Candy Buttons Are Back On Store Shelves A Year After Necco's Closure
It's been a year since Necco first announced it would close if it could not find a buyer, causing candy-obsessed fans to spiral out of control and start panic-buying Sweethearts, Necco wafers, Clark bars and Candy Buttons by the boatload. Desperate times call for desperate measures — just ask the girl who offered to trade her car for the remaining stock.
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Despite efforts to save the confectioner, it closed its doors for good and Valentine's Day came and went without conversation hearts. Although Necco is gone forever, its individual brands were sold off to other companies. Unsurprisingly, people are wondering if and when they can expect to see the beloved sweets back on store shelves, so CandyStore.com tracked down the status of each one.
According to the blog, the Necco Wafers, SweetHearts and Canada Mints brands were purchased by Spangler Candy Company, which also manufactures Dum Dums and Saf-T-Pops. The Necco candies aren't available right now, and it's unclear whether or not they'll keep the Necco branding. Spangler is reportedly still working on getting the recipe right, and there's been no mention of a launch date.
Things aren't looking so good for Mary Janes. The peanut butter and molasses candy is not being made right now — so if you stocked up a secret stash before the factory's shuttering, that was probably a good idea. The brand and intellectual property are currently for sale, and there's no sign of a potential buyer.
As for Clark bars, there's hope. The brand was purchased by Boyer Candy Company, the maker of Mallo Cups. Like Spangler, Boyer is also working on getting the recipe right.
"Right now, they are coming out in the shape of hot dogs," Boyer CEO Anthony Forgione recently told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. On the plus side, he also said, "They taste fantastic." As for all those tubular disgards? They're being mashed up and repurposed for a new product called Clark Cups, which are peanut butter cups with "Clark Crunch."
Doscher's Candy Company acquired Candy Buttons and has confirmed that the candies are already for sale again. The packaging does show Necco branding, but apparently there are plans to remove that soon. To find out the fate of Sky Bars, Mighty Malts, Haviland Thin Mints, Slap Stix, Banana Split Chews, Strawberry Shortcake Chews and Mint Julep Chews, head over to CandyStore.com. Here's hoping these candies from your childhood will still exist.