Spangles (sweets) facts for kids
Spangles were a popular type of boiled sweet (a hard candy) made in the United Kingdom by a company called Mars Ltd. They were sold from 1950 until the early 1980s. Spangles came in a paper packet, and each sweet had a unique shape: a rounded square with a small dip on both sides.
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The Sweet History of Spangles
When Spangles first came out in 1950, sweets were still rationed in the UK. This meant people needed special tokens from a ration book to buy them. Spangles were special because they only needed one token, while most other sweets needed two! This made them very popular.
The company also used clever advertising. An American actor named William Boyd helped promote Spangles. He played a famous character called Hopalong Cassidy in movies, and the slogan was "Hoppy's favourite sweet." Another slogan was "The sweet way to go gay!"
In the early 1970s, Mars Ltd updated the look of the Spangles packets. A designer named Neville Uden created new, fun packaging and a cool new font (lettering style).
Spangles stopped being made in 1984. They were brought back for a short time in 1995, even appearing in Woolworths stores in the UK. However, only four flavors were available: tangerine, lime, blackcurrant, and Old English.
Many adults who grew up in the UK remember Spangles with fondness. They are often linked to the time after World War II. In 2008, a survey showed that Spangles were the most wanted discontinued brand that British people wished would return.
Today, the Tunes brand of sweets is the only one still related to Spangles. They share the same shape and wrapping style as the original Spangles.
Different Spangles Flavors
The regular Spangles packet, simply called "Spangles," had a mix of clear, fruity sweets. These flavors included strawberry, blackcurrant, orange, pineapple, lemon, lime, and cola. At first, the sweets were not wrapped individually. Later, they were wrapped in waxed paper, and then in clear cellophane. The packet itself was striped with bright orange-red and silver.
Over the years, many single-flavor packets were also made. These included Acid Drop, Barley Sugar, Blackcurrant, Liquorice, Peppermint, Spearmint, and Tangerine. There was even a white mint Spangle with a hole in the middle, made to compete with the famous Polo mint.
Old English Spangles Collection
The Old English Spangles packet contained "traditional English" flavors. The usual flavors were liquorice (black), mint humbug (brown), pear drop (orange/red), aniseed (green), and treacle (a dull yellow). Sometimes, other flavors appeared too.
Each sweet in this packet had a striped wrapper, which made them different from the regular Spangles. The packet itself was black, white, and purple. It was designed to look more grown-up than the regular variety.
Mystery Spangles Fun
At one point, a special "mystery" flavor of Spangles was released. The wrappers on these sweets had question marks on them. People were encouraged to guess what the flavor was! Eventually, the secret flavor was revealed to be Fruit Cocktail.
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