#Valentines candy hearts update#

Sweethearts might have been made by Necco, but they tasted a bit different than the well-known wafers. Sweethearts Conversation Hearts Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker The sayings on the hearts changed each year to reflect the latest trends in language and communication, so while some of the 40-something phrases (like Be Mine and Sweet Pea) are timeless, others (like Fax Me and Dig Me) were phased out for newer, better quips - sometimes with the help of the public. There was also New England favorite Wicked Cool, and (my personal favorite) Let’s Read, which was brought back from retirement in 2014. Looking at the history of Sweethearts is truly like taking a trip back in time, conversationally speaking. Sweethearts Conversation Hearts Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker During its Necco days, 2 billion individual Sweethearts were produced every year!

It wasn’t until Necco acquired the Stark Candy Company in 1990, however, that they began using the Sweethearts brand name and became the leading manufacturer of conversation hearts candies. They were an immediate hit, and several companies began making their own - including Necco. In 1866, Oliver’s brother Daniel created a machine that would press dyed letters into the candies his brother had invented. In 1901, his company joined forces with two other Boston-based confectioners to form Necco, and they churned out popular candies like Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mary Jane candy, Haviland Mints, Clark Bars, Sky Bar, Mighty Malts, and the aforementioned wafers and hearts for more than a century.īut where did conversation hearts come from? It turns out they’re also part of the Chase family history. Based in Revere, MA, since 2002 (before that they were in Cambridge, and before that Boston), its history stretched back to 1847, when Oliver Chase invented America’s first candy-cutting machine. Until it filed for bankruptcy in 2018, Necco was the oldest continuously operating, multi-line candy company in the country. We’ve already delved into Necco’s history in our previous post on Necco Wafers, but here’s a quick review. Sweethearts are to Valentine’s Day what candy canes are to Christmas.

#Valentines candy hearts update#

Learn more in the update at the bottom of this post. Why? Sweethearts! Once made by Necco in Massachusetts for nearly 150 years, Sweethearts, the pastel candy “conversation hearts” stamped with sweet phrases of love and friendship, were long the most popular and best selling non-chocolate Valentine’s Day candy.Īs of 2018, Sweethearts are no longer made by Necco. Expressing love and affection on Valentine’s Day is a tradition dating back centuries, but here in New England, the practice was always extra sweet.