something small that still packed a peanut buttery crunch.

When Mars denied the opportunity to feature their M&M in the blockbuster film ET, Hershey’s quickly jumped in offering up their Reese’s Pieces as substitution and saw almost a 300% increase in sales.

If you’re going to kick it and watch ET again for old times sake, do yourself and your stomach a favor and get a box of Reese’s Pieces right here before you do

5. Twix 

The battle of left vs right Twix is a hot cultural debate today, but back in 1979 the debate was what to call it in the United States. Originally introduced in the UK in 1967, the Twix bar was called Raider. It wasn’t until ‘79 when they brought the caramel shortbread bar stateside that the name was changed to what we now know as Twix.

We personally prefer the new name and the left Twix over the right, but we will leave it to you to decide for yourself.

Go ahead, grab a few packs right here

6. Wacky Wafers

Straight from the production line of Willy Wonka himself, the Wacky Wafer flexes the tasty flavors of green apple, orange, watermelon, strawberry, and banana. In their early days these bad boys were the size of a U.S. silver dollar—talk about a mouthful of candy!

While these sweets can be found on store shelves now, they were discounted in the ‘80s and were recently brought back in 2017. Talk about a sweet comeback story!

If you want to get your hands on a ‘70s classic, grab them right here

7. Zotz 

This Italian candy may take the cake for the most unique flavor and texture. If you haven’t had a Zotz before, allow us to break it down for you.

It’s one of the only candies on the market packed with sherbert–that’s right, sherbert! Coming in a variety of flavors including apple, cherry, watermelon, blue raspberry, strawberry, grape, and orange these things have a hard shell on the outside with a soft inside that is sour to the taste.

It’s also the official candy of American Endurance Racing (AER).

Do your mouth a solid and get some of these and see how great that sherbert tastes!

There you have it—7 candies straight from the ‘70s that will immediately take your tastebuds back in time to those days you remember so well. 


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