Sweethearts for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day has its traditions and treats. Remember paper Valentines shared with our classmates? And the candy? There is one candy treat I never enjoyed eating, but I loved to get. Can you guess what it was?
What started as a wafer to cure coughs, over decades of innovations, would become the Sweethearts candy forever associated with Valentine’s Day.
Brief History of Sweehearts Candy
Silas Chase made lozenges by hand, a time-consuming process. His brother, Oliver Chase created and patented the first candy machine in 1847. It could take candy dough and produce multiple lozenges by turning a crank. Chase and Company was started, and history would be made again.
Conversation Candies
Their brother Daniel in 1866 released what was called ‘Conversation Candies’. While messages were printed on candy, they were not yet the candy we’d recognize as Sweethearts. They used shapes like horseshoes, baseballs, shells and discs. The rhymes were popular for weddings and parties. Perhaps corny today they were once considered witty:
| How long shall I have to wait? |
| Married in White, you have chosen right |
| Married in pink, he will take a drink |
Sweethearts at last!
The heart shape we’re familiar with appeared in 1901. Over the years a variety of phrases have been suggested and used. I’m sharing a link to an article that shares lots of examples. If you go to explore, make sure to come back for more (sorry, the above inspired me 😊).
https://www.rd.com/article/over-10-years-of-candy-hearts-sayings-valentines-day/
Missing Sweethearts in 2019
When NECCO went out of business their factory shut down on July 24, 2018. People began panic buying all existing candy. Spangler Candy bought the rights to Sweethearts late September 2018. In January of 2019, Spangler was still having difficulty setting up production. Many were disappointed when Sweethearts were missing from store shelves for Valentine’s Day 2019.
What is lovely to look at, but few people eat?
Traditional Sweethearts’ candies are pastel colored and have a heart shape. On their chalky surface short messages are printed. The messages are much sweeter than the candy tastes.
I tried eating them but preferred reading them. I loved reading, even in elementary school, and was fascinated by those sweet, short messages on heart-shaped candies. I hadn’t thought of them in years until I bought a stamp and die set.
Conversational Hearts on Paper
When I opened my Etsy Shop, I listed a card inspired by Sweethearts. It had five messages on different colored hearts. The card was a flip card; pulling the tab made the hearts flip to reveal a hidden message. See the pictures above and below. Do you like the concept? What messages would you like to see? It’s no longer in my shop but there is always next year. Please share your thoughts in comments or use the contact page.
Thank you for joining me in celebrating another holiday and my trip down memory lane. I’ve shared what’s my favorite Valentine candy, what’s yours? Did you ever try to eat Sweethearts candy? You can leave your answer in the Comments. To be added to my email list please go to Contact page.
Happy Valentine’s Day 2025 Y’all!
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