# Candy Spoons, Magnet Fingers and other childhood things NO ONE ELSE remembers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 2, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676 "2011-11-02T20:14:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/1 "2011-11-02T20:14:39Z")
My sister thinks I am nuts–for many reasons. But two of them are Candy Spoons and the Magnet-Fingered Man [band name!], both of which I remember \*clearly \*and she insists I have made up. **Candy Spoons**. In the early '60s, our drugstore, when they delivered our medicine (!), included a big cherry lollipop in the shape of a spoon. Mom, who basically was not a health freak, let this slide. **Magnetic Man.** When were were first learning math (also early '60s), our school had this . . . little man. He looked kind of like Mr. Machine–same height–was made of metal, and his ten fingers were magnetic popsicle sticks. You pulled his fingers off to count. Gosh that sounds even weirder than I remember. Do you have any childhood memories/products which your family and friends insist are only fever dreams and phantasies? ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/2 "2011-11-02T20:32:02Z")
My sister is famous for this. She swears that there was a text heavy ad for something to do with one’s period where a woman said “I knew I had to crouch.” It was a print ad in a magazine. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/3 "2011-11-02T21:31:51Z")
There was a particular packet of stickers that was widely available in the mid-80s, when I was in elementary school. The stickers were printed on silver foil, and were various ice cream cones, soda glasses, scoops of ice cream, straws, and ice cream toppings. You would layer them to create your own spectacular shiny ice cream parfait. I started a thread here on the Dope once asking if anyone remembered them. _Nobody_ did. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/4 "2011-11-02T21:53:08Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > There was a particular packet of stickers that was widely available in the mid-80s, when I was in elementary school. The stickers were printed on silver foil, and were various ice cream cones, soda glasses, scoops of ice cream, straws, and ice cream toppings. You would layer them to create your own spectacular shiny ice cream parfait. > > I started a thread here on the Dope once asking if anyone remembered them. _Nobody_ did. Like [this](http://www.smilemakers.com/shop-by-product/stickers/make-your-own-stickers/MYCR.html)? StG ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/5 "2011-11-02T22:39:59Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > There was a particular packet of stickers that was widely available in the mid-80s, when I was in elementary school. The stickers were printed on silver foil, and were various ice cream cones, soda glasses, scoops of ice cream, straws, and ice cream toppings. You would layer them to create your own spectacular shiny ice cream parfait. > > I started a thread here on the Dope once asking if anyone remembered them. _Nobody_ did. Mrs Grossman’s? I used to have a sticker trading album (born in '80 here) and these sound familiar. Mrs Grossman’s and Sandylion were the two big ones. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/6 "2011-11-02T22:44:25Z")
That’s the same concept, but not the same sticker sheet. Like I said, the ones I remember were printed on silver backing. The red-and-white striped soda straws made a border around the sheet of stickers. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/7 "2011-11-02T23:30:32Z")
Frozen Milkshakes. The Milkshake was a knockoff of a Milky Way, inferior in every way except when frozen. Our ice cream places would have these in the freezers in the summer. Colonel Clown (formerly Captain Clown) – TV kiddie show host out of Channel 30 in New Britain CT. When he was promoted, I immediately guessed it was because there was another kid’s show host somewhere named Captain Clown. A look indicates that the actor who played him died only about a year ago at age 90. ---
**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:** [November 2, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/8 "2011-11-02T23:50:21Z")
Does anybody else remember when SweeTarts were called SunTarts for a while back in the early seventies? ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/9 "2011-11-03T00:11:59Z")
Does anyone remember Tangy Taffy? Big strips of sugar taffy, in various fruit flavors, measuring about 9" by 3"? Great stuff, and Laffy Taffy is just pale shadow of the original. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/10 "2011-11-03T00:18:36Z")
I remember Tangy Taffy or another candy of similar description. Was it multi-colored, and brittle enough you could break off pieces? Cherry flavored? they sold those at the candy shack where my brother played little league. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/11 "2011-11-03T00:31:04Z")
I remember these weird straws-they contained wicks soaked in (rather) nasty flavors-chocolate, strawberry, etc. You used them to suck up milk, that would absorb the flavor-instant chocolate milk! They are nowhere to be seen today. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/12 "2011-11-03T00:54:12Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I remember these weird straws-they contained wicks soaked in (rather) nasty flavors-chocolate, strawberry, etc. You used them to suck up milk, that would absorb the flavor-instant chocolate milk! > They are nowhere to be seen today. Yes! I remember those. How about **Sweeters**? Plastic things you stuck into oranges and sucked \*hard \*on to get the juice out. “Ruins a perfectly good orange,” my mother used to complain. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/13 "2011-11-03T00:54:38Z")
[Magic Milk Straws](http://www.magicstraws.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/14 "2011-11-03T06:02:08Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Yes! I remember those. > > How about **Sweeters**? Plastic things you stuck into oranges and sucked \*hard \*on to get the juice out. “Ruins a perfectly good orange,” my mother used to complain. I remember those, but I couldn’t tell you the name. I thought it was just a trick to get me to drink orange juice. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/15 "2011-11-03T06:23:41Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Candy Spoons, Magnet Fingers Now you made me think of Salad Fingers and his love of rusty spoons. And Hallowe’en is long since over. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/16 "2011-11-03T12:48:47Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > I remember those, but I couldn’t tell you the name. I thought it was just a trick to get me to drink orange juice. Ooop, I misspelled them: it’s “Squeeters,” or “Skweeters.” They were hard little plastic things with prongs in one end for sticking into the orange or poking your sister on the arm with. ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-spoons-magnet-fingers-and-other-childhood-things-no-one-else-remembers/601676/17 "2011-11-03T13:26:38Z")
I remember some kind of pizza loaf stuff that my mom used to buy back in the early 80’s. It was sold in a pack like sandwich meat, but it was pizza sauce, cheese, and slices of pepperoni or sausage all mixed together and thickly sliced. It looked kind of like head cheese. You’d peel off a slice (there had to have been waxed paper or something in between), put it on a piece of bread, and toast it in the oven for instant “pizza”. I have never met anyone who has heard of it. Even my mother doesn’t remember it. I loved it when I was 7.