Lollies- Old Time Candy

During a search for something or another on the Internet, I came across an article where Astro pops had made a comeback in May of this year. For those of you who may remember this was one of the lolly pops to buy as a kid growing up in the 60's and 70's. With the race for space at it's height the candy industry decided to cash in with a lollipop that supposedly was shaped like a rocket. Too most kids, the appeal of this candy however, was the fact that it was multicolored and lasted all day. These lollipops were made for those with serious sweet tooth and was always the candy of choice for those of us whose parents limited our candy intake to one candy per day.

I remember that many parents had concerns about this lolly's shape as the end was especially pointed and parents worried we would fall and get stabbed in the throat. It is hard to imagine nowadays with all the dangers that can befall kids that the shape of a lollipop was our parents top concern. But, life was gentler and safer back then and parents needed something to worry about. Of course, there were other suckers and lollipops that were also popular and some of them are still around as well. Toostie roll pops and blow pops and even dum dums are still enjoyed by kids now a days, though I doubt they would be nearly as popular if kids of today realized that they were around when their grandparents were growing up.

The one lollipop that seems to have disappeared forever, is the corn pop. This lollipop was sold mostly in the south during the 60's and into 70's and was shaped like corn on the cob. It came in a variety of fruit flavors but what made these lollies especially appealing was the treasure inside some them. Kids would flock to the store in droves to buy corn pops hoping to be the one who found a coin wrapped inside with their sucker. That's right these lollipops sometimes had pennies, nickles and dimes wrapped in plain white paper inside the outer wrapper. It really must have been something to see all those kids lined up on Saturday afternoons holding their corn pops to the light hoping to spy that white paper inside that meant they were getting both a great tasting candy and a treasure too!

One of the nicest things about these old school candies is they bring back wonderful memories of more innocent and less hectic times. Of the sweet taste of simple candy and of friends, laughter and long summer days. Back then there were no name brand jeans or tennis shoes, but, we had our own name brands and they came in the form of lolly pops. Names like corn pops, astro pops, sugar daddy lollipops, blow pops and tootsie roll pop. And they were every bit as important to us as those Tommy Hilfiger shirts are to the kids of today and a lot better tasting to boot.

So, why not take a step back in time, and remember when life is good. Some of the old school lollipops may be gone, but many are still around and you can take a break, sit back and taste the sweetness once more.