Necco Tiny Conversation Hearts. 1991
Let me share a word or two about conversation hearts, those tiny candies that we love and love us back. In the wide world of candy, they are the ones that take the time to talk to us, once a year on that day of relationships, Valentine’s Day.
As a kid, Valentine’s Day was right up there with Halloween as a great fun day for candy. Forget about romance---give me some of those conversation hearts! They only came around once a year, and it was so exciting to see what sayings were printed on them. I appreciated the classics like “Be Mine” and “Love You,” but the big giggles came from finding a “Far Out” or “Buzz Off” in the box. For me and my girlfriends, conversation hearts offered a taste of the thrill and hilarity of what we imagined grown-up love would be like. We would dress cool, go to clubs, and talk to guys in the lingo of conversation hearts. Not dissimilar from the young people on Dragnet!
| As far out and groovy as conversation hearts were when I was a kid, they got their start back in the middle of the quaint 19th century. In 1847 a young Boston apothecary named Oliver Chase invented the first candy making machine, a “lozenge cutter” that allowed him to mass produce Chase Lozenges, minty candies that were the forerunner of Necco Wafers. His lozenges became an overnight sensation, so Oliver started a family confectionery business, Chase & Company. Oliver’s brother Daniel also had an inventive mind. He looked at the flat lozenges cut from a sugary dough and thought, “We could print sweet nothings on these!” After some trial and error, the Chase brothers perfected the machinery and process for doing this, and “conversation candies” were born. | Oliver Chase and his candy making machine, the “lozenge cutter” revolutionized the candy industry. |
The public immediately adored them. They were perfect for festive occasions and romantic interludes. Along with hearts, Chase & Company made them in all kinds of shapes: watches, horseshoes, postcards, baseballs, baggage checks, bank checks, wedding bells, coins, and animals. Unlike the conversation hearts of today, they were large, large enough to print elaborate messages on them, such as “Come On, You Kid! There’s Two Men Gone – Don’t Freeze on First – Do a Marathon!”
Necco Tiny Conversation Hearts, 1997 and Necco Assorted Wafers, 1994.
In 1901 Chase & Company joined with two other companies to become Necco, the New England Confectionery Company. With this even bigger and better company, Necco led the market in conversation candies, a variation on their famous Necco Wafers. By the middle of the century Necco had simplified their offerings to conversation hearts. With the Baby Boom in the late 1940s and 1950s, conversation hearts were perfect for classroom Valentine’s Day parties. Other candy companies such as Howard B. Stark, Brach’s, and Edward P. Lewis recognized this opportunity as well and joined in, thus cementing the connection between conversation hearts and Valentine’s Day from that point forward.
Conversation hearts by Edgar P. Lewis & Sons, 1955. Brach's boxes 1960s and 1980s. Howard B. Stark Sweethearts, 1982.
Spangler Sweethearts. 2023
The most famous and popular brand of conversation hearts to emerge from the race is Sweethearts. The Spangler Candy Company makes Sweethearts these days, but Necco became famous for them after purchasing the brand from Wisconsin’s Howard B. Stark Company in 1990. Necco had three factories manufacturing Sweethearts ten months out of the year to meet the demand for 8 billion hearts each Valentine’s Day. Necco created themes for the new sayings every year. Throughout the year, hundreds of letters poured in from Sweethearts lovers with suggestions. Reporters flocked to Necco’s annual press event to learn what the new sayings would be. Like the Academy Awards, Necco kept them a closely guarded secret until the event.
Necco Sweethearts sayings over the decades.
One of the great things about conversation candies is that they lend themselves to creative interpretation, and Necco not only came up with the new themes, they also created (among many other things) Twilight Saga vampire hearts, N’SYNC Cool Candy Hearts, conversation gum, and customizable 24 karat solid gold Sweethearts.
Necco Sweethearts Twilight Forbidden Fruits, 2010 and NSYNC Cool Candy, 2000.
Other candy companies have added to the creative fun, with conversation (jelly) beans, gummi conversation hearts, SweeTart and Smarties tart conversation hearts, and even extreme sour Warheads conversation hearts. The printing on the hearts also varies, with serif and san serif type, flat, raised, and embossed. So much can be expressed in so many ways on conversation hearts.
Sunline SweeTARTS. 1982
Warheads Sour Conversation Hearts, Swizzels Love Hearts, Jelly Belly Conversation Beans, and Brach's Sweet Conversation Hearts.
Despite all the variety, one thing I dearly miss are "motto hearts.” They were larger and thicker than today’s typical conversation hearts, and they had pretty scalloped edges. They were softer and more flavorful than the smaller hearts, and you could print more words on them. Many people preferred them. My mother-in-law loved them. This year, Brach's released Large Conversation Hearts that are very similar in size, but lack the scalloped edges.
| Necco Motto Hearts. 1991 | Brach's Large Conversation Hearts. 2023 |
Modern-day conversation hearts can be very hard---hard to eat without risking cracking a tooth. You love those delicious Valentine's Day conversation hearts by Brach's and Sweethearts, but wish they were softer? Watch this video for the solution!
Whether you enjoy them hard or soft, conversation hearts bring fun and surprises to us each year. When Necco went out of business in 2018, the world mourned as a Valentine’s Day passed by without Sweethearts. Fortunately, the Spangler Candy Company heard our cries and brought back our beloved Sweethearts as fast as they could. This year they have used an animal theme with sayings like "Honey Bee," "Cool Cat," "Big Dog," "Pawsome," and "Papa Bear"! The world keeps changing, but one thing has remained constant---it just isn’t Valentine’s Day without conversation hearts.
Here's the video I made for Bite Size Candy History. It's a fun little 2-minute look at conversation hearts!
