If you need help with the history of Life Savers Candy check Wikipedia’s version for a refresher. This thread is intended for people with actual memories of the candy back when it was a neat Christmas gift to get a little box with 12 different flavors in it.
How many flavors can you add to this list:
Wintergreen (I’m going to skip the cutesy Wint-O-Green type spellings)
Clove
Butterscotch
5-flavors (lemon, lime, cherry, orange and pineapple)
Peppermint
That’s enough to get you started without my hogging the show.
How long has it been since you had some authentic “hole in the middle” Life Savers?
That, of course, is the realio trulio Five Flavors assortment as Jeebus intended it. Not the travesty that they sell as Five Flavors today, with none of the citrus flavors included.
My favorite: the original Tropical Fruits roll (coconut, pineapple, mango melon, banana, tangerine) in the wicker-pattern wrapper. Also the original Fancy Fruits (apple, black raspberry, pear, grapefruit, IIRC). Why must they change these wonderful things?
Sometime in the '90s they introduced “Fiery Fruits.” I figured they would be extra sour or something. Nope–they were chili-hot. And terrible. I wrote to the company and told them “This is the nastiest candy I’ve ever had in my mouth. And I’ve been to England!”
Sometime in the '60s I entered a contest and won the cheapie prize: a deck of Life Savers playing cards. They’re very cool; I still have them to this day.
I’ve been trying to visualize/remember the 12 flavors in one of those Christmas boxes. There was a “crystal” (clear color) with some sort of minty taste, I think.
Cinnamon
Spearmint
Butter Rum
Butterscotch
Wintergreen
Peppermint
Clove
5 Flavor
Crystal
(I can’t remember if there were separate rolls of specific fruit flavors, but it’s beginning to feel like there ought to have been)
If so,
Cherry
Didn’t they have a Pina Colada roll too? I’m almost sure they had a Grape flavor also. I liked their Mixed Berries roll, but didn’t they quit making those? They were later on, when I was a young adult anyway.
I’m pretty sure that the 50’s/60’s boxes didn’t have the Pina Colada yet. I can’t testify to later, though. The boxes I’m familiar with would date from 1948-1960 or thereabouts. They were sort of silver/aluminum colored boxes that opened like a book and had slots for 6 rolls on each side. In those days they probably cost on the order of 50c-$1. Individual rolls were a nickel and you could buy them almost anywhere. The boxes were dime store or candy shop specialties where I lived.
Maybe so on the Grape. Seems reasonable anyway. Just not 100% sure on that one.
Wait, didn’t those books have 2 Five Flavor rolls, one Butter Rum, one Butter Scotch, one Wild Cherry, the icky clear ones (Crystamint?) was it Peppermint or Wintergreen, I think Wintergreen in the books I got, but maybe both? Was there a Tangerine roll in the books maybe? Gah, I loved those books, but I can’t pull up the other flavors.
Here’s another link to compete with Wikipedia’s version that hasn’t caused me to holler “Eureka!” yet. I’m betting it’s one of the fruity flavored ones that I just don’t remember well. I see the Crystal flavor, though, so that’s a sure bet.
I wonder if Antiques Roadshow ever has a set of Life Savers 12 Flavor Gift Boxes (complete with still uneaten candy) on display!
I remember mom always used to carry a 5-flavor or a butterscotch roll in her purse- sometimes both. Whenever we went on a trip around town, I’d get one as a treat. Nice memories! This was in the 80s, however. Dunno about anything earlier, when I was a twinkle in her life-saver-lovin’ eye
Since I wasn’t all that keen on the fruity ones, even the 5-flavor, but leaned more to the mints, the only ones I can swear to in the boxes/books were:
Butterscotch
Butter Rum
Clove
Spearmint
Wintergreen (still my all-time favorite flavor)
Peppermint (least favorite mint)
at least one 5-flavor but you could be right that there were two (or three?)
That rightly described icky Cryst-o-mint (or whatever it was – not a fave anyway)
And I can’t really swear that Cinnamon was there.
Once somebody can provide a link (with pictures or some “official” contents list) to the boxes, I’ll stop arguing about them.
The '70s boxes didn’t have clove. I don’t know what they had instead, maybe Wild Cherry? I think maybe Cinnamon was there at one point, but not for long? I know some years they offered “traditional” books, and the more trendy books with the newer flavors also. That would be late '80s early '90s though.
Was the clear/crystal supposed to be like a menthol taste? I remember the first time I had a menthol cigarette, and it reminded me of those gross clear Life Savers.
I also fondly remember the original Tropical Fruits. In the 70s, those flavors seemed unusual.
I was sorry to see that they don’t make the Life Savers suckers anymore. While suckers were categorized as “lame” Halloween candy in our house, the Life Savors suckers counted as “real” candy. I especially liked the cherries and cream flavor, which is probably why I like the Cream Savers candy now.
I liked their Mixed Berries roll, but didn’t they quit making those? They were later on, when I was a young adult anyway.
