I smile big when Nicholas Zarate pulls out a pouch of Big League Chew. Images of my 7th-grade classmates passing the stuff around while trading baseball cards behind the school are front and center.
“It’s like, a baseball gum,” he tells me.
“That came out when I was a kid.”
“Yeah, I know this stuff is very old.”
“Ouch,” I say, laughing.
Zarate is 20. So, you know, perspective.
He says it’s a top seller among the truly vast selection of retro candies they’re slinging at Rocket Fizz in Winter Park.
Big League Chew hit the market in 1980 (the year I turned 10, for the record) and I’ve always marveled that while candy cigarettes took a lot of heat when smoking became super un-PC, this novelty — clearly marketed to mimic the dip, or “chewing tobacco,” long favored by baseball players before its eventual ban — never seemed to suffer.
Rocket Fizz sells several kinds of candy cigarettes, too, by the way, including the bubble gum variety my friends and I liked best for the powdered sugar “smoke” we could blow before we chewed it up for bubble-blowing instead.
Ah, yes, we Gen X-ers lived in a golden age. All the hellacious candy and none of the helicopter parenting. The former is particularly worthy of celebrating right now, as June is National Candy Month. Here are a few other classics that Zarate says fly out the door on the reg.
Salt Water Taffy
If Big League Chew is old, this stuff is ancient, dating back to what historians cite as the 1880s. Its most commonly listed birthplace: Atlantic City, New Jersey. So named for a fabled story in which an ocean swell flooded the candy supply of a boardwalk shop owner, it is a prevalent gift in just about every beachside tourist town I’ve ever been to. Rocket Fizz has many colors and flavors, from traditional fruity fare (Zarate says these are the most popular) to gem, including Neapolitan, Sex on the Beach, chili pepper and pickle.
Pickle trends in its intended flavor direction more so than the chili pepper (fans of a little spice would do better with the cinnamon, to be honest), though there are notes of citrus and mint in it, as well. It does lean a bit into the salty realm, though, and so it makes a fine pick for a candy with mythos that’s steeped in the sea.
Long Boys
Among the “penny candy” offerings at Rocket Fizz (the bite-sized version will run you a quarter these days), Long Boys were a popular candy in the South. Though most prevalent in their coconut caramel form, you’ll also find the chocolate variety here. In fact, the larger variety was sold out on my visit, so if you have your heart set on this one, call ahead.
Mary Janes
Molasses-peanut butter nostalgia in a wrapper, Zarate says they sell scads of these popular candies, with more than a few regulars coming in once a month or so to replenish their supplies. According to the story, this one dates to 1914 and was named after its creator’s favorite aunt. These days, the candy is made by the Texas-based Atkinson Candy Company, which came along later in the 1930s and is still going strong.
Chick-O-Sticks
A candy that dates to the 1950s, I first spied them in a Georgia convenience store in the 1990s and thought it was some sort of poultry jerky before a friend from Tennessee set me straight. A crunchy, coconut-peanut butter delight, Chick-O-Sticks come in various sizes at Rocket Fizz, though only the smaller varieties were available on my visit. Fans from earlier on may recall its former bright-orange hue, which the Atkinson Candy Company changed back in 2019. Its exterior now showcases a more natural toasted coconut appearance. Good stuff, this one.
Astro Pops
“I don’t know much about these,” says Zarate of the familiar pops adjacent to the register (there were only a few left), “but lots of people come in and see them and talk about how they ate them when they were young.” I could be one of these people, though this iconic space-age confection predates me by seven or so years. Invented by two former space program scientists riding the wave of space-race mania, the funky pops took off and had a decadeslong run before being discontinued in the early aughts. Fortunately, the pointy pops were resurrected several years later by another brand whose CEO couldn’t bear to see his favorite candy gone forever. Hosting any sort of Canaveral-based launch or space-themed soiree? These are a natural party favor. Perhaps even a sweet swizzle stick for your astrophysical fiesta.
Rocket Fizz: 520 S. Park Ave. in Winter Park and Dezerland Park, 5250 International Drive in Orlando, 407-645-3499. In addition to retro and modern confections, you’ll find a vast selection of sodas, novelties, international candy and more.
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
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