swimmerboy
Jun 10, 2004 @ 1:03 pm
Another old gum that I used to love...Fruit Stripe,
Yikes! Stripes! Fruit Stripe Gum! Oh dear...that song used to get permanently stuck in my head for entire weekends when I was a kid. I loved it.
Edited properly closed tags work a lot better
Kanuck!
Jun 10, 2004 @ 1:10 pm
FWIW,
IMDB.com lists the same actors playing Crabbe & Goyle in all three HP movies, although I agree that one of the two certainly grew taller (as did the kid playing Neville).
I have vague memories of making gum-wrapper chains, but I do recall having quite a fascination with those folded things (I don't remember what we called them, but I've heard Americans refer to them as cootie catchers) when I was in grade 1 or 2. My favourite candy when I was 8 or 9 was Gobstoppers - I thought they were pretty cool.
[mini-rant]I swear, if the women below me spent her money on housing instead of pot, she could move into a freakin' mansion. I am so sick of the smell of marijuana wafting through my windows in the summer (and through the walls/vents/something into my bathroom in the winter) - I find the smell nauseating, although some days I can cope better than others.[/mini-rant]
MisterMcGee
Jun 10, 2004 @ 1:44 pm
Hey, what is the name of that gum that used to have the liquid center?
Perhaps I'm aging myself, but I first thought of Chewels gum from when I was a kid. It was square and had that glop of liquid in the middle.
In Living Color once made fun of it but calling it "Jewels."
JenEx
Jun 10, 2004 @ 1:53 pm
Oh, man, I loved Fruit Stripe. My mother's refusal to buy me Fruit Stripe (yes, this same woman now hoarding Teaberry) was the impetus for my short-lived life of crime. When I was about 4 I took a pack from the A&P down the street, and was dumb enough to open it and shove, like 3 pieces in my mouth walking back from the store with my mom. Duh. I had to go and apologize and return the pack.
Loved that stuff, though. I still buy it once in a while when I find at at Krogers. Sadly, the flavor only lasts through maybe 4 chomps.
Rachel RSL
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:01 pm
The worst gum EVER has got to be
Thrills. For some odd reason, my mom used to love this gum so she always had a pack with her. And when we were little and said a bad word, she used to make us chew a piece on purpose to punish us.
:::shudder:::
Bubbacat
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:06 pm
Hey, what is the name of that gum that used to have the liquid center?
Perhaps I'm aging myself, but I first thought of Chewels gum from when I was a kid. It was square and had that glop of liquid in the middle.
That's the one I was thinking of. I knew there was one before Freshen Up, but I just couldn't think of the name. Yep,
MisterMcGee, I hate to say it, but we did both just age ourselves. Didn't that come out in the late 60s or early 70s? I know I used to chew it in high school (mid to late 70s) and it had been out for a while before that.
ThatGrrl
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:07 pm
Score!!! My uber corp employer has decided to give everyone a half day tomorrow. Hmm. Are the festivities in the morning or afternoon, tomorrow, with regard to the funeral? Because if they are in the morning, I'm going to have a huge laugh over their giving us the afternoon off.
MisterMcGee, I remember Chewels, too. Wonder which came first, Chewels or FreshenUp?
You answered my question, Bubbacat. Thanks! Just realized, thinking about it, I'm pretty sure Chewels couldn't have been out in the 1960's. I remember it being introduced and being allowed to chew gum. I was only 5 years old in 1969. Only 5? No gum for you, missy.
piperdown
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:14 pm
The worst gum EVER has got to be Thrills.
It tastes like soap!! I hatd the houses that gave these out for Halloween. Is there anyone that actually likes the flavour of soap so much that they needed to chew it?
"Hey Ed, do you know what would make soap even better....that ability to blow bubbles with it"
"Can't you already do that?"
"No I mean blow them with your mouth"
"Yeah....they have those sticks already, you dip them they're fun"
"No I mean by chewing!"
"Genius"
Hildy
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:15 pm
Well, I couldn't stand it any more and went and found my box of old gum wrappers, complete with a partially completed chain. I have some strange wrappers:
Adams' sour apple, cherry and strawberry gums
Clark's sour lemon gum (I sense a trend here)
Beemans Pepsin gum (got noooo recollection of that one)
Beechnut gums, assorted flavors
Lifesavers gum, a short-lived but trendy phenomenon.
Now if only I could find my Wacky Packages collection, I'd be happy.
sparky1
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:24 pm
My office is not closing, but they've made a room available for those who want to watch stuff. They sent around a schedule - it's pretty handy:
Following is a brief outline of the scheduled services, all posted in Eastern Standard Time.
10:30 a.m. Departure ceremony at U.S. Capitol
11:30 a.m. National funeral service at Washington National Cathedral.
Eulogists are President George W. Bush, former President George H.W. Bush,
former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former Canadian Prime
Minister Brian Mulroney. Readers are Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
and Rabbi Harold Kushner.
1:15 p.m. Departure ceremony at National Cathedral
2:15 p.m. Departure ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base
9:00 p.m. Motorcade arrives at Reagan Library
9:15 p.m. Private burial service at Reagan Library
MisterMcGee
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:27 pm
I have distinct memories of Chewels from when I was a kid in the late 70s, Bubbacat but I'm not sure when it was first introduced. They had two kinds IIRC, a minty one and a "cinammon" flavored one.
I'm not sure when FreshenUp came out ThatGrrl; I really don't remember that one. My bubblegum childhood was all about Chewels, Bubble Yum and Bubblelicious. My mom always tried to make us chew Trident though. Killjoy.
By the way Grrl, you're a C'ville native? I'm a recently returned native Roanoker. I loved briefly in Charlottesville though from '99-2000.
Omoo
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:41 pm
My mom loves Thrills gum. I put it in her stocking a couple of years ago and she was so pleased.
Does anyone remeber a couple of years ago when a girl used gum wrapper chains to make her prom dress? I think she was featured on Oprah.
ThatGrrl
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:46 pm
Thanks, Sparky1. Hmm. Looks as if everything is pretty much over for the "working hours" festivities, by 1:15. Silly uber corp. Giving us the afternoon off only assures that all of us will just seek out alcohol that much earlier.
Okay, that Thrills gum sounds terrible. Ugh. I'll take the little peppermint man, any day.
MisterMcGee, I probably tossed off that "native" term a little too quickly. I feel like one, but have only lived here for about 12 years. Sounds as if I just missed you.
Rachel RSL
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:47 pm
Eulogists are President George W. Bush, former President George H.W. Bush, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former Canadian Prime
Minister Brian Mulroney.
We sent Brian Mulroney? Heh. I guess Canada never really liked Reagan. Unless it's a secret ploy to get Mulroney out of the country and then refuse to let him back in.
MisterMcGee
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:49 pm
But you're still a Virginia-based Grrl which makes you alright by me. I was just there briefly.
PButtercup
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:50 pm
We sent Brian Mulroney? Heh. I guess Canada never really liked Reagan. Unless it's a secret ploy to get Mulroney out of the country and then refuse to let him back in.
I hope Ben goes with him.
ThatGrrl
Jun 10, 2004 @ 2:57 pm
Awww. *sniff, sniff* I'm telling everyone I'm taking a half day tomorrow to mourn Ray Charles. That sucks.
That makes two. Wonder who the third one will be?
Definitely need more Virginia types on the boards, MisterMcGee.
iMissEthan
Jun 10, 2004 @ 3:05 pm
Wow, what cave has Thatcher been living in all these years? Do you think she still has that helmet hair? Nancy seems to be clinging to her old hairstyle. Our company is observing a moment of silence at noon. Makes me wish I had a cellphone so I could program it to ring We are the Champions or Na na hey hey goodbye at just the right moment.
theschnauzers
Jun 10, 2004 @ 3:19 pm
iMissEthan Wow, what cave has Thatcher been living in all these years?
Lady Thatcher has been hanging out in the British House of Lords for quite a while.
Ricci
Jun 10, 2004 @ 3:21 pm
ooh I love Fruit Stripes, I wish the taste lasted longer. Dynamints too. Does anyone remember those packets of flavored sugar that came with a "lick stick" which was a piece of candy that you licked and dipped into the packets. Fun Dip maybe? When I was in grad school and stressed beyond belief I developed a serious fixation on Cotton Candy Flavor Bubbalicious (or maybe it was Hubba). Can't stand the sight of it now.
europa1057
Jun 10, 2004 @ 3:40 pm
Oh Jesus on a jukebox, Fun Dip is the most amazing candy ever invented. My mom HATED it when I brought some home from the 7-11. I left piles of powdered sugar all over the house. And eating the candy stick after the sugar is the most satisfying part of the whole process. Oh my god, I have to go find some right. now.
Edited because in my excitation I can't spel gud aneemor.
bungle3358
Jun 10, 2004 @ 3:43 pm
Awww. *sniff, sniff* I'm telling everyone I'm taking a half day tomorrow to mourn Ray Charles. That sucks.
Ray Charles died?! Damn! Now that's an important American! St. Ronnie? eh.
kt7byu
Jun 10, 2004 @ 3:51 pm
See, and the only gum with the liquid center that I could think of was
Tidal Wave Gum. Every commerical featured a "tidal wave" of water blasting onto the scene when someone bit into the gum.
It came out in the 1980s, but my mom wouldn't let me buy it. I loved the commericals, though.
ThatGrrl
Jun 10, 2004 @ 3:57 pm
Oooo. I loved Fun Dip. And Gobstoppers (except for that one time I damn near choked on one). Weren't those about the same time as Wacky Wafers and Wacky Taffy? I'm starting to wonder how I still have all my teeth...
The Last Dodo
Jun 10, 2004 @ 4:05 pm
Holy crap, I remember Tidal Wave!
This is probably really dating myself, but when I was about 4 or 5, I remember it being a huge deal that Bubble Yum came out with a flavor, grape, as opposed to just the plain bubble gum flavor that came in the red pack. I remember Bubblicious and Hubba Bubba were its two main rivals.
To quote the Lemonheads from 1992, it's a shame about Ray.
macaddict
Jun 10, 2004 @ 4:10 pm
I remember it being a huge deal that Bubble Yum was made with spider eggs.
eta: I think the classiest TV ever got was on Designing Women, the year after Delta Burke and Jean Smart left (you know, when the show started sucking), the opening was the cast in evening gowns and a tuxedo arranged around a shiiiiny grand piano as Ray Charles accompanied himself on Georgia On My Mind. Best 30 seconds of television.
Mama Tiger
Jun 10, 2004 @ 4:16 pm
I'm starting to wonder how I still have all my teeth...
For a real teeth-puller, anybody else here fondly remember the Sugar Daddy, the chunk of rock-hard caramel on a stick that would take ages and ages to eat? I don't think dentists
allow them to make those any more, but my, I used to love them!
And I am so sad about Ray Charles! What an amazing gift he had.
Rabrab
Jun 10, 2004 @ 4:31 pm
Oh my, yes.
Sugar Daddy was the huge sucker thing, Sugar Babies was little pellets of the same caramel, and then there was Slo-Poke from the same company, which was a slightly different flavor but the same tooth-pulling texture. Didn't they also make Black Cow--caramel with a sort of creamy rootbeer flavor? Then there was Turkish Taffy and Bit-o-Honey, if you still had any teeth (or fillings) that hadn't been yanked out.
Ray, man, your piano's tuned and waiting. You put a pile of good music into the world.
macaddict
Jun 10, 2004 @ 4:31 pm
The concession stand at the beach where I took swimming lessons as a kid sold Sugar Daddys, Sugar Babies, Squirrel Nut Zippers and Mary Janes. It's a wonder my jaw wasn't permanent dislocated, much less that my teeth didn't rot out.
ThatGrrl
Jun 10, 2004 @ 4:40 pm
Nothing ever beat
Dots for yanking my teeth out.
Those are cruel little boxes of evil. If you put a couple on your back molars and bit down, your mouth would be permanently welded shut.
Bart Ender
Jun 10, 2004 @ 4:46 pm
I got an e-mail at work today for a workshop featuring "Enhanced Reality-Based Training."
I don't know if this means that our previous training was really about how Ooompa-Loompas fight unicorns, or if this workshop will be on Famewhoring For Fun And Profit. Or, if it's talking about "Enhanced Reality", could it be about TAR?
Kanuck!
Jun 10, 2004 @ 5:30 pm
When I was in elementary school, the really cool thing was not FunDip, but Jello powder. I remember groups of us girls sitting on the monkey bars dipping & licking the powder - in retrospect, that's rather gross in several ways.
The canteen at the camp I attended had this great toffee (MacKenzie's, I think, in a little red&tartan box) that came as a big bar of chewy toffee, and if it had been in the fridge, it was so hard you couldn't bite through it. Good times (and I somehow managed to keep my teeth). The best toffees I've had, though, would have to be the various kinds I bought while in Scotland a few years ago - mmm.
JenEx
Jun 10, 2004 @ 6:10 pm
Oooh, we used to eat Jello powder! I once had an elaborate running-away-from-home plan that involved living off the stuff for several days. Don't ask.
This candy talk has brought back memories of my Aunt Pat's junk drawer, where she kept a massive stash of all the candy that my mom wouldn't let us have. Whenever we spent the night with her we headed immediately for that drawer. Slo-Pokes, Pixie Sticks, wax bottles, Dots, those weird fruit-flavored Tootsie Rolls..mmmmm.
Mama Tiger
Jun 10, 2004 @ 6:25 pm
When I was a kid, my girlfriend Julie and I would sneak up to the kitchen whenever I was spending the night at her house and sneak out packages of Jello powder to eat. Like her mother couldn't tell by our red and green and yellow tongues the next day. But hey, we thought we were being so devious!
Omoo
Jun 10, 2004 @ 6:34 pm
I don't know if this means that our previous training was really about how Ooompa-Loompas fight unicorns
Hee.
I use to love the toffee in the tartan box. I was so mad when I got braces and wasn't allowed to have it anymore.
jennblevins
Jun 10, 2004 @ 6:39 pm
When I was in elementary school, the really cool thing was not FunDip, but Jello powder.
The cool thing at my first (of three) grade school was the seasoning packets from Top Ramen. (Not eating was cool at the second, and by the third I was so out of touch with cool that I probably couldn't have identified it if it reached out and froze me.)
boilergal
Jun 10, 2004 @ 6:42 pm
At the slumber parties I attended, we used Jello powder to dye our hair for the truly awesome, faux-punk look. The color wasn't great, but the stickiness of it allowed for some great mohawks.
Mama Tiger
Jun 10, 2004 @ 6:43 pm
Ewww, Jello powder in your hair? Okay, it would probably work, but ewww!
DuchessKitty
Jun 10, 2004 @ 6:44 pm
I've had my head on my desk since about noon listening to Ray Charles cds in my office. WAAAAAaaaahhh! But considering he'd been battling liver cancer for some time, I'm not surprised he lost the fight. I will miss him.
The cool thing at my first (of three) grade school was the seasoning packets from Top Ramen.
Really? Wow, this seems totally revolting to me. Were there particular flavors that were more popular or "cool"? You know, was Oriental preferred over Chicken etc.?
ETA:
boilergal, we used jello powder to temporarily dye our hair too. It was very popular in junior high. It never really worked on my hair because it's pretty dark and I was always jealous of my friend Mandy who could make perfect green, pink, and yellow stripes in her lustrous blond locks.
Kanuck!
Jun 10, 2004 @ 6:59 pm
My brother once decided that he wanted a mohawk, so my mom and I cut/shaved the sides of his head, and I used gelatin powder (this was obviously *before* he became a vegan) to create a great mohawk (his hair was maybe 3-inches long at the time). Not surprisingly, the vice principal of his high school was not impressed, told him to pull up his hood, and that the mohawk had better be gone before the next school day, so he ended up with a shaved head (which really didn't work well with his face shape, but who asked me?)
dawsnzchck
Jun 10, 2004 @ 7:01 pm
Nothing ever beat Dots for yanking my teeth out. Those are cruel little boxes of evil. If you put a couple on your back molars and bit down, your mouth would be permanently welded shut.
This was the first thing I ate when I got my braces off. To this day I still can't eat more than one at a time.
I miss candy cigarettes and candy necklaces. I loved those. And I used to just eat the Fun Dip stick. My favorite thing to do though was to bite both ends off a Twizzler and use it as a straw in my Dr. Pepper, it made it strawberry.
My best friend's sister used to dye her hair with Koolaid powder, same idea I guess.
I don't have off work tomorrow which seems weird because my boss is the biggest republican supporter I know, but then again he's also the biggest capitalist so I guess that won out.
JenEx
Jun 10, 2004 @ 7:11 pm
Not surprisingly, the vice principal of his high school was not impressed, told him to pull up his hood, and that the mohawk had better be gone before the next school day
And wait, your family didn't sue the school for infringing on your brother's civil rights? That would so happen nowadays.
We used to die our hair with actual Kool-aid, but only after it was mixed. Came in handy a few years ago when my husband (then my boyfriend) and I went to a Halloween party as Mulder & Scully; my hair is naturally kind of strawberry blonde, so add cherry kool-aid, and presto! Auburn.
MacMadame
Jun 10, 2004 @ 7:25 pm
At the slumber parties I attended, we used Jello powder to dye our hair for the truly awesome, faux-punk look.
I've always wanted to do this. But I was afraid my hair would start to rot after a few days. Plus whenever I talk about dying my hair cool colors MacBoy gets upset and talks me out of it (he is so square).
whereverthefk
Jun 10, 2004 @ 7:42 pm
Yes, for anyone who's wondering, I'm still at work. No, I haven't packed yet. And yes, my flight is in less than 12 hours.
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???
Oh, yeah-- to fund my shoe habit. Dammit.
Hildy
Jun 10, 2004 @ 8:26 pm
Go home! Bag out! Don't pack and then you'll have the excuse to shop like a demon once you arrive in LA.
And this recent gum discussion caused me to do a little Googling, where I was very sad to discover that the Adams Sour Gums have been discontinued. Damn! I loved those gums!
Omoo
Jun 10, 2004 @ 8:44 pm
I miss candy cigarettes and candy necklaces. I loved those.
I can get both those items here at one of the candy stores. You must be able to no? If not I can send you some.
Rabrab
Jun 10, 2004 @ 8:58 pm
But those candy necklaces were nasssssty. They didn't seem to have any flavor beyond "stale" to me. I can still get them, though. And bubblegum cigars. What about RingPops? There was a brilliant idea--a sticky piece of candy that you attatched to your hand so it got all over everything.
dawsnzchck
Jun 10, 2004 @ 9:00 pm
Candy necklaces are still around but I haven't seen candy cigarettes in ages. I'm sure if I looked hard enough I could find some but they aren't sitting on the bottom shelf of the candy aisle at 7-11 like I used to. Thanks for the offer though.
piperdown
Jun 10, 2004 @ 9:18 pm
They had to get change the name of Popeye Candy Cigarettes because they feared that it would start kids smoking the real thing. Cigarettes that is...not popeye.
You can still get other candy cigarettes though
Mama Tiger
Jun 10, 2004 @ 9:34 pm
If you want candy cigarettes, just go to any Mardi Gras parade; the street vendors sell 'em to the kids by the zillions. This town is so anti-PC, I love it!
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please
click here.