10 Vintage Candies Californians Regret Trying & 10 They’d Still Love To Have Again
Candy cravings can take us on a wild trip down memory lane, especially when some vintage treats surprise us in unexpected ways.
For every sweet delight that left Californians wishing they’d skipped the taste test, there’s another classic they’d happily unwrap all over again.
Get ready to revisit those sugary moments that sparked love or regret, proving that nostalgia and taste buds don’t always see eye to eye.
1. Necco Wafers: Chalk Discs of Disappointment
Nothing crushed childhood expectations quite like biting into what looked like candy but tasted like sweetened chalk.
These multi-colored discs dating back to 1847 offered flavors so mild you’d question if they were actually there.
Most Californians remember the strange licorice and clove varieties with particular disdain. The texture—somewhere between antacid tablet and communion wafer—left much to be desired.
2. Circus Peanuts: Banana-Flavored Foam Nightmares
Orange foam peanuts that inexplicably taste like artificial banana? Who approved this bizarre creation?
The strange marshmallow-adjacent texture combined with that perplexing flavor choice created a candy experience many Californians wish they could forget.
The spongy resistance followed by immediate dissolving created a textural rollercoaster nobody asked for. Still found in some stores today, these remains a monument to questionable candy decisions.
3. Bit-O-Honey: The Dental Work Destroyer
Honey-flavored taffy embedded with almond bits sounds delightful until you’re at the dentist explaining how your filling got yanked out.
This 1920s creation became notorious for its jaw-exhausting chewiness that transformed eating candy into an Olympic workout.
California dentists probably funded vacation homes from Bit-O-Honey emergencies alone.
Despite the dental danger, the warm honey notes and nutty texture created a unique flavor profile that made the risk almost worth it.
4. Candy Cigarettes: Childhood’s Worst Idea
Chalky sugar sticks packaged to mimic cigarettes—what could possibly go wrong?
These controversial treats let kids pretend to smoke while enjoying a bland sugar stick that dissolved into paste-like goop in your mouth.
Complete with red tips to simulate a lit cigarette, these relics of questionable judgment were banned in California long before most states caught on.
The candy itself wasn’t memorable—it was the forbidden thrill of pretending to have an adult vice.
5. Wax Lips: Edible Costume Pieces Nobody Actually Ate
Remember wearing these waxy red monstrosities for a laugh, then wondering what to do next?
These novelty lips (and mustaches) from the 1930s provided approximately 30 seconds of amusement before becoming a disposal problem.
Technically edible, the flavorless paraffin wax left Californians questioning why anyone would chew something with the consistency of a candle.
The fleeting cherry flavor barely justified the weird mouth-feel that lingered long after the joke wore thin.
6. Zotz: The Fizzy Bombs of Betrayal
Hard candy with a hidden sour powder center that exploded without warning—Zotz was candy’s answer to practical jokes.
Unsuspecting Californian kids bit down expecting normal hard candy only to experience a volcanic eruption of fizzy, sour powder. The initial shock often led to coughing, watery eyes, and betrayed expressions.
Despite the surprise attack on your taste buds, there was something addictive about that fizzy sizzle that kept brave souls coming back for more punishment.
7. Horehound Drops: Grandpa’s Cough Medicine Masquerading as Candy
Bitter, herbal, and medicinal—horehound drops were what happened when Victorian medicine refused to perish.
These brown lozenges tasted like someone concentrated the essence of root beer, removed all sweetness, and added notes of cough syrup.
California’s health-conscious crowd occasionally embraced these for sore throats, but children who mistook them for actual treats experienced immediate regret.
The polarizing flavor profile—somewhere between licorice and tree bark—created childhood trust issues that lasted decades.
8. Black Licorice: The Flavor That Divides Families
California families still argue about black licorice decades later.
This polarizing candy created two distinct camps: devoted fans who savored its bold, anise-forward flavor and horrified detractors who compared it to sweetened tar. The distinctive aroma alone could clear a room of licorice-haters.
Those who acquired the taste defended it passionately, while others wondered why anyone would voluntarily eat something reminiscent of cough medicine.
No middle ground existed—you either loved it or plotted its extinction.
9. Boston Baked Beans: Candy That Confused Everyone
Deceptive little nuggets that looked like actual beans but were actually peanuts coated in red candy shell.
The name alone caused considerable confusion—they weren’t from Boston, weren’t baked, and certainly weren’t beans.
California movie theaters sold these by the boxful, where they’d inevitably get stuck in teeth at crucial plot moments.
The crunchy-then-soft texture transition as you broke through the shell to the peanut created an oddly satisfying experience, despite the identity crisis.
10. Peanut Butter Kisses: Halloween’s Unwanted Guests
Those orange and black wrapped mysteries that languished at the bottom of trick-or-treat bags until December.
Wrapped in waxy orange and black paper, these molasses and peanut butter chews stuck to everything—teeth, wrappers, and the roof of your mouth.
Californians developed techniques to politely hide these when receiving them from well-meaning neighbors.
The grainy texture combined with barely-there peanut butter flavor created an experience so forgettable that many couldn’t remember if they’d actually tried them or not.
11. Astro Pops: Space Age Suckers Worth the Struggle
Rocket-shaped lollipops that lasted longer than some childhood friendships! Created by actual rocket scientists in the 1960s, these tri-colored treats captured California’s space race excitement in sugary form.
The challenging conical shape made them awkward to eat, but that didn’t stop determined kids.
Starting with cherry at the pointy top, progressing through lime in the middle, and finishing with the blue base created a flavor journey that mirrored the stages of a rocket launch.
12. Marathon Bar: The Chocolate Braid That Went the Distance
Eight inches of braided caramel covered in chocolate—the Marathon bar lived up to its name by lasting marathon-length eating sessions.
Discontinued in 1981, this elongated treat remains legendary among Californians of a certain age. The clever ruler printed on the wrapper let kids measure their progress as they nibbled away.
Unlike modern candy bars designed for quick consumption, Marathon bars required commitment and strategy—a chocolate experience worth savoring rather than devouring.
13. Fruit Stripe Gum: Five Seconds of Flavor, Lifetime of Memories
Zebra-mascoted gum that delivered an intense burst of fruit flavor followed by immediate disappointment.
California kids of the 80s and 90s learned harsh lessons about fleeting pleasure from this colorfully striped gum.
The vibrant packaging and temporary tattoos inside each pack were often more exciting than the gum itself.
Despite knowing the delicious fruit flavor would vanish faster than a Hollywood marriage, generations kept coming back, chasing those magical first five seconds.
14. Pop Rocks: The Candy That Sparked Playground Urban Legends
Pouring these crackling crystals onto your tongue was like hosting a tiny fireworks show in your mouth!
The carbonated sugar crystals created an explosive sensation that delighted Californian kids and terrified parents who believed playground rumors about dangerous soda combinations.
The scientific novelty of candy that popped and fizzed made science class suddenly relevant.
Everyone remembers their first Pop Rocks experience—the surprise, the noise, and the inexplicable joy of candy that fought back.
15. Razzles: The Identity Crisis Candy
“First it’s candy, then it’s gum!” proclaimed the slogan of this transformative treat.
Starting as tart, powdery tablets that mysteriously morphed into gum after chewing, Razzles offered two experiences for the price of one.
California beach boardwalks sold these by the handful during summer vacations.
The novelty never quite wore off—that magical moment when grainy candy suddenly became chewy gum felt like witnessing alchemy.
The gum portion didn’t last long, but the transformative journey was the real attraction.
16. Big League Chew: Shredded Gum for Miniature Athletes
Shredded bubble gum in a pouch that let kids pretend they were chewing tobacco like their baseball heroes—without the cancer risk!
Created by a former pitcher, this stringy gum became a Little League dugout staple across California ballparks.
The ritual of pulling out a proper portion from the pouch was almost as important as the gum itself.
While the flavor faded quickly, the social experience of sharing from the same pouch created diamond-worthy bonds and pink-stained tongues that lasted entire games.
17. Now and Later: The Jaw Workout Worth Waiting For
Appropriately named candies that offered flavor “now” while you chewed and “later” when you picked them out of your teeth.
These colorful taffy squares required serious jaw commitment but rewarded persistence with long-lasting fruit flavor.
California surfers particularly loved these for beach days—they wouldn’t melt in the sun and lasted through epic wave sessions.
The challenge of unwrapping them with sandy fingers added to their mystique. Each square promised a prolonged flavor experience that made the dental risk seem worthwhile.
18. Ring Pops: Jewelry You Could Eat in Emergencies
Gem-shaped lollipops mounted on plastic rings turned candy into wearable fashion statements.
California playground proposals often involved these sticky jewels, creating both romantic memories and mysteriously stained shirt sleeves.
The ingenious design let kids keep their candy close without parental detection. The plastic ring frequently outlasted its candy counterpart, finding new life as treasure in toy boxes.
Every 90s Californian remembers the sticky fingers and rainbow-colored tongues that betrayed their secret snacking.
19. Lik-M-Aid (Fun Dip): The Interactive Sugar Delivery System
Powdered sugar you ate with a candy stick—essentially legalized pixie dust for children!
This brilliantly designed treat involved dipping a chalky candy stick into flavored sugar pouches, creating an interactive eating experience that guaranteed maximum mess.
California moms recognized the telltale signs—multicolored tongues and suspicious powder residue on clothes.
The ritual was specific: lick the stick, dip in powder, lick again, repeat until sugar-high achieved. The true pros saved the edible stick for last—the sweet finale to a powdery performance.
20. Charleston Chew: The Frozen Candy Bar Challenge
Vanilla nougat covered in chocolate became something magical when frozen solid.
Savvy Californians discovered that storing these chewy bars in the freezer transformed them into a completely different experience—one that required careful dental navigation.
The satisfying crack of breaking a frozen Charleston Chew into shareable pieces became a ritualistic sound of friendship.
As the fragments slowly warmed in your mouth, they returned to their chewy state, creating a textural journey unlike any other candy bar. This two-experiences-in-one treat remains a nostalgic favorite.