Congratulations are in order for Chicago native and nephew of our own Chris Bednarek, Joey “Little Joe” Fasuna has won the candy contest! He guessed 1762 and the exact amount of candy hearts was 1769-no one else was THAT close! Nice work Joey! (We are thrilled that we don’t have to pack and mail 5 pounds of candy hearts as it probably costs more than they did.)

Aunt Chris will bring you the huge bin of chalky candy and an Amazon gift card. The good news is that they don’t really get stale so you can enjoy them for the next 5 years or regift to a loved one next Valentine’s Day. When we read that Conversation Hearts had been around for 100 years, we wondered how many were actually new or 100 years old? Everyone on earth probably has tried out conversation hearts at Valentine’s Day and these chalky little treats with their messages is one of the staples of the holiday. Many people love these kinds of slightly-sweet candies Conversation Hearts are the most well-known of this genre of candy, especially in the United States. This little candy treat has been long associated with the holiday of love, but they are actually also sold outside of Valentine’s Day in some places as well.

Necco Wafers and Conversation hearts were ultimately born of the lozenge candy movement of the 1800s. These candies were made for medicinal purposes in most cases and only later were adapted to be used for confectionery purposes.