Thursday, May 04, 2006

Thursday Thirteen

Today is the Thursday Thirteen meme. I first saw this at Bloggin Outloud and then around the 'sphere. It can be about anything you want (13 things to take with you when you travel, 13 things that make you cry, 13 things...you get the idea). So today, I was craving some sugar and decided to make a list of 13 nostalgic candies that I loved as a kid:

#1 Peeps, hands down (Easter would not have been Easter without them and they're best when left out to dry and shrivel so that they're chewy, and if you visit the link, be sure and read the solubility testing)
#2 Jolly Rancher Apple Stix (we were pic-nicking at Bodega Bay and seagulls stole our sandwiches...isn't that also the location for The Birds...anyway, we survived on Apple Stix...yum!)
#3 Abba-Zaba (I'll bet Jim and Beth liked those ;-)
#4 Candy necklaces, the kind that colored and sugar coated your neck
#5 Cinnamon toothpicks (why? We even learned to make our own)
#6 Fun Dips (Who needs all this hassle? Why not just shoot it up?)
#7 Sugar Daddies (it's a miracle I never had cavities until I was 38!)
#8 Sixlets (this was a budgetary choice...basically just cheap M&M's, made with "chocolate compound," but at a penny a pack, they were affordable)
#9 Bottle Caps or Pop Rocks (remember that chemically sizzling sensation on your tongue? Oooh, Yeah!)
#10 Chick-o-stiks (mmm, peanut butter, coconut, vanilla, artificial coloring...tres magnifique!)
#11 Smith Brother's Cough Drops (you know you pretended these were candy too...cough, cough)
#12 Wax Pop Bottles filled with syrupy liquid (we chewed the wax like a wad of gum...it was either this, or wads and wads of those enormous packs of bubble gum, the kind the size of a baseball card and 1/2 an inch thick)
#13 Squirrel Nut Zippers (this was the last thing in your Halloween bag to be eaten, but once you acquired the taste, you realized they weren't all bad; um, and having seen There's Something About Mary, I'm not going to comment on the name of this candy...eeek!)

My first supplier was the liquor store across the street from our house. My newspaper route provided lots of spending money and most of it was spent on candy. Though this was also the loitering place for wayward teenagers smoking cigarettes and other things, the only fix I ever needed was sugar.

Did I leave out anything especially heavenly?

8 Comments:

At 7:08 AM, May 05, 2006, Blogger beth said...

I really liked the candy cigarettes. Never pretended to smoke them, just bit right in - I think because they were like edible bubblegum (rather than chew then toss when done). I also enjoyed a good pixie stick.

Never ate a Squirrel Nut Zipper, but I love their music! (Haven't seen Something about Mary, so my first SNZ thought is the swing/ska band.)

 
At 11:11 AM, May 05, 2006, Blogger Gwynne said...

Eric, I'm with you on the Zero bars...those were good! And the Zagnuts, while we're on the "Z's" (or should that be Zs, no apostrophe?).

Beth, no! Are you kidding me?! The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a real band? Well, trust me on this...that's a better thought than the one derived from Something About Mary. ;-) And I always puffed the candy cigarettes until the smoke was gone, then chewed. But my Pixie Stix always clumped up about half way through. Down with Pixie Stix. Wait, no, does that mean they are good, or bad?

 
At 2:02 PM, May 05, 2006, Blogger beth said...

Absolutely not kidding you. They're a really good band (well, I think anyway - if you like swing/ska ala Mighty Mighty Bosstones etc. you'd probably enjoy the SNZs. Actually - I like them better than MMBs maybe not quite as much as Cherry Poppin' Daddies...though I say that and then rethink it. Hey, who knew, they have a Wikipedia entry :)

I haven't had a pixie stick in so long I don't remember if they clump up. Hm.

I will also point out that my iPod is currently playing "Knowing Me, Knowing You" - just sayin'.

 
At 7:07 PM, May 05, 2006, Blogger Gwynne said...

Well, I'll be. You never know what you're gonna get around these parts. I mean, sure, the Squirrel Nut Zippers is a good band name, but who knew that had already been done (besides you, of course)??

And you need to put your iPod to rest, dear. That ABBA stuff will burn the coils. Or something. ;-)

 
At 10:06 AM, May 10, 2006, Blogger Lyn said...

Rocky Road. Pop Rocks. Zero Bars. Chewing Gum Cigars. Candy Cigarettes. Wax Pop Bottles. Cow Tales. Atomic Fireballs. Cracker Jacks. Astronaut Sticks (or something like that). Abba Zaba. Blow Pops. Oh Henry.

 
At 10:34 AM, May 10, 2006, Blogger Gwynne said...

Lyndon! Where you been, Man?! I see we share some favorites. But what are Astronaut Sticks?

 
At 3:15 PM, May 10, 2006, Blogger Lyn said...

Dang, I hit submit and it disappeared. Okay, try again... Astronaut Sticks (not their real name, can't remember) are those tubes of gooey chococalety substance that you have to squeeze into your mouth because of no gravity, see? Came out about the same time as Tang! lol Oh, and thanks for noticing I've been away - for a month!! Just now realized I haven't been posting? Well, I never... harumph! ;-) Have a great week, lgp

 
At 3:27 PM, May 10, 2006, Blogger Gwynne said...

Oh, I noticed you haven't been posting, all right. But I still check in once in awhile. Mostly, I noticed that you haven't been here or at Beth's place for awhile (not that I'm counting days or anything, you understand. ;-)

I still can't place the chocolate goo tubes. It'll come to me, I'm sure. I was never much for chocolate. I was more into just pure sugar. ;-)

Heh. My word for the day is "fodykll" (sounds like food kill, I think).

 

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