Missing Conversation Candy Hearts This Valentine’s Day?
2 min reading time
Why Did Conversation Hearts Candy Disappear?
Did You Know:
The Sweethearts brand was created in 1902. The original conversation hearts included sayings that are still popular today like “Be Mine,” “Be Good,” “True Love,” and “Kiss Me.” Sweethearts grew in popularity over the next several decades.
In the early 1990s, Sweethearts began to update the sayings each year, retiring some while adding others. The first new phrase, "Email Me," gained a lot of attention. Following this worthy effort, each year Sweethearts received hundreds of suggestions from fans. Sweethearts phrases have reflected eras throughout history.
The New England Confectionery Company went out of business in 2018, ending production on NECCO Wafers and the original candy conversation hearts. The recipe for the iconic Valentine’s Day treats was purchased by Spangler, the company behind Dum Dum Pops. They acquired the brand in 2018 but not in time to make Sweethearts for Valentine’s 2019. Sweethearts were missed by thousands of fans and the news of their absence was covered by hundreds of media outlets.
In 2020, Spangler was able to return Sweethearts to store shelves in limited quantities. The journey back included a few bumps in the road, like relocating and rebuilding the production equipment, finding the original recipe and the return of classic flavors like wintergreen and banana. Spangler also invested in a new printer, but it was accidentally damaged. The result was more than normal blank hearts this year. Unfortunately this means there will not be enough Sweethearts on the market to meet the demand of consumers this year.
Spangler is looking to the future for Sweethearts and is committed to fully returning them to the Valentine season with new favorite sayings for you!
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