Thirty is a big birthday for anybody, and Topps isn’t taking their three decades of success with Ring Pop lightly. I remember begging my parents for money so I could ride my bike to the neighborhood Tom Thumb convenience store to buy a Ring Pop, and I’m glad the brand has adapted to a changing market and continues to succeed.
Billed as “American’s favorite candy jewelry,†the folks at Topps have released all kinds of fun Ring Pop trivia just in time for the birthday festivities. According to Topps, since August of 1977 there have been about three billion Ring Pops sold. When placed end-to-end, the pops sold since their debut would circle the earth nearly four times. I’m pretty sure my friends and I made a hearty contribution to the number of Ring Pop sales—especially the watermelon and cherry flavored ones, which were my favorite.
Ring Pop originally made it onto candy shelves as only cherry and grape, but now there are more than ten flavors to choose from, with seasonal and limited edition varieties spicing up the mix (“Limited Edition Circus Flavors†are currently available). I’ve never tried them, or even seen them in stores, but my guess is that kids these days really go for the marbled look of the twisted fruit and twisted cream Ring Pops.
Age has served the brand’s popularity well, and likenesses of Ring Pops have been spotted everywhere from the cover of MAD Magazine to Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art to singer Fergie’s Fergalicious video. And, at around sixty-five cents per pop, it’s probably the cheapest (and most fun) jewelry gift you can give.
Buy Ring Pop online
- at Old Time Candy
- at Candy Direct
- at Amazon.com
Just looking at the picture makes me salivate in anticipation of that sweet, slightly sour smooth candy. Sigh. I first discovered Ring Pops at Fay’s Drug Store in Orchard Park, NY in 1983. I loved the idea of two great things: candy and jewelry being combined into one. And the candy ring was easier to eat and wear simultaneously than the candy necklaces and bracelets that left me slobbering on myself. From the first time I convinced my parents to get me one, I was hooked. It was my gift of choice (along with a Smurf figurine or a fuzzy sticker) when taken along on parental errands, and a source of great fun with my friends as we pretended to be rich, older ladies, wearing our Ring Pops and furry winter coats. Suddenly, I have a urgent desire to wear fake fur, play with my Smurf collection, and don a ring pop on each finger, Liberace-style.
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:23 amI just bought my kids a big bag of ring pops at the bulk food store! -lol- they are obsessed with the darn things!
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:11 pmI love the ring pops there are tasty. They make my mouth melt.I love you ring pop, we all love your candy.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:49 pm