Some of my fondest childhood memories are associated with candy.  I used to visit my grandmother every summer in Alabama and went to church on Sundays.  During the break between sunday school and church I would take my offering and walk to to MIss Sue’s candy store.  Miss Sue was OLD–she had to be at least 90.  She didn’t move behind her counter, but trusted you to get the candy on your own and then pay her from her spot on the stool.  I don’t think anyone ever cheated her; she looked like she might take you out if you did.  Not that you needed to steal; back then a kid could get a bag full of candy for not a lot of money.  

And then there was the Candy Lady.  Every urban city has a few and Chicago was no different.  This was an enterprising neighborhood woman who sold candy to the neighborhood kids from a small room off her back porch.  She was always a stop on my walk home from school.  My Candy Lady also sold french fries in a brown paper bag for $1.  Sugar and grease…wholesome afterschool snacks!

Here’s a partial list of some of the old school candy that I remember.  Most of these are still available at Dylan’s Candy Bar in NYC or online at websites like Nostalgic Candy.com.

From my recent trip to Dylan’s Candy Bar. Yum!

Dots – I love these!  Truthfully they taste like plastic and sit in my stomach like a rock, but they are one of my favorites.  Except for the yellow and green ones; I try to give those away. 

Hot Tamales - I still eat these and they are hotter than ever.

Mike & Ike’s – The fruity cousins to Hot Tamales.  

B B Bats Taffy Pops – The strawberry ones are the best.  Make sure you still have all your teeth after eating one of these!

Candy Button Strips – My dad used to bring these home to me after work.   I could never eat them without eating the paper also.

Boston Baked Beans - I did not care for these at all.

Charleston Chew – I don’t remember if I actually liked the candy, but I remember the commercial clearly:  ”Charleson, Charleston, is chocolately nougart….that’s why they call it the biggie.”

Fun Dip – So fun and tasty!  But really unsanitary…licking and dipping…licking and dipping again.

Mary Janes – Another teeth-breaker.   Of course now I can’t eat this candy without thinking of Rick James.   And I don’t necessarily want to do that.

Bit-O-Honey - Was there a secret alliance between the candy companies and dentists?  

Chick-O-Stick – Admit it!–They tasted like wood.

Red Hot Dollars – Not really hot, but sticky, gummy goodness!

Bottle Caps – I choked on one of these and never ate them again.

Pixy Sticks – There was an art to eating these; if you put your mouth on the paper, it was all over.

Necco Wafers – One word: yuck.

Lemonheads – I’m not a big fan of hard candy, but I liked these little babies.

Chuckles – They remind me of waiting room vending machines.

Pop Rocks – Besides Fun Dip, Pop Rocks were the most fun candy to eat. Do you remember the urban legend that the kid from the Life commercial died mixing Pop Rocks with soda?  That pretty much killed the brand for a long time.

© 2008 – 2010, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

“Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer, he’s a demon on wheels…”  I LOVED watching Speed Racer as a child!  Well, I loved watching the re-runs as it had been off the air for a long time; I’m not that old people! The big eyes, the race car action, the Racer X drama, the funny antics of Spritle and Chim-Chim, well, that made for some great afternoons in front of the TV.   My kids knew the words to the theme song long before they ever saw an episode because I used to sing it all the time.  I was excited when the new movie came out and it was okay; the action was exciting and I like the way Speed’s family was portrayed, but I found it very confusing.  The best part was when Speed jumped out of his car at the end of a race and did his trademark pose from the cartoon.  Smoooooth! Have you seen the new animated Speed Racer television show????   I haven’t either, but the opening song is so bad that I have NO desire whatsoever to watch it.  Sacrilege!  

Here is the best and one and only Speed Racer Song:

As you know from my Barack Obama action figure post, I like to display action figures and dolls in my office; not really as a collection, but for my own amusement and joy.  My kids have stopped asking if they can play with them, because the answer is always NO.  Wait until I die, I say.  Look at this bobblehead I found of Speed & Racer X at Retroplanet.com.  And I found these Speed & Trixie dolls too from Mattel.  I was sleeping on these!  I got get them now!

Go Speed Racer, go Speed Racer, go Speed Racer, Gooooooo!

© 2008 – 2012, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I am a HUGE fan of classic Sesame Street!  Back in the day we didn’t have Nick or The Disney Channel, so PBS was as good as it got for kids.  At the time of it’s inception, there was nothing like Sesame Street on television that combined learning with entertainment.  I’m sure that I learned many things from Sesame Street, but what I remember best are the skits and songs (see my profile for my “gift”).   One of my dreams is to be a Sesame Street guest–I’m not kidding.  I was at a dinner party recently and someone who had worked at PBS back in the day was telling stories about the cast….some of stories were not so flattering.  I wanted to put my fingers in my ears and chat “lalalalalalalala” like a 4 year old because she was messing up my memories!  I don’t want to know the real people on the show; I want to see them as Susan, Gordan, Luis, David and Maria–residents of Sesame Street and lovers of children and muppets.  

Here’s a classic Sesame Street song:

Now, this next clip I don’t actually remember seeing on Sesame Street, but I just had to include it.  Richard Pryor, may he rest in peace, was a funny man.  This clip is classic Pryor and funny, but I don’t know if I would want my kids learning the alphabet this way!  He sounds like someone’s drunk uncle.  Although, since every family has one of those, I’m sure kids could relate.

And finally, any child of the seventies would know this Sesame Street clip.  I think they still show this:

I hope you enjoyed this video walk down memory lane as much as I have!

© 2008 – 2009, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.