Penny Candy

     We went to the movies last night and bought a small bag of popcorn for $6.35 cents.  Now, I know movie theatre popcorn is the best and cost a lot but that seems extreme.  We didn't buy candy but I know if you bought a medium popcorn, a box of candy and a soda it would be a least $20.  Not to sound like an old fogey but the cost to get in the show is reasonable compared to the cost of movie snacks.  

     This made me reminisce about growing up in the 50/60's.  It was so different than today that it probably seems unbelievable to a young person.  It's understandable with inflation and salary increases that cost of goods has increased but it is interesting to think about the change.  Movie tickets in late 1960 cost 50 cent, popcorn 10 cents and candy 10 cents depending on the size.

     I remember buying penny candy at the corner store in our neighborhood.  Candy was kept behind the glass counter and sold by piece not in boxes.  Most of the candy was a penny a piece but some were 2 for a penny.  You could pick out 10 different pieces of your favorite candy and only spend a dime or if you chose the 2 for a penny candy you could have up to 20 pieces.  Your candy purchase would be put in to a small paper bag for you.  This was a real treat to have a 10-cent bag of these sugary treats in your possession because it wasn't an everyday occurrence. 

     I had many favorites, including flavored sugar straws, chewy jelly candies, Mary Janes, candy cigarettes, which you would pretend to smoke like the adults and of course the multi-colored button candies stuck on the long piece of paper.  It seemed like the button candies were a bargain because there were so many on the sheet but you had pick each on off with your teeth and you usually ended up eating a small amount of paper with each button. There were many penny candy choices and your favorites may differ from mine but the memories are the same.

     You can still buy these candies but online not at the corner store in your neighborhood, if there still is a corner store.  These are great old memories and I think buying these old fashion penny candies online would be fun for a special party but they probably wouldn't taste the same as you remembered them.