Thursday, September 25, 2008

Flicks!

Do you remember Flicks? I guess you would have to be old like me, to remember this stuff. I was born in the mid-60s and candy was big in the 70s. I'm pretty sure if you spelled my name backwards it would read -- Candy Freak. I don't know what the attraction was with Flicks. Maybe it was because they were packaged in what looked like toilet paper tubes covered in foil, but I remember eating them -- lots of them. Candy and I go back a long way. One of my earliest memories revolve around candy. We were getting ready to move from our house in Santa Barbara right after my father died. He died in 1966, so I couldn't even have been 2 yet. I remember opening up the cabinet under the sink and finding one of those orange circus peanuts. Of course, I started eating it, despite everyone flipping out and eventually taking it away from me. God knows how long that peanut had been under there. And thus, the Candy Freak was born.

It's an illness. For fun I sometimes visit sites like Candy You Ate As A Kid just for nostalgia sake. I dare you to check it out and see if there isn't something that rings a bell for you. Bubblegum cigars, BB Bats, Bottlecaps, Bubble Yum -- and that's just page one! Candy lipsticks, candy cigarettes, chocolate babies! My grandparents used to live by a little corner market and they'd take me down there to buy candy. They'd give me 25-50 cents and I could buy gobs of candy. I remember picking things out so carefully, making sure I got the most for my money. Chocolate babies had a terrible name back then, which wouldn't be accepted today. I ordered some a few years ago and they tasted the same as I remembered.

I'm still into candy as much as I was when I was a kid. My tastes have changed a little. I no longer stuff two pieces of Bubble Yum in my mouth trying to win a bubblegum blowing contest. Nor do I walk around the house wearing wax lips or pull my molars out with a Sugar Daddy. I'm more into dark chocolate now. There's an 88% chocolate bar by Endangered Species that I love. But for me, the year is still divided into seasons. Right now we're in the middle of Candy Corn Season. Come winter it will be Peppermint Patty Season, which is graciously shared with King Leo's Peppermint Stick Season. February is the month of love that brings Candy Heart Season, followed by spring and Cadbury Egg Season. After that, it starts all over again. Oh yeah -- life is sweet!

15 comments:

  1. All that talk about chocolate is making me hungry.

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  2. When I was little we went to a penny candy store that had EVERYTHING...only I don't remember Flicks. Guess I missed out. We loved things I wouldn't touch now, like those wax bottles with syrup in them.

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  3. I remember those wax bottles. I think those are on that site I posted. I remember when Freshen-Up gum first game out. I bought all flavors and thought it was the coolest stuff in the world. Gum with goo inside -- go figure.

    Remember Zotz? A mouthful of foaming fizz!

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  4. I don't remember Flicks...but they look delish...

    I love Reese's, Rolos and plain old Hershey bars (or kisses)...

    I can't make it through the day without eating some kind of chocolate...this could explain my hips...grin...

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  5. I don't remember Flicks, but I LOVE Cadbury Egg season!

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  6. Don't remember Flicks? YOU POOR SOULS! Maybe they were a West Coast or CA thing.

    I remember our big Sears store used to have a candy section right in the middle of the store. I remember walking around and around and around that thing. This was back when they had all the candies in glass containers and they were just the perfect height for little kids. I used to always get Brach's chocolate stars. No wonder I liked Flicks so much -- ;)

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  7. DH and I are both close to your age, and neither one of us remembers Flicks (but they look super cool - I would have gotten them for the bright colors). Maybe it was a regional candy?

    I'm a candy freak too! And I think of candy in seasons. Right now for me it's the orange marshmallow and candy corn season (although they might not be making the orange chocolate pumpkins any more - I'm looking everywhere and so far no).

    My tastes have changed to make dark chocolate my favorite too. I love the dove dark chocolate, and I love the darker stuff too.

    I think I'll go have some chocolate now :0)

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  8. You too, sruble? Oh, how sad. I thought for sure someone might remember them. Guess not! Oooh, Dove chocolate is great too, especially those little eggs at Easter! You know, I don't recall every seeing the chocolate pumpkins, just the orange ones. I remember one of my favourite Halloween candies were chocolate caramels (kind of like Milk Maids, but chocolate) and those are next to impossible to find too.

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  9. I remember the Brachs candy counters too - that was a big deal.

    "You know, I don't recall every seeing the chocolate pumpkins, just the orange ones."
    They're Russel Stover and they're the size of choc. covered marshmallow santas or Easter eggs. The marshmallow is orange flavored. I think I'm the only one that likes them, though. They've been hard to find the last few years. (It's my mom's fault - she got me hooked on them. She likes choc. covered marshmallow, and I don't, except for when she found the orange kind. The orange marshmallow is very tasty.)

    "I remember one of my favourite Halloween candies were chocolate caramels (kind of like Milk Maids, but chocolate) and those are next to impossible to find too."
    Oh, I remember those too. They were yummy. I didn't know they weren't around anymore. I'll have to look for them this year.

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  10. Sruble -- well, now of course, I'll have to keep my eyes open for Russel Stover marshmallow pumpkins. If you see the chocolate caramels, let me know. We candy freaks gotta work together! ;)

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  11. Russel Stover has caramel pumpkins and regular marshmallow, but so far no orange this year (I mention it because you might like one of the other kind too, or not).

    I'll let you know if I see the chocolate caramels!

    Candy freaks - ha! We do have to stick together ;)

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  12. Oh I am so hungry now. We have different "lollies" to your candy.
    I remember chocolate cigarettes, those Flicks look like chocolate drops. I am trying to remenber stuff thats not around anymore, but I think most is still available, just smaller (or maybe its just that I am bigger)

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  13. Sruble -- the caramel pumpkins sound really good. Now I need to go shopping just out of curiosity to see if I can find anything.

    Dee -- I don't remember chocolate cigarettes. I remember candy ones and bubblegum ones. They probably had chocolate ones and I just don't remember. I remember when candy necklaces were all the rage. Oh, and those humungous jaw breakers.

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  14. Sruble -- I found the orange marshmallow pumpkins at Walgreens. Have you checked there yet? They had all sorts of flavors, even strawberry, dark chocolate, caramel and such. I tried the orange one because you got me all curious about them. They were good! Reminded me of those chocolate oranges you get at Christmas, but with marshmallow. Anyway, if you haven't checked Walgreens, you might want to look there. I could send you some if you can't find them -- :)

    OH! I also found caramel apple candy corn, which I hadn't been able to find. Haven't tried that yet. LOL!

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  15. Rena, thanks for the heads up on checking Walgreens! We actually have a couple of them in our area, so I'll have to go there for pumpkins.

    I'm glad you got to try them and liked them. Enjoy your caramel apple candy corn too!

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