Candy Professor

Nourgarmels and Argoodies

February 12, 2010 at 8:55 am 3 comments

How many candies can you name?

Once you get past the name-brand candy bars, things get pretty generic: gum drops, jelly beans, licorice sticks.

But “generic” never did too well at the box-office; if you want people to buy your candy, you’d better come up with a catchy name!

Do you like licorice? What kind? In 1908, the National Licorice Co. of Brooklyn NY suggested these sorts of flexible licorice penny goods:

Buffalo Sticks, Big Piece, Giant Bar, Fluted Bar, Brick, Electric Light Wires, Flexible Sticks, Whips, Cigarettes, Navy Plugs, Triple Tunnel Tubes, Mint Puff Straps, Golf Sticks, Blow Pipes, Triplets, Big Lorimers, Elastic Tubes, Indian Plugs, Pan Pipes, Flexo Chocolate Bars, Curved Stem Pipes, Large Cigars

Over at T.M. Duche & Sons, of New York, they added a few licorice specialties of their own:

Lion Sticks, Fluted Tubes, Subway Tunnels, Eagle Twists, Cigarettes, Monster Tubes, Licorice Gems, Puritana Sticks, Peerless Sticks, Crown Pretzels, Crown Cigars, Teddy Bear Cigars, Skidoo Bars, Happy Days, Jersey Tunnels.

Beyond the millions of possible shapes for licorice were the thousands more candy variations.  We’ll never know what  most of these tasted like, but I still marvel at the amazing names these candy makers gave to their creations.

The Blue Ribbon Candy Co of Baltimore MD would be pleased to send the candy jobber of 1908 this candy case called “Easy Money Assortment” which included:

Return Balls, Aspinwall Bananas, Devil Crabs, Cocoa Marshmallow Twist, Skidoos, and Small Fries.

From George Blome & Son of Baltimore, you could order penny goods like:

Crimp, Turkish Nougat Bars, Aniseed Hunks, Peanut Fondants, Belmonts, Penny Tarts, Penny Cushions, Satin Pillows, Campaign Buttons, I-Say-So, Chocolate Cushions, Beats All Peanut, Butter Balls, Butter Cakes, Toasted Cream Bars, Orange Dessert, Dinkey Dinks With Counter Pan, Navy Twists, Chocolate Taffy Twists, Chocolate Buttons, Taffy Cuts, Three Jacks, Chocolate Marshmallow Eggs, Wild Strawberries.

A.E. Cohen & Co. of New York City offered the discerning candy eater of 1908 such mystery goods as:

Kokokrisp, Neapolitan Bricks, Krispets, Sphinx Package, Keep Kool, Scorcher, Chocolate Krumble, Mayflower Corn Cake, Dolly Varden Cake, Currant Cake, Kokonut Cake

And last, my personal favorites, from Adams Argood Chocolate Company of Philadelphia:

Nougarmels, Molasnut, and Nutaline Argoodies

Entry filed under: Candies We Miss. Tags: penny candy.