SweeTarts facts for kids
SweeTarts are popular candies that taste both sweet and sour! They were created in 1962 by Menlo F. Smith, who was the CEO of a company called Sunline Inc. These candies were made using a simple recipe, much like other well-known candies of the time, such as Pixy Stix and Lik-M-Aid (which you might know as Fun Dip). Today, Pixy Stix are made by the Ferrara Candy Company, which is part of a bigger company called Ferrero.
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How SweeTarts Started
In 1963, SweeTarts were first introduced to candy lovers. They came in the same popular flavors as Pixy Stix: cherry, grape, lemon, lime, and orange. Over the years, other types of candy, like taffy, have also been made under the SweeTarts brand.
Company Changes Over Time
The company that made SweeTarts, Sunline, Inc., became part of a larger group of companies called Sunmark of St Louis. Later, in 1986, a company from the United Kingdom called Rowntree Mackintosh bought Sunmark. Then, Nestlé, a very big food company, took over Rowntree Mackintosh.
Sunmark also worked with The Quaker Company to create the Willy Wonka brand candies. Eventually, Sunmark gained full ownership of the Willy Wonka brand and made a special division just for it. The famous Wonka symbol was then added to most of Sunmark's candies. More recently, Nestlé sold its candy businesses to Ferrero SpA, which now owns SweeTarts.
Reaching New Fans
In 2022, SweeTarts tried to connect with younger people, especially those in Generation Z, by sponsoring the TikTok Film Festival. This was a way to make sure the candy stayed popular with new generations.
Other SweeTarts Candies
SweeTarts come in many different forms besides the classic rolls! You can find SweeTarts gum and special shapes for holidays.
Holiday SweeTarts
- For Halloween, you might get "Little Sweet Tarts" which are often given out to trick-or-treaters. You can also find "skulls and bones" shaped SweeTarts.
- Around Valentine's Day, there are SweeTart "hearts."
- For Easter, you can find "chicks, ducks and bunnies" shaped SweeTarts, and even SweeTarts Jelly Beans in some places.
Bigger and Chewier SweeTarts
In the mid-1960s, a larger version called GianTarts was introduced. These started as one big, thick candy, then changed to two thinner discs in the 1970s. By the 1980s, GianTarts were sold as three slightly smaller discs, and a new candy called Chewy Sweetarts joined them, also in a "giant"-sized three-pack. GianTarts were eventually stopped by the mid-1990s.
In the 2000s, Chewy SweeTarts were renamed Giant Chewy SweeTarts and came as four slightly smaller discs. In 2021, these were relaunched with even more Chewy SweeTarts products, including candy-coated and Mini Chewy SweeTarts. These newer Chewy SweeTarts are about the same size as the regular roll candies.
In 2015, SweeTart Ropes Bites were released. These are smaller, bite-sized pieces of SweeTart Ropes. Their flavors include orange, strawberry, green apple, cherry, and punch.
SweeTarts Flavors
SweeTarts come in a variety of fruity flavors, each with its own color:
- Red: Cherry
- Purple: Grape
- Blue: Fruit Punch
- Orange: Orange (this flavor was stopped in 2013)
- Green: Green Apple (before 2002, this was Lime)
- Yellow: Lemon (this flavor was stopped in 2009 but came back in 2013)
See also
- Smarties
- Love Hearts
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