Candy Cigarettes: Most Politically Incorrect Candy

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Candy Cigarettes: Most Politically Incorrect Candy

Pixelaneous #50:
Politically-Incorrect Candy

PC Storm Troopers Overlook Old-time Candy favorite

Back in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, back before Policial Correctness had gotten its grip on the American consciousness, at most convenience or general stores, a kid could purchase a confection that was sure to produce a monster sugar rush: candy cigarettes.

"Eventually You'll Get Pretend Cancer: The Bizarre World of Candy Cigarettes", succinctly sums up the candy cigarette:

For the past 100 years, a variety of chocolate, candy, and bubble-gum confections have been manufactured that simulate the appearance of actual cigarettes. For the first 65 or so years, the major cigarette corporations either looked the other way or took an active part in ensuring that the candy package reproductions were "faithful" to their less-appealing tobacco brothers. For some reason, a lot of people believe candy cigarettes were "totally outlawed" in the United States sometime in the past, when in actuality, the major players have remained one step ahead of governmental regulation via sluggish self-policing and a strong commitment to what ESPN would call "Extreme Hiding."

Less popular, though no less PC--or tasty--are bubble gum cigarettes, a sample which is pictured below.

The forces of PC are weaker in foreign countries and candy cigarettes are a popular item, both for manufacture and for consumption. The next three pix are candy cigarettes manufactured in Mexico.

In many places in the USA, you can still purchase candy cigarettes, though they are many times stored out of sight, behind the counter with the Playboy magazines and the condoms.

And that's our trip down Memory Lane to when you could munch on a candy cigarette without fear of offending anyone--but the dentist.

[NOTE: The last three pix come from Cardhouse.com. For a fascinating tour through the world of foreign, and especially Mexican, candy cigarettes, check out "The Cardhouse Non-American Candy Cigarette Exhibition".]