Sweet Decades: The Candy Icons of the '70s, '80s & '90s

 

There’s something about candy that acts like a time machine. A single whiff of artificial grape or the unmistakable crackle of Pop Rocks on your tongue, and suddenly you’re back in a childhood bedroom, feet kicked up on a beanbag, cartoons flickering across the screen. The candies of the '70s, '80s, and '90s weren’t just sugary treats — they were cultural icons, rites of passage, and tiny, cellophane-wrapped memories we carried in our pockets.

The Sugary Soul of the ’70s

The 1970s felt like a psychedelic swirl of colors and flavors. Everything was groovy — even the candy. My earliest candy memories are laced with the tang of Lik-M-Aid, which we all knew as Fun Dip. There was a whole ritual to it: lick the chalky white stick (which doubled as a candy), dip it into one of those neon-colored sugar pouches, and repeat until your tongue turned a radioactive hue. It wasn’t so much a snack as a science experiment.

Bottle Caps were another '70s classic. They looked like soda bottle tops but fizzed like a flat cola-flavored Alka-Seltzer in your mouth — which, as a kid, made them feel oddly grown-up. And who could forget Zotz? Those sour little hard candies with a fizzy, almost alarming center. You'd pop one in expecting a sweet ride and get a mouthful of pop and fizz, like fireworks going off behind your molars.

And then there was Marathon. An absurdly long, braided caramel bar covered in chocolate that seemed engineered specifically to glue your jaws shut. It was discontinued before the '80s really took off, but for a moment there, it felt like the crown jewel of playground currency.

The Electric Buzz of the ’80s

If the '70s were about playful experimentation, the '80s were pure sugar-fueled chaos — bright, loud, and totally radical. The decade of neon leg warmers and arcade mania gave us candies as bold as the culture.

Big League Chew hit shelves in the early '80s, and it didn’t take long for every little leaguer and wannabe rebel to start stuffing their cheeks with those pink shreds of bubblegum like they were stepping up to the plate in the World Series. It was baseball, rebellion, and nostalgia rolled into one pouch.

Pop Rocks were more than just a candy — they were a phenomenon. Urban legends spread like wildfire. "Eat them with Coke and your stomach will explode!" someone’s older cousin would swear, sending waves of terror and excitement through the lunchroom. Of course, we tried it anyway. The sensation of those carbonated crystals popping and snapping on your tongue was electric — candy as performance art.

And then came Nerds. Tiny, tangy, crunchy little pebbles that came in dual-chamber boxes so you could shake a different flavor into each palm like a sugar sommelier. It wasn’t just the taste — it was the packaging, the identity. Nerds weren’t just a treat; they were a badge of belonging in a decade obsessed with brand personas.

Runts, shaped like miniature bananas and apples, looked like toys and tasted like fruit-flavored chalk. They stuck in the crevices of your teeth but we kept eating them anyway. And Laffy Taffy — long, chewy, and wrapped in terrible (yet endearing) jokes — was practically required reading for every road trip and summer camp bunk bed.

The Wild, Weird ’90s

By the time the '90s rolled in, candy had become extreme. This was the age of Nickelodeon slime, pogs, and dial-up internet. And the candy? Just as experimental — if not slightly unhinged.

Warheads were the ultimate dare. Kids would crowd around during recess, watching someone brave the sour onslaught of the first ten seconds. The puckered faces, the gasps — it was theater. Survive one and you earned a little badge of playground respect.

Meanwhile, Gushers entered the scene, breaking all the rules of what candy was supposed to be. One bite and the liquid core would erupt in your mouth like candy lava. They blurred the line between fruit snack and dessert, and somehow, no one seemed to mind.

Push Pops turned kids into mini rockstars, with that plastic tube of candy jutting out like a microphone. And Ring Pops — oversized, gaudy edible jewelry — made us feel like royalty at the sleepover snack table.

There was also something a little mysterious about candy in the '90s. Remember the Bubble Tape slogan? “Six feet of bubble gum — for you, not them.” That rebellious tagline turned a simple spool of gum into a personal treasure trove of sugary defiance.

A Bite of Something More

Looking back now, it’s clear that the candies of those decades were more than just sugar and food coloring. They were symbols — of freedom, curiosity, rebellion, and even community. We traded them, fought over them, smuggled them into movie theaters and passed them down in Halloween pillowcases like heirlooms.

They weren’t crafted by Michelin-starred chefs or nutritionists. They were bright, brash, often ridiculously sweet — and totally unforgettable. They tasted like summer vacation, like walking home from school with a dollar in your pocket and no worries heavier than which flavor Jolly Rancher you'd get from the vending machine.

Sure, many of these candies still exist in some form. You can find them in retro candy stores or in the occasional throwback aisle. But somehow, they never taste quite the same — because it’s not just the flavor we miss. It’s the moment. The innocence. The thrill of peeling back a wrapper and finding joy inside.

So here’s to the sticky fingers, the sugar highs, the tongue stains, and the twisted wrappers stuffed in jean pockets. Candy may rot your teeth, but those memories? They’re forever sweet.