Our Public Information Office enjoys a blast from the past!

It all started with a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. 

You see, in our office we have a tradition of sorts. Whenever anyone goes away on vacation, they bring back something that signifies their trip for the Mt. Lebanon Public Information Office staff to enjoy. 

During the summer, that meant we had more salt water taffy than we knew what to do with. Don’t worry, though, we definitely ate it all. I’ve worked as a writer for many years and there is one thing that is for sure: Writers and magazine/newspaper folks love office snacks and, of course, coffee! (OK, that’s probably any office, but…)

On this occasion, Senior Editor Katie Wagner returned from Orlando with a box of Fizzing Whizzbees. Yes, straight out of Harry Potter! 

If you don’t know about Fizzing Whizzbees, in the Harry Potter books, they’re a magical sweet treat with special powers. The box of chocolates that Katie brought to our office didn’t include those special powers. But they did fizz in your mouth, like a Pop Rocks version of chocolate. 

It was kind of a weird sensation, to be honest. For most of us, our mouths began to snap, crackle and pop. Except for Managing Editor Merle Jantz. The chocolate didn’t seem to have the same effect on him.

This led us to talking about Pop Rocks, which led us to chat about all of the old school candies that we used to love. 

So, of course, on my lunch break, I ran down Washington Road from the Municipal Building to Grandpa Joe’s for a bag of Pop Rocks. The official Pop Rocks did have an effect on Merle, who tried them for the first time. He reports, “It was an experience that I think everyone should have, but it’s not something I want going on in my mouth on any long-term basis.”

Our Public Information Office Assistant Emily Radamis also made a run to Grandpa Joe’s on her lunch hour and brought back a buffet of classic candies: Fun Dip, Zotz and candy buttons. 

We spent a good portion of our lunch break that day tasting the candy. 

I don’t remember ever trying Zotz. Wow. That was weird. Zotz are a hard candy with a sour center that gushes into your mouth. I wish I had a picture of my face when that happened to me for the first time. 

And, candy buttons, they’re basically just dots of sugar. But they are so good. I could eat an entire row. 

As we munched, crunched and popped, we chatted about other candy that used to be “in!” Does anyone remember Razzles? What about Pixy Stix? Are those still around? 

Share your favorite old school candy in the comments and why it’s your favorite.