And what about Bonkers!™? Those chewy, fruity rectangles with the soft fruit-filled centers that came in grape, orange, strawberry, watermelon and chocolate flavors, to name a few. (I, of course, was partial to the chocolate ones.) Manufactured by Nabisco, these treasured nuggets were not quite gum, not quite taffy, but something in between. You could find them just about everywhere in the mid-’80s. But sometime in the mid-’90s the candy disappeared.

Now, wipe away those tears, because here’s the part where I brighten your day. The Wacky Wafers™ and Bonkers!™ trademarks have recently been purchased by Leaf Brands® LLC. And they’re planning a market relaunch by the end of 2012. So, while, according to those kooky Mayans, the world is about to end, you’ll at least be given one last chance to savor your favorite candies that stir up pleasant childhood memories.

Who is Leaf Brands, you ask? Well, they’re somewhat of a Superhero to those of us in the delightful land of Candy Addict®. They’re the ones responsible for the recent resurrection of Astro Pops® as well as for launching Farts Candy™ and David’s Signature Beyond Gourmet™ (review on the way).

Which other candies would you like to see brought back from the dead?

• Official Press Release
• Leaf Brands

The year was 1912. The Titanic was sinking, New Mexico was becoming the 47th state and Arizona was becoming the 48th. The Scoville Organoleptic Test was being developed (to rate the spicy heat of a pepper), and, ah, yes, the good ol’ Life Saver was being born.

Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, weighing approximately 2 grams, the Pep-O-Mint Life Saver was born thanks to the clever determination of his father, Clarence Crane, a chocolate maker who set out to create a sweet treat to beat the summer heat.

Life Savers became so popular that during WWII other candy manufacturers donated sugar rations to sustain production so they could be supplied to the Armed Forces.

In the 100 years since Life Savers were born, the candy has had more than 40 siblings, each uniquely flavored. These include Lic-O-Rice, Cin-O-Mon, Vi-O-Let, Choc-O-Mint, Molas-O-Mint, Lemon-Lime and Wint-O-Green.

Yes, it is true that Wint-O-Green Life Savers cause a spark in the dark—or, if you prefer the fancy scientific term: triboluminescence. Simply sit in a dark room, bring a friend or two, put a Wint-O-Green Life Saver in your mouth and bite. Your friend(s) will be impressed. To my surprise, many people under 30 have never heard of this whole spark in the dark thing. How bizarre!

Despite being kept in the dark regarding the spark, the under 30 demographic does seem awfully familiar with fruit-flavored Life Savers Holes that were born in 1990 or the Gummies, which are just two years younger.

Wrigley, the candy company who owns Life Saver, has launched a joyous website to celebrate this milestone birthday. And what does Life Saver, the man of the hour himself, want for his birthday? … He want you to purchase a 100th Anniversary Life Saver bag and enter the code on the birthday site so that you can donate $1 to a charity. I suppose it all circles back that charitable name of his – Life Saver.

And for those of you who want to reminisce, here’s an old commercial you may remember seeing.

What’s your favorite type of Life Saver? I prefer the Gummies Wild Berries. But I’m not one to ever turn down a spark in the dark, so I suppose I also favor the Wint-O-Green.

• Life Savers Website
• Birthday Press Release

In case you haven’t heard, after a 72-year relationship, Mike & Ike have split. Yes, a candy-coated PR stunt similar to that of the great Barbie & Ken divorce of 2004.

Hoping to capture the attention of teenagers, Just Born (the candy company who makes Mike & Ike) made the split well known across multiple social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, earlier this month.

Mike apparently wants to be a musician, Ike an artist. And the two have gone their separate ways to mingle with their respective social scenes whilst avoiding one another. Who knew that candies behaved as selfishly as humans?!

So, what will come of this? Well, so far Mike & Ike’s Facebook fan page has grown by more than 200,000 new fans. And, speaking of fans, they want YOU – yes, you, the one with colored sugar stains on your fingertips and sugar caked on your lips, to document your very own reaction to this startling news. You might win a music player, a t-shirt or candy!

I’ve read through a number of Facebook posts and blog entries documenting this entire event and I have to say that I’ve become more of a Mike fan. He seems funnier and less pathetic to me. Whose side are you on? Do you want to see them get back together or split? Personally, I’d like to see them split and each make their own new candy.

• Mike & Ike Website
• Fruity Facts About Mike & Ike
• New York Times Article Profiling the Campaign

In the spirit of Easter, let’s talk more about Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Most people either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I happen to be a former hater turned lover. Whether or not you enjoy eating them, here are some fun facts for you:

• Over 300 million Cadbury Creme Eggs are made each year, with a third being exported.
• The eggs are for sale from January 1 through Easter Day each year…unless of course you count the smashed and white-speckled ones you may purchase off clearance racks every so often beyond hatching season.
• At some point during the 1980s, the eggs were sold year round, but sales proved this wasn’t eggxactly a great idea.
• At some other point through the years, eggs decreased in size. This became a big topic of discussion in 2007.
• Eggs are sold in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
• There’s a special Facebook page for the egg.
• Some folks actually use chocolate eggs in baking.
• Other folks make their own creme eggs!
• And there are also the folks who make deviled creme eggs…
• Scientists sometimes blow them up.
• They can be purchased individually or in different-sized boxes.

There’s something so nostalgic about Cadbury Creme Eggs. Because of their seasonal availability and affiliation with Easter, we all seem to have special memories.

As someone always turned off by real eggs, the idea of eating a chocolate one resembling a real one turned my stomach as a child. But my younger brother loved them. And I always remember how excited he would get to bite into his first one each Easter. One day, as a candy-loving adult (with a more mature, less-discriminatory, borderline-gluttonous palate), I gave the chocolate eggs a chance and enjoyed what I ended up indulging in. You love that story.

What’s your favorite memory with a Cadbury Creme Egg?

• Cadbury Creme Egg Home Page

Do you have a little “Candy Addict” of your own at home? Would you like them to start learning their numbers in a way they’ll love? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then I’ve found the perfect book for you. Check out this new board book from Laurie Wolf called “Candy 1 to 20″. Every page contains the numbers from 1 to 20 but they numbers are laid out using various candies to make the shapes. For example, there’s a candy stick for number 1 and candy corn for number 20. Each number is made up of different candies, so your little “Candy Addict” will be so crazy to learn how to count. It’s a very cute board book that seems to be great for any pre-schooler. As a grown up “Candy Addict”, I just wish every page had real candy made into numbers so I could eat them as I counted to twenty! Retail price: $8.99.

• Buy the book “Counting With Candy” at Amazon
• Buy actual candy numbers

Candy Addict received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.

I’m just a HUGE chocolate and mint addict. I’m always on the lookout for something new that deals with chocolate mint and I will always try any candy that has that yummy combination no matter what. This time I found these Dark Chocolate (63% cocoa) Thin Mints from Haviland which is a sub-brand of Necco I found at my local CVS.

The first thing I noticed is that these are really thin mints. The photos on the box show something more along the lines of miniature York Peppermint patties with a thick mint center. That is not the case. The mint center is very thin and so is its dark chocolate coating. Luckily you get a lot of mints in the package which makes this a great deal for the money I paid.

These chocolate mints are actually very good. The flavors work in harmony together so that neither one overpowers the other. I’ve had some chocolate mints where there was way too much mint compared to the chocolate. Thin as these layers are, they work together extremely well. It’s a refreshing mint that’s complemented by the dark chocolate.

Another nice thing about these mints is that they are labeled “all natural” which can be misleading from time to time. Looking at the package the ingredient list is small and contains all the things I would hope to find in a product like this. These Haviland Mints were a pleasant surprise tucked away in the candy aisle at CVS. I love when I just pick something up for the heck of it and it ends up being really good.

• Necco Haviland Brand Website
• Buy Chocolate Mints Online

Willy Wonka. The name just induces candy coma fantasies. So, when I was at the mall recently, I noticed this new Wonka machine and juts had to check it out. thought it was very cool. I’ve always been a big fan of Wonka candies since I was a little girl (the movie helped too).

The machine is all touch-screen operated and it takes a few steps to get your candy. The candy is dispensed from the tubes you see in the front left of the machine (yes it’s the actual candy you get not some plastic display). You first decide how many scoops you want and then which candy you want (you can get a different one for each scoop). The final step is feeding the machine your cash or you can use a credit card. The candy is then dispensed into a nice plastic container with a lid. Really cool and a very modern way of vending.

Now here’s the downside. It cost me three dollars for two scoops. I chose Everlasting Gobstoppers and Chewy Berry Spree. The two scoops I received for $3 was about the equivalent of a small handful. You can see by my photo that it really was not much. I could buy a full box of Gobstoppers at the store for less than a dollar. In order to fill up this nice little container it would have cost me $7. I think I actually just paid for the plastic tub and not much else. If you see one at your mall, I suggest you wait and watch someone else spend their money. It’s really neat to watch but not worth the cost for what you get.

• The Wonka Website
• Buy Wonka Candy Online

I grew up spending ten cents a pop on Jolly Rancher candies at my small town news stand. Those hard little rectangles (especially the watermelon flavor) were a favorite among me and my elementary school crowd. I still love a good Jolly Rancher today. When I saw these Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews at the Five Below store near me, I thought I’d give them a shot.

The box is a compact size so it’ll fit easily in your purse or pocket should you desire to bring them with you everywhere. There are only four flavors: blue raspberry, watermelon, green apple and cherry. I had an overabundance of blue raspberry in my box but thankfully I did have at least one of each flavor in there to give a good review.

Each piece is a small rectangle, about ¾ of an inch long. These are a real easy candy to chew. The only other candy I could really compare these too are Starburst, but these are much softer and easier to chew. They’re more of that powdery type of chewy candy rather than a taffy type of chewiness. Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews are a quick easy chew, but they’re packed with flavor.

The blue raspberry pieces are bright blue and have that distinct blue raspberry taste. The candy is not sour but rather a true basic blue raspberry, a little tart mixed with sweet. The watermelon is a deep pink colored candy and is that watermelon flavor I loved as a kid. The green apple is a bright, neon green color and the flavor is a good basic apple flavor, not a green apple in particular. The cherry is a good red color and the flavor is a basic candy cherry flavor. These are not a true fruit flavor but more like what you would expect a fruit flavor candy to be like. It’s that almost “too good to be true” taste. I wish fruit really tasted like these Jolly Ranchers.

I’m always a bit skeptical when a candy company tries to come up with a new product based on an old one. I’m an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” type of girl. But, these fruit chews are honestly really good. The flavors stay 100% true to the classic Jolly Rancher hard candy I loved as a kid. Each time I ate a piece it took me back to the good old days.

• Buy Jolly Rancher Candy Online
• Jolly Rancher Website

We’ve all seen Ring Pops: those sweet lollipops made into the shape of huge faceted gemstones that we slip on our fingers in order to eat them. Well, now I’ve seen it all. Check out the “Bling” pops that Bazooka, the maker of Ring Pops, is sending to the Dallas Mavericks. These are Swarovski crystal encrusted Ring Pops in the Mavericks signature colors.

Here’s what Bazooka had to say:

“Bazooka Candy Brands, the iconic confectionary company and manufacturer of Ring Pops, believes that the Dallas Mavericks should be rewarded for all their hard work and their NBA finals win. That’s why they’ll be stepping in and saving the day, creating Swarovski-encrusted Ring Pops in the team colors of Blue and White for the team to wear to celebrate their feat. The Ring Pops will be shipped to the team shortly. “

I don’t know if any of the Mavericks will, but being a Candy Addict, I’d probably one of the only people in the world to actually eat this special Ring Pop, if they sent me one.

• Yahoo Sports story
• Bazooka (Ring Pops) Website
• Buy Ring Pops Online

Before biting into this candy, I did a little background checking on it. Palmer Candy Company, the mastermind behind the Twin Bing, has been around for over 130 years and the Twin Bing was concocted in 1973. They must be doing something right.

When I tear it open the cute package, the strong, delicious smell of peanut butter wafts out. Pulling out the twins, it’s two mounds that connect to form one “bar.” I’m not gonna lie… it looks a little gross. Growing up, my mom made cookies with oatmeal, peanut butter, and cocoa powder officially called “No Bake Cookies” — lovingly nicknamed “Cow Piles.”

The Twin Bing definitely has the cow pile look. Don’t get me wrong, we loved Mom’s Cow Piles. Gross-looking does not equal gross-tasting and that is exactly the case with the Twin Bings. It’s a rich, scrumptious candy and not at all what I expected. I was expecting something like a cherry cordial, of which I’m not extraordinarily fond. A Twin Bing is not like a cordial at all. It’s a chocolate and peanut-filled shell covering a creamy cherry filling.

I definitely tasted chocolate and peanut butter right away. I didn’t taste the cherry in the first bite, but once I got to it in the middle of the first twin, it was distinctly, bitingly cherry. The packaging claims it is a “nutty chocolaty cherry treat” and without a doubt it is.

It’s curious that the ingredients don’t actually include cherries, cherry extract, imitation cherry, or anything cherry-related. There was “natural and artificial flavors.” I guess that’s the cherry part. Whatever is making the cherry flavor, it works.

Would I buy Twin Bing again? Without a doubt. It was tasty and different, and I enjoyed it. In addition to the taste, I’d like to have some on hand for the novelty. Imagine serving these the mounds of gross-looking deliciousness as dessert to dinner guests.

• Palmer Candy Company

• Buy Twin Bing

Candy Addict received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.