The ones I remember, I first saw as a Kindergardener, in the tiny grocery store half a block from the school. They cost one cent a strip, had only 2 rows of candy dots stuck on, about a foot long, all one color only. Sometimes paper came away on the back of the dot when ya pried it off; popped it in yer greedy little mouth anyway! Best illustration I could find below. Remember 'em? Frank
Yep, I remember them as a young child. I have seen them since in "vintage' candy stores, but there is nothing for a penny anymore.
@Don Alaska Was life so much simpler back then, or was it a product of being just children, growing up slowly, but as yet unaware of that, taking the new things, the new experiences one at a time, categorizing, memorizing, placing "flags" for instant recollection where needed, burying some for longer future recall? I often have things pop into mind which have for the most part departed ALL of the mainstream thought. Like X-Ray Fluoroscopes allowing us as childen to view the fit of chosen new shoes. A shoe fluoroscope displayed at the US National Museum of Health and Medicine. This machine was manufactured by Adrian Shoe Fitter, Inc. circa 1938 and used in a Washington, D.C., shoe store.
I remember! We had an old-fashioned dime store near our school that was run by two elderly sisters. In the center of the little store was a circular candy counter, one whole side was devoted to penny candy! Those poor old ladies had the patience of saints waiting for us to make up our minds on just how we would spend our nickles and dimes. My favorite treat was Ice Cubes that cost two cents at the time!
Reminds me of a little family store down the road from my grandmother's house, 600 feet to be exact. I always like to check my memory with Google Maps so I don't exaggerate. When we cousins (4) would spend the day at her house in the summer she would give us some money and send us down the road. We always bought popsicles. The man who ran the store would ring is up separately so we didn't have to pay a penny tax. They must have been 10 cents?
You can still get those but not for two cents....pretty expensive. They're at a small market my daughter sometimes goes to, called Star Market. They're always at the checkout counter...I always get one if I'm there but to me they don't taste quite as delicious as they used to...still good though. Or it may be that Ive lost my love for chocolate and am only buying them because of memories.
I had completely forgotten about those, @Beatrice Taylor! I think I had a pair when I was very young.
My folks owned a little neighborhood grocery store, so I grew up living in the back room behind the store part, and seeing all of that penny candy was an everyday part of life for me. As long as I ate my regular meal, I could have all of the candy that I wanted; so I seldom ate candy. Sometimes, the kids came in and needed money for their penny candy, and my mom would give them a small job to do so they could earn a nickel or dime and buy their candy.
@Beatrice Taylor YES! I remember them. I had preference for what we called "combat boots" which had a leather wraparound strip about the upper ankles, secured by two narrow leather strips with "belt-buckle" type clasps. This is close to what they looked like: Buster Brown was a very popular brand when I was a kid, as was also Red Goose Shoes. Some of these names may have been localized to the Chicago area, though, because many of the everyday brand names of many products were not available where my wife grew up, northeastern Indiana. An example or two off the top is Thomas J. Webb Coffee, and Bowman Dairy Products. Frank
Oh what a penny could buy back in those days. It's a good thing that we are graced with secondary teeth.
Remember the Radio Commercial for Pepsi-Cola? "Pepsi-Cole hits the spot, Twelve full ounces, that's a lot! Twice as much for a nickel too, Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you!" Hal
Once in awhile we find a store who still sells them and other childhood favorites like the little wax bottles filled with a tasty liquid, among others. However, both me and my wife have lost our sweet tooth.