Nerds Candy: The Story Behind Your Childhood Favorite
How an irregularly shaped treat became one of the most popular candies ever
They introduced many new types of candy in the 1980s, but which was one of the most iconic and still popular today?
Nerds candy came out in 1983 and was sold by Nestle. They were small, irregularly shaped pieces of candy and each box came in two different flavors. With their pleasing crunch and variety of flavors, Nerds would become one of the most popular candies of all time.
When I was a kid, we had a convenience store a few blocks from my house. This place was like Willy Wonka’s factory to us. Even though I now realize it was just a crappy little variety store, it seemed like Shangri-La to me.
Any money, or allowance, I earned I would start thinking about what I would get down there. As much as I loved all the variety in candy and general crap that I could get, I always had a few select choices that I spent my money on; Big League Chew, Lik M Aid, and Nerds Candy.
Nerds were like the perfect candy. It came in a cool box, tasted great, and you got variety with the two different compartments that made up the box. As much as we used the term ‘nerd’ to take someone down a notch, the name took on a different meaning. I think over time that the word is as much associated with the…
