Sweetheart Candies are the older of the two. I think they get around more than their younger sibling, too. These are the little heart-shaped candies with stuff on them - "Be My Valentine" and when I was a kid, we used to plow through them for the candy and not the sentiment on Valentine's Day.
Today, they are not only available for VALENTINES, BUT the messages have been updated - from "Call Me!" to "E-mail Me." They are also seen with a custom-phrase at weddings but what we may think of as Oh so cool at a reception is actually not new at all. Back in the 1900s ... here are two: Married in pink, he'll take a drink. Married in White, you've chosen right.
The product itself has been changed. In 2010, softer hearts with louder colors were introduced. Originally they were a kind of chalky sweet - remember? Today's flavors include strawberry and sour apple.
Sweetheart candy manufacture starts in September and the factory pumps out 100,000 lbs. per day. Which is sold out in six weeks. These are the standards; of course, custom wedding numbers would be smaller.
The Kid - Necco wafers were issued to Union soldiers in the Civil War and to Army soldiers in WW2. When Johnny came marching home again, he had a pocketful of Neccos and boom, they were da bomb back home. In 2009, the formula was changed to include glycerine and make them softer. Lime was removed in 2011 from the original eight flavors because the color couldn't be matched to a real lime.
Both candies had two Daddies - Oliver Chase who invented a machine that cut lozenge shapes in the candy in 1847. Brother Daniel Chase turned the candies in to a vaguely heart shape (can't have sharp edges for shipping reasons - they'd crumble) and put on the sayings.
Now I want some Neccos! Seven flavors! Bonus pints: they have enough flavoring in them that you can easily mutter to yourself, like a mad professor, "Ah-hah. Cinnamon!" You can have the Sweethearts and a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU!
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