8 Retro Illinois Candies Kids Regretted And 8 They’d Happily Sneak Again
Illinois has a sweet history, and its candy scene tells stories of both childhood delight and regret. Some retro treats seemed fun at the time but left kids wishing they had skipped a few bites.
Others became instant favorites, the kind you’d sneak from the pantry whenever you got the chance.
Exploring these candies shows how flavors, textures, and a little nostalgia can turn a simple sweet into a memorable part of growing up.
1. Atomic Fireball – Childhood’s First Spicy Challenge
Whoever thought giving kids cinnamon candy that registers on the Scoville scale was a good idea? Atomic Fireballs tricked countless Illinois youngsters with their innocent cherry-red appearance.
The first lick seemed manageable, but seconds later your tongue felt like it caught actual fire. The worst part? The pride that kept you sucking despite watery eyes and burning lips.
Made by Chicago’s Ferrara Candy Company since 1954, these nuclear-hot spheres were basically playground dares disguised as treats.
2. Red Hots – The Deceptive Little Fire Pellets
Nothing prepared unsuspecting kids for the betrayal of Red Hots. These tiny cinnamon candies from Chicago’s Ferrara Pan looked so innocent in their little boxes – like harmless red candy dots that might taste like cherries.
One handful later, your mouth felt like you’d licked a radiator. The heat built slowly, trapping you in a spicy commitment you couldn’t escape.
Parents found these little demons hilarious to watch children eat, which only added insult to injury for kids who just wanted something sweet.
3. Boston Baked Beans – The Candy That Confused Everyone
Marketing genius or practical joke? These peanut candies coated in red candy shell confused generations of Illinois kids expecting actual beans. The Ferrara Candy Company really tested our trust with this one.
The waxy, artificially-flavored coating gave way to a stale-tasting peanut that somehow managed to be both too sweet and not sweet enough.
Plus, the hard shell practically guaranteed a chipped tooth. Always the last candy left in the Halloween bucket, Boston Baked Beans taught us valuable lessons about misleading packaging.
4. Jaw Busters – The Dentist’s Retirement Fund
Jaw Busters lived up to their threatening name with brutal efficiency. These multi-layered jawbreakers from Ferrara were basically spherical rocks that gradually revealed different colors as you suffered through them.
Every Illinois kid learned the hard way that biting down meant instant regret. The marathon-length commitment to finish one often ended with giving up or a secret trash disposal.
Parents particularly hated these dental nightmares, as they combined maximum sugar with maximum potential for emergency orthodontist visits.
5. Jujyfruits – The Movie Theater Dental Cement
Sold at every Illinois movie theater since forever, Jujyfruits were fruit-shaped gummies with the consistency of industrial adhesive.
Manufactured by Heide (later acquired by Ferrara), these colorful treats looked so appealing in their box.
Reality hit when your teeth became instantly glued together. The bizarre flavors barely resembled their supposed fruit inspirations, and the green ones somehow tasted like perfume.
Finding a half-eaten box months later, hardened to concrete, was practically an Illinois kid rite of passage.
6. Crows – The Licorice That Tested Friendships
Chicago’s Tootsie Roll Industries created these jet-black licorice gumdrops that became instant friendship testers. Offering Crows to an unsuspecting classmate either created a lifelong licorice ally or a bitter enemy.
The intense anise flavor hit like a punch to your taste buds. Even licorice fans found the gummy texture problematic – simultaneously too hard and too sticky.
Many Illinois kids discovered their licorice hatred through these uncompromising black pellets that somehow always appeared at grandma’s house.
7. Brach’s Candy Corn – Halloween’s Waxy Disappointment
Chicago’s E.J. Brach & Sons pumped out these triangular sugar bombs by the ton. Despite being an Illinois creation, most local kids quickly learned candy corn was more decoration than desirable treat.
The waxy texture left a strange film on your teeth while delivering a one-note sweetness that somehow tasted like neither honey nor corn.
The worst offense? Adults who insisted on calling this tri-colored disappointment a “tradition.” Finding these at the bottom of your trick-or-treat bag meant Halloween was officially over.
8. Now and Later – The Taffy That Took Its Name Too Seriously
The Chicago-made Now and Later squares promised fruit flavors but delivered jaw workout sessions instead. The name proved painfully accurate – you’d start eating it “now” but wouldn’t finish until “later.”
Opening that colorful wrapper revealed a taffy brick that required superhuman jaw strength to even begin chewing.
By the time it softened, half your day was gone and your dental fillings were in serious jeopardy. Finding an old forgotten piece meant discovering it had transformed into an actual construction material.
9. Lemonhead – The Perfect Tangy-Sweet Balance
Chicago’s Ferrara Pan struck gold with these perfect yellow spheres of citrus joy. Lemonheads mastered the sour-then-sweet candy experience that kept Illinois kids coming back for more.
The candy shell delivered that face-puckering lemon punch before mellowing into a sweet finish. Unlike their fiery cinnamon cousins, Lemonheads never betrayed your trust with unexpected heat.
Smart kids learned to hoard the yellow boxes from Chicago neighborhood stores, creating emergency stashes for boring school days.
10. Tootsie Roll – Chicago’s Chewy Chocolate Legacy
Chicago’s most famous candy creation has fueled Illinois childhoods for generations.
These chocolate-flavored cylinders from Tootsie Roll Industries somehow never melted, never froze, and always maintained their perfect chewiness.
Halloween bags filled with these wrapped treasures meant victory. The flavor wasn’t quite chocolate, wasn’t quite caramel – it was uniquely Tootsie.
Local kids took pride knowing these iconic treats came from their hometown, making them unofficial candy ambassadors whenever they traveled.
11. Tootsie Pop – The Legendary Lollipop with a Surprise Center
Every Illinois kid attempted the mythical “three licks to the center” challenge with these Chicago-made treats.
Tootsie Pops brilliantly combined hard candy with the chewy Tootsie Roll center for the perfect candy experience. The grape and cherry flavors achieved legendary status in schoolyards across the state.
Finding the Indian shooting a star on the wrapper meant good luck according to playground lore.
Local pride ran deep knowing this candy icon came from Chicago’s Tootsie Roll Industries, making it taste even sweeter.
12. Dots – The Gumdrops That Never Let You Down
Mason Dots from Chicago’s Tootsie Roll Industries were the reliable friends of the candy world.
These colorful gumdrops in their distinctive yellow box delivered consistent fruit flavors without any weird surprises.
Movie theaters across Illinois stocked these chewy treasures, making them synonymous with Saturday matinees.
Unlike their strange cousin Jujyfruits, Dots maintained the perfect texture – neither too hard nor too sticky.
The lime ones sparked fierce debates, creating two camps of Illinois kids: lime lovers and lime haters with no middle ground.
13. Junior Mints – The Movie Theater Essential
Created by Chicago’s James O. Welch Company (later acquired by Tootsie Roll), Junior Mints elevated every Illinois movie experience.
The perfect chocolate-to-mint ratio made these small dark discs irresistible even when they were 90% stuck to the box.
The satisfying crack of the chocolate shell giving way to creamy mint filling kept generations coming back.
Sharing these with friends created a delicate social balance – offer too few and you’re stingy, too many and you go home with nothing. Chicago winters felt more bearable with these cool treats in hand.
14. Andes Mints – The Fancy Chocolate That Made Kids Feel Sophisticated
Originally created by Chicago’s Andrew Kanelos (hence “Andes”), these layered mint chocolates were Illinois kids’ first taste of sophistication.
Finding these green-wrapped treasures after dinner at local restaurants felt like discovering actual wealth.
The perfect three-layer construction – chocolate, mint, chocolate – created a melt-in-your-mouth experience that made regular chocolate bars seem boring.
Smart kids learned to let them warm slightly for maximum flavor meltiness. Hoarding these from restaurant checks became an art form for young Illinois candy connoisseurs.
15. Frango Mint Chocolates – Marshall Field’s Legendary Treat
No Illinois candy memory is more cherished than Frango Mints from Chicago’s Marshall Field’s department store.
These square chocolate mint treasures were what you hoped relatives would bring when visiting downtown Chicago. The distinctive green boxes signaled a special occasion.
Unlike regular mint chocolates, Frangos had a sophisticated flavor profile that somehow made kids feel grown-up while enjoying them.
Family shopping trips to State Street became bearable with the promise of these legendary chocolates that symbolized Chicago’s candy excellence.
16. Jelly Belly Beans – The Gourmet Jelly Bean Revolution
Originally created as Goelitz Mini Jelly Beans in North Chicago, these flavor-packed beans revolutionized how Illinois kids experienced candy.
Each tiny bean delivered shockingly accurate flavors – from buttered popcorn to watermelon – unlike the vaguely fruity generic beans.
Trading specific flavors became serious business on school playgrounds. The Ronald Reagan connection (his favorite candy) gave them unexpected presidential status.
Visits to the Jelly Belly factory in North Chicago became legendary field trips where kids witnessed bean magic firsthand.