NJM - The History of Valentine's Day Candy (2024)

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NJM - The History of Valentine's Day Candy? ›

Heart-Shaped Boxes of Chocolates: Richard Cadbury, son of Cadbury founder John Cadbury, created 'fancy' boxes of chocolates to increase sales. He used drawings of his family and Alpine scenes to decorate them. In 1861, he created the first heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine's Day.

One legend claims that the idea for conversation hearts came from romantic letters that were sent to soldiers during the Civil War. The soldiers would often carry Necco wafers (then known as 'hub wafers'), and so the idea arose to combine romantic sentiments with the wafers.

In the 1860s, during the height of the Victorian era, Cadbury invented the very first heart-shaped chocolate box. After the chocolates had been eaten, the boxes were intended to be used to store sentimental items like love letters, gifts, or locks of hair, all popular practices in Victorian culture.

The Most Popular Valentine's Day Candy in New Jersey

New Jersey's favorite Valentine's Day candy is heart-shaped boxes of chocolate.

According to Candystore.com's annual report from 2023, conversation hearts made a stunning comeback, being the top Valentine's Day candy choice for 17 U.S. states.

Over time, heart-shapes remained popular in decorative art and heraldry, but did not gain a strong connection with love until the thirteenth century. The Medieval concept of courtly love led to more illustrations glorifying romance, often utilizing the heart-shape as a symbol for love.

Some believe Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 because that is when Saint Valentine was killed or buried. Others claim the date has to do with the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, which was a days-long celebration that would start on February 13 and end on February 15.

Held in mid-February, the festival celebrated the coming of spring with raucous celebrations and fertility rites. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius forbade the celebration of Lupercalia, and some suggest that he replaced it with a day to celebrate the martyred St. Valentine.

What was the top candy in NJ? ›

In a surprising placement, New Jersey's number one candy is the Tootsie Pop with 148,870 pounds sold. The ever popular Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is America's favorite candy.

Cupid. If Valentine's Day has a mascot, it's the winged, bow and arrow–wielding baby known as Cupid. Next to the heart, he's the most common symbol of the holiday. His path from powerful Greek God to lovable cherub was not always an obvious one, though.

Sweethearts (also known as conversation hearts) are small heart-shaped sugar candies sold around Valentine's Day. Each heart is printed with a message such as "Be Mine", "Kiss Me", "Call Me", "Let's Get Busy", "Miss You", or "I'm Yours".

Sweethearts Candy Hearts: In 1866, Daniel Chase developed a machine that could press food dye letters onto the candy lozenges made famous by his brother, New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) founder Oliver Chase. The candy gained popularity and soon became a favorite treat at weddings.

Snickers is the top-selling candy bar in the United States and is produced by Mars, Inc. This classic chocolate bar is made with nougat, caramel, and peanuts, and it has been a favourite among Americans since its introduction in 1930.

The history of conversation hearts dates back to 1847, but their origin story is not what you'd expect. The machine used to make the candies was initially invented to create medicine. Boston-based Pharmacist Oliver Chase developed the lozenge cutter to industrialize the formation of apothecary lozenges.

He uses his alluring charms for his sly schemes, while hiding his true intentions to fill up his victims' heart full of love energy before "harvesting their heart" energy to strengthen his power. Over time, he formed a collection of literal broken hearts, keeping them on display in twin coffin shaped cabinets.

The History of Conversation Hearts

Chase's lozenge cutter is credited as the first American candy machine. He started off making medicinal lozenges for sore throats and bad breath, but later turned to creating candy. These candy lozenges would go on to become the Necco Wafers that are still around today.

Each heart is printed with a message such as "Be Mine", "Kiss Me", "Call Me", "Let's Get Busy", "Miss You", or "I'm Yours". Sweethearts were made by the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco, before being purchased by the Spangler Candy Company in 2018.