Nostalgic Candy Club is a snack and candy box that curates classic candies from the last 50 years and ships them directly to your door.
Each box is packed with 4-6 full-size "vintage" candies and plenty of small treats, along with interesting history about each piece and monthly surprises!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Nostalgic Candy Club
The Subscription Box: Nostalgic Candy Club
The Cost: $19.99 a month + free shipping. You can also give these boxes as gifts or save with multi-month subscriptions.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 1 month free when you sign up for our 3-month subscription!
CODE: MSASWEET
The Products: 4-5 gourmet and artisan chocolate, cookies, candies, and treats relating to a monthly theme
Ships to: U.S. only
Nostalgic Candy Club May 2018 Review
The 1970s are the star of May's theme. I love the creativity that Nostalgic Candy Club puts into their theme each month! An informational insert was included in the box detailing the history of this month's chosen candies, along with vivid descriptions of their tastes and textures.
The friendly, conversational tone of their write-up is awesome. It feels more like a passionate pal gushing about their favorite subject than a history lesson, which is really pleasant to read.
Now, onto the goodies:
Mary Jane Peanut Butter Candies – Buy an 11 oz. bag for $7.89
I received these in last month's Nostalgic Candy Club box, too. (They definitely aren't the most exciting candy out there, but they certainly speak to the 70s very well!) This month was the first time I noticed the "PRODUCED WITH GENETIC ENGINEERING" callout on their packaging, though, which felt...slightly suspicious. Each chew has a true peanut butter flavor, and it's not too peanut-y. They're almost like Jif Peanut Butter in a harder, much chewier form.
Cadbury Curly Wurly Bars – Buy a 6-pack box for $9.99
I LOVE Curly Wurly Bars. I first tried them in a different snack subscription box and was so excited to see another one! At first glance, I expected to bite into a crunchy, possible pretzel filling, but was instead met with soft, slightly chewy caramel the whole way through. So for all milk chocolate and caramel lovers out there: let this Curly Wurly bar twirl right into your regular rotation of snacks.
Brach’s Chewy Jelly Bean Nougats – Buy a 1-lb. bag for $7.34
I've also received these chews before in a previous Nostalgic Candy Club box. They have a great gummy texture and remind me of stained glass or even a little mosaic of my favorite rock candy that came on a stick growing up. It's tricky to pin down many individual flavors, other than vanilla and vague fruity notes, but the overall experience is really nice.
Tootsie Midgie Fruit Rolls — Buy an 11.5 oz. variety pack for $6.29
These classic Tootsie Rolls were also included in a past Nostalgic Candy Club box. (Feels like déjà vu with all these repeats, am I right?) They're tasty classics, though, so I wasn't complaining about seeing these again! The lime flavor was my FAVORITE. It was so refreshing and vibrant! The lemon was a close second, and the vanilla remains a hard no from me. It has a strange fruit flavor for the first millisecond, and then takes on a bland, nondescript taste that's not too pleasant. I love the rest of the flavors!
Licorice Super Ropes, 2 oz. – Buy a 2-pack for $5.24
Thankfully this candy rope was not actually black licorice flavor, 'cause I am not a fan! It was a standard cherry taste, kind of like a sweeter take on Twizzlers. It's labeled as "34 inches of candy fun," but unfortunately those 34 inches separated into multiple smaller pieces when trying to take it out of its packaging. Took a lot of the fun outta things! The candy itself was also a bit dry and lacking in flavor.
Goetze's Original Caramel Creams – Buy a 100-count tub for $19.94
Say it with me now: I've also received these before from Nostalgic Candy Club. I love 'em though! My mom had these on standby all the time growing up and I never knew they were considered retro! The caramel is chewy, not sticky, which I’m a fan of, cause who wants to be pickin’ candy off their teeth after enjoying it? And the inside cream filling, whatEVER it’s made out of, is pure magic. These are endlessly poppable and a treat to eat.
Cherry Pop Rocks – Buy a 24-count box for $26.24
I loved these growing up! And they're still just as fun! Their tagline, "still popping after 40 years," is spot-on. You simply place a few of these cherry-flavored sugar crystals on your tongue to feel them bubble and pop! It's a simple pleasure, but always appreciated—especially for the nostalgia factor! It was awesome to see these in this month's box.
Smarties – Buy a 26-count container for $3.99
These are some of the small, fun extras Nostalgic Candy Club sprinkles in with their showstopper candies each month. Definitely a classic! Smarties were never my favorite candies, as I'm a chocolate gal through and through, but their retro appeal still stands.
eFruitti Gummi Cupcake Candy – Buy a 60-count box for $10.49
These are the cutest li’l baby cupcakes! I've received in a prior Nostalgic Candy Club box—it was my favorite treat of the month then and it was my favorite this time around, too! It has such a fun, bouncy texture, and the gummy aspect of it didn’t stick to your teeth. It’s substantial, too! The lime gel garnish adds a lot of authentic citrus flavor to this adorable treat, and they’re really just so pretty to look at.
Pixy Stix – Buy a 380-count bag for $17.99
These are more of the smaller candies included each month—I definitely opt more for bigger chocolate bars when it comes to candy, so getting so many tiny candies this month was a big bummer. The grape flavor was my favorite, with the blue-raspberry flavor comin' in at a close second.
Zotz Candies – Buy a 1-lb. assortment box for $9.44
I'd never tried or heard of these before, but they were okay. They have a fruit-flavored, hard outer shell that tastes a lot like a Dum-Dum lollipop. The middle has a slightly sticky, almost-liquid filling that has a lot more flavor. The green apple was my favorite!
Chupa Chups Strawberry Whistle Pop – Buy a 48-Count Box for $25.00
This felt like the most retro candy in the box. It's so pure and sweet! The strawberry flavor could have been a little brighter, but the novelty of a whistle pop like this makes up for any ho-hum taste. It makes a small, breathy li'l whistle sound that I'm sure kids would still love today.
Mystery Candy
These were NOT for me. By the looks of their unmarked packaging and dark purple color, I assumed they'd be berry-flavored, but they tasted like pure licorice! I could barely taste them for more than a few seconds—I am very much against everything licorice, thank you very much. I also couldn't find any information on their brand name, as they weren't listed on the monthly insert.
Smarties Double Lollies Lollipop – Buy a 1-lb. bag for $7.99
It's your standard Smartie, but this time...on a stick! I enjoyed eating this more than regular smarties just because it felt more fun. It's two over-sized smarties stacked up together, so you can make 'em last or bite into them and chew. (The repetitiveness of this box didn't stop with this treat, however, which was a bummer.)
Dentyne Classic Cinnamon Gum – Buy a 2-count pack for $3.94
Annnnd cue that Dentyne Ice commercial jingle that never left our brains in the early 2000s. I had never seen this packaging of Dentyne gum before, but that must be why it's considered "classic." It's simple, plain ol' cinnamon gum. The flavor lasted for a good 25 minutes, which is pretty standard in my experience with flavored gum.
Verdict: I was bummed out by this month's Nostalgic Candy Club box. It had so many tiny treats that it almost felt like a child's birthday party gift bag. They normally include standout showstoppers or big chocolate bars, so it felt like key elements were missing this time around. And, they included so many repeat candies from prior months, it almost had me wondering if they just threw random pieces of candy in the box and called it a day. Nothing but the chewy Mary Janes felt very groovy or 1970s-like, so I think they also could have done a better job speaking to the theme.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Boxes are curated by Nostalgic Candy Club themselves, so your box will likely look different than mine. They only ship once a month, so place your order before the last day of the current month to receive the next box!
Coupon - Use code MSASWEET to get 1 month free when you sign up for our 3-month subscription!
Value Breakdown: For $19.99, I received 16 different types of candy (duplicates not counted) which averages out to about $1.25 per candy. Pretty steep for gum, smarties, and hard candies, if you ask me!
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What's your favorite vintage candy, and what do you think about this month's Nostalgic Candy Club box?
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