Old School Candy

Candy just isn't the same as it was back in the day.  It doesn't seem as fun as it used to be.  Kids today don't seem to get as much enjoyment from candy we did did.  I think it's because candy is too convenient and easily accessible; it's not a treat anymore.  When I was little, getting candy was a major event - a trip down to the neighborhood store for candy was something that had to be earned.  Now kids can even get candy at school, and have candy bars for lunch if they want.  Here's the first in a series about my favorite old school candy.  Today, we look at old school bubble gum.

Gold Rocks bubble gum nuggets 
This bubble gum was more fun than bubble gum cigars. For one, the cigars tasted like Pepto Bismal or the pink medicine your Mom would give you in one of those Tupperware things that looked like a test tube with a spoon on the end of it.  Who wants to chew gum that would bring back memories like that?  Secondly, the only thing you got to keep from the bubble gum cigars was the gold foil ring.  The Gold Rocks were so fun because the gold bubble gum nuggets came in a little cloth bag.  I had quite a collection of these little white drawstring bags, just like I've accumulated quite a collection of blue Crown Royal bags today.  I had one Gold Rocks bag for my Monkees bubble gum cards; another held arrowheads that my Grandpa and I dug up from the garden.  I had a couple bags in my Barbie doll case to hold shoes and other accessories, and had a few in our Monopoly game to hold the pewter game pieces and the houses and hotels. 

Hot Dog bubble gum
This bubble gum was another favorite of mine.  It came in a non-descript clear wrapper, but it was fun because it looked like a hot dog.  They came two to a package, and were packed end-to-end, so they kinda looked like old time link hot dogs.  Being a hot dog lover, I was under the impression that Hot Dog gum would taste like actual hot dogs.  Much to my surprise, it was cinnamon flavored.  And if my memory is correct, it was hot, strong cinnamon.  As with all candy, you wanted to make it last as long as possible, so I would usually chew half of a hot dog at a time.  A few times, I would feel adventurous, and would attempt to chew a whole hot dog.  I would usually end up spitting half of it out. 

Razzles
First it's candy, then it's gum, then you want to spit it out.  This was the first of the gimmick candies.  Of course, we all wanted to see how these little pieces could first be candy and then turn into gum.  They didn't carry Razzles at our neighborhood store, so I would have to get them at Taylor's Drugstore, which had the biggest selection of candy a 7-year old had ever seen.  As soon as I'd get home with my package, I'd dump them out on my bed and group the pieces according to flavor, just like I did with Bottle Caps and Wacky Wafers.  Then I'd eat the ones I didn't like first, usually the yellow and orange ones.  The purple and red Razzles were my favorites so I saved those for last.  Razzles tasted much better when they were in candy form.  Once they turned to gum, it was time to spit them out.  The gum tasted much like the gum that's in the center of the Charm's blow pops.  One of the neighborhood kids bet me that I couldn't chew a whole pack of Razzles at once.  Suffice to say, I walked away from that dare 25 cents richer.  Plus she bought the pack of Razzles.