# Are Lifesavers going extinct? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399 "2013-03-19T21:30:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/41 "2013-03-21T16:50:26Z")
> [@BeeDubU2](#): > > My favorite was always Butter Rum. They were hard to find when I was a kid, and never see them now. > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Me too and I have a roll in my pocket right now. And I am somewhat happy to see you. > > šŸ˜› Preach it. The original five flavor ones are good, but Butter Rum is divine. And available from [Amazon in a 20-pack](http://www.amazon.com/Lifesavers-Rolls-Butter-Rum-rolls/dp/B000GBW12I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363884642&sr=8-1&keywords=butter+rum+lifesavers). Youā€™re welcome. Although order with caution; the comments say that these could be old. But does it matter? Does hard candy go bad? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/42 "2013-03-21T16:51:35Z")
I havenā€™t seen them at checkouts in a long time, but I just saw huge packages of five-flavor rolls at Samā€™s Club. As other posters have observed, they ainā€™t the same five flavors they used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/43 "2013-03-21T16:56:41Z")
I NEED Butter Rum! I have not been able to find them lately. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/44 "2013-03-21T17:41:34Z")
At an educated guess, theyā€™ve been pushed aside by the legions of other breath-minty candy things. There is nothing so precious as a foot of grocery story shelf, and if tastes have turned away from grandpaā€™s pocket candies to New Kewl Hipster Breath-Blaster Beads in ā€œCosmosā€ flavorā€¦ that explains it. But yeah, Iā€™d knock down a grandma to get to some Butter Rums, myself. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/45 "2013-03-21T17:47:39Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > ā€¦ New Kewl Hipster Breath-Blaster Beads in ā€œCosmosā€ flavorā€¦ Those things are so tasty! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/46 "2013-03-21T17:53:32Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Those things are so tasty! Of course they are. Theyā€™re half sugar, half salt, half preservatives and half market-tested artificial flavorings. Utterly and literally irresistable. Truly, a wonder of food science. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/47 "2013-03-21T18:02:58Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > Yep, one of my uncles used to give my sister and me those for Christmas when we were kids, with a $10 bill tucked inside. šŸ™‚ I think I saw them at Menardā€™s of all places this past Christmas. > > I like the Butter Rum and Wild Cherry the best. The books are not the same - they are only half-full now. Bastids! ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/48 "2013-03-21T19:01:00Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > At an educated guess, theyā€™ve been pushed aside by the legions of other breath-minty candy things. There is nothing so precious as a foot of grocery story shelf, and if tastes have turned away from grandpaā€™s pocket candies to New Kewl Hipster Breath-Blaster Beads in ā€œCosmosā€ flavorā€¦ that explains it. > > But yeah, Iā€™d knock down a grandma to get to some Butter Rums, myself. That reminds me, is there some switch in your head that automatically goes off when you turn 65 and makes you like Butter Rum Lifesavers, Wertherā€™s Butterscotches, pink wintergreen drops, black licorice, and other ā€œold man candiesā€? I swear my father had little to no interest in those candies until he hit his 60s. After that, he couldnā€™t get enough of them. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/49 "2013-03-21T19:23:22Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > That reminds me, is there some switch in your head that automatically goes off when you turn 65 and makes you like Butter Rum Lifesavers, Wertherā€™s Butterscotches, pink wintergreen drops, black licorice, and other ā€œold man candiesā€? I swear my father had little to no interest in those candies until he hit his 60s. After that, he couldnā€™t get enough of them. Well, Iā€™ll let you know when I get there. Iā€™ve always liked Butter Rum, licorice and good butterscotch candies, and my dad had a roll of pink wintergreens with him at all times, much younger than 65. Maybe itā€™s a generational thing weā€™re misperceiving. There are almost certainly a lot of marketing issues involved; the stuff thatā€™s popular now didnā€™t exist a few years ago, and the turnover in that market is much faster. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/50 "2013-03-21T20:49:55Z")
Oh how I loved Clove lifesavers. Any truth to the rumor this flavor is still available in Canada? ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/51 "2013-03-22T03:08:29Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Preach it. The original five flavor ones are good, but Butter Rum is divine. > > And available from [Amazon in a 20-pack](http://www.amazon.com/Lifesavers-Rolls-Butter-Rum-rolls/dp/B000GBW12I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363884642&sr=8-1&keywords=butter+rum+lifesavers). Youā€™re welcome. Although order with caution; the comments say that these could be old. But does it matter? Does hard candy go bad? It depends what you mean by ā€œgo badā€. I donā€™t see how age could make them unsafe, but they certainly can get crumbly, taste funny, and just generally be less enjoyable if theyā€™re too old. ---
**Author:** ![JenA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/77aa72/32.png) [@JenA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JenA)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/52 "2016-02-08T00:20:38Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > The classic Five Flavor roll was torpedoed some ten years ago, when they inexplicably eliminated all the citrus flavors. [[Pit thread on the topic.]](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=215291) I understand that they have subsequently brought back orange, but too little too late. I havenā€™t purchased a roll since then. I had forgotten all about them until I read your comment. Remember the Tropical Fruit flavored rolls? They were the best, I loved the coconut and pineapple flavors best. Pastel pinks, creams & yellows. Yum! I havenā€™t seen them in YEARS! Now I have recently become addicted to the ButterRum flavor, after buying some at Five Below in their Retro Candy area. Thatā€™s when I realized that they no longer sell them in any other stores. I went back and bought the entire box of 10 rolls, but they never restocked them after that. So I guess I will be trying Amazon, or another online candy supplier. Iā€™ve realized that no other candy tastes quite like ButterRum. Iā€™ve tried butterscotch & caramels, but they are not as good. ButterRum is a unique flavor. Why donā€™t stores stock them anymore? Iā€™d buy them instead of gum or TicTacs. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/53 "2016-02-08T01:41:05Z")
Iā€™m not a big fan of the fruity Lifesavers, but Butter Rum and Pep-O-Mint are two of my absolute favorite ā€œpocket candies.ā€ I have definitely noticed how hard the rolls are to find; I bought a tin full of them as a Christmas clearance item just because the rolls are so hard to find. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/54 "2016-02-08T02:26:37Z")
Things went downhill fast after lime was replaced with (gag) watermelon. ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/55 "2016-02-08T07:52:27Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > That reminds me, is there some switch in your head that automatically goes off when you turn 65 and makes you like Butter Rum Lifesavers, Wertherā€™s Butterscotches, pink wintergreen drops, black licorice, and other ā€œold man candiesā€? I swear my father had little to no interest in those candies until he hit his 60s. After that, he couldnā€™t get enough of them. Donā€™t forget those awful spearmint leaves. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/56 "2016-02-08T09:41:39Z")
> [@Periwinkle](#): > > Donā€™t forget those awful spearmint leaves. Are those the green sugar-coated candies? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/57 "2016-02-08T15:20:53Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Are those the green sugar-coated candies? I think theyā€™re those vaguely leaf-shaped jelly-candies that are green and covered in sugar. [http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/nice!-spearmint-leaves-candy/ID=prod6108479-product](http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/nice!-spearmint-leaves-candy/ID=prod6108479-product) ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/58 "2016-02-08T19:50:22Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > And what about Certs? Are they still available in stores? A quick search tells me that they are available online, but I cannot remember the last time I saw them. Apparently everyone is chewing gum now. Yeech. Another vote for clove candies! I also like anise and violet, though, so Iā€™m weird. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/59 "2016-02-08T19:57:26Z")
They make nice survival food, since pure sugar more or less never goes bad. I think thereā€™s a backlash vs sugarā€¦ so they just hide it as HFCS now. ---
**Author:** ![stosh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399/60 "2016-02-08T20:04:49Z")
Here in south eastern PA, we have them in all our grocery stores and Wal-marts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-lifesavers-going-extinct/653399.md?page=4)