When you think about your favorite candy, it may seem like it’s been around forever, but if you can believe it, people endured for centuries with Jelly Belly jelly beans.
The colorful candies made their debut in 1976. And Reese’s Pieces? They didn’t come on the scene until 1978.
Wondering which candy came out the year you were born? Keeping reading to find out.
1941: M&M’s
More than 400 million individual M&M’s are made every day in the U.S. That’s a lot of chocolate melting in our mouths!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEg_AnUsnOX/?taken-by=mymmsbrand
1945: Dots Gum Drops
More than 4 billion of these chewy candies are made annually.
1947: Bazooka Bubblegum
Comic strips were included with the gum from 1953 to 2011.
1948: Almond Joy
The “Sometimes you feel like a nut” jingle came along in the 1970s. Almond Joy is a “sister bar” to the Mounds bar, which made its debut in 1921.
1949: Junior Mints
The name came as a result of a play on “Junior Miss,” a series of stories that ran in The New Yorker and later became a successful play (who knew?). Over 15 million chocolatey mints are made each day.
1954: Peeps
All I know is, I tried to feed Peeps to seagulls on Sanibel Island in Florida, and they wouldn’t take them. Draw your own conclusions.
1958: Candy Necklace
These edible jewels have been gracing birthday party good bags for almost 60 years!
1960: Starburst
These gems were originally known as “Opal Fruits.”
If your life needs some juiciness, the Original Chews got your tastebuds covered. pic.twitter.com/3y2WpcIdqP
— STARBURST (@Starburst) December 1, 2016
1960: Lemonheads
The founder of the company, Salvatore Ferrara, saw that his grandson had somewhat of a lemon-shaped head after being delivered via forceps. And now you know the rest of the story.
Lemonade and Lemonhead. A match made in #LaborDay heaven. How are you spending your day off? pic.twitter.com/DWoLMWjx4x
— Lemonhead (@Lemonhead) September 7, 2015
1962: Now and Later
Nineteen flavors are currently available.
1971: Laffy Taffy
Jokes are often written inside the wrapper, hence the name.
1974: Skittles
First made in 1974 in the U.K., Skittles arrived in North America five years later and began production in the U.S. in 1982.
All I’m sayin' is Skittles works in every language. #OtherWaysToSayHello pic.twitter.com/aH8HZTDtht
— SKITTLES (@Skittles) November 21, 2016
1975: Pop Rocks
Created by a General Foods chemist in 1956, but not released until 1975.
1976: Jelly Belly
President Reagan was reportedly quite a fan—he started popping Jelly Belly jelly beans after quitting smoking.
1978: Reese’s Pieces
M&M’s had a shot at being in the movie “E.T.”—but passed. Reese’s Pieces took their spot and saw sales explode.
1980: Big League Chew
Big League was created by former minor league pitcher Rob Nelson.
Craving more fun facts about your favorite candies? Check out this article from Good Housekeeping.