I Remember JFK

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When Candy Was Wax

Wax LipsWax is made from petroleum distillates. In other words, crude oil. But someone once came up with the idea of impregnating flavor and food dye into the foul substance, and molding it into objects like gargantuan lips, containers of sweet liquids, and the ultimate: the Wowee Whistle. And you know what? We kids of the Boomer years just couldn't get enough of them.

I would have loved to have posted a picture of a Wowee Whistle. I must have bought at least a hundred of the familiar plastic-wrapped orange edible (well, let's say chewable) waxen musical instruments. But alas, I couldn't locate a photo anywhere.

Wax candy is one of those things that never completely disappeared, but its popularity has greatly diminished since store candy shelves were packed with them circa 1967. A Canadian candy company called Concord Confections still produces the lips, and supposedly, even the Wowee Whistle.

The lips had a tab that you bit into to hold them in place in your mouth. That tab was handy for notifying you as to when it was time to stop wearing the lips and start chewing them. It did so by being chewed through.

Of course, if you were missing front teeth, as many of us were at around the age of seven, the lips lifespan was greatly enhanced.

The Wowee Whistles were the best, as I mentioned earlier. They were wrapped in cellophane adorned with black cats, bats, and the like. That first whiff of the newly-unwrapped wax was heavenly. Then you proceeded to make a whole bunch of noise blowing into the miniature ocarina (I know, it wasn't REALLY an ocarina, but I can't think of another instrument to compare it to ;-) and try to play a song.

The whistles seemed to be properly tuned so that a musician might play them, but I'm only guessing. All I know is that none of the kids in Miami, Oklahoma could make them do anything but blast out random toots.

Another wax-encased candy was the Nik-L-Nip. I believe it warrants its own article. Look for it.

So never, ever forget, Boomers, when we happily consumed candy creations made from the same substance that produces the fuel for our cars!

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Comments (4)

Rhea:

My dad owned a candy store when I was a kid, so I got my fill of wax lips. I've also written about them on my blog. Wax lips rock!

Rhonda:

I remember wax lips, fangs, and of course the Harmonica. Here's a link to a picture of the paper that was on the Harmonica.
http://theimaginaryworld.com/sadbox07.jpg

Jeff:

I remember those orange wax harmonicas from my childhood Trick Or Treating days in the mid 80's. Does anyone know if they still sell them? I searched online (that's how I found this blog) and found an article about the Wowee candy co. and they were reintroducing it at a 2004 candy expo, but I can't find anything else about them. I'd love to buy some if they still sell them.

Alyse:

My mother is wanting wax whistles (the orange one) as well... last we saw them it was early 90's... if anyone can help find them, I'd appreciate it.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on February 20, 2007 12:20 AM.

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