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Before skittles and snickers: These 90s candies were everything

Before skittles and snickers: These 90s candies were everything

India Today04-07-2025
Long before online delivery apps, imported chocolates, and influencer snack hauls, joy came in the form of a crinkly wrapper handed over a kirana counter. A single rupee could buy you magic brightly coloured discs that melted on your tongue, chewy bars that made your jaw ache in the best way, and sweet cigarettes that made you feel like a Bollywood villain.advertisementFor kids growing up in 90s India, candy wasn't just candy it was currency. It settled playground bets, sealed new friendships, and soothed heartbreaks after PT punishments or missed marks. Each wrapper came with its own ritual, each taste tied to a memory. This is a sugary time capsule into the treats that made our childhoods sticky, colourful, and utterly unforgettable.PHANTOM SWEET CIGARETTES
Slim, white candy sticks in a red box - pretending to "smoke" these made you the coolest kid on the playground. No one really liked the chalky taste, but we loved the drama. "I'd hold it between my fingers like a filmi villain. Instant upgrade in street cred," laughs Abhishek, 35.POPPINS: THE OG RAINBOW BEFORE SKITTLES ARRIVED
Each roll was a vibrant rainbow - orange, purple, green, yellow - and each colour had a die-hard fanbase. Friendships were made (and broken) over Poppins trades. "I still remember saving the purple ones for last. It was my dessert after the dessert," says Deepa, 37.ROLA COLA: THE COKE WE WERE ALLOWED TO HAVEA cola in candy form. Genius. It fizzed, it tasted like the drink we weren't allowed to have often, and it was pocket-sized rebellion. "It was my Coke fix between two periods in school. You popped it, and suddenly you were an adult," recalls Nitin, 36.BIG BABOL & BOOMER: WHERE BUBBLE SIZE MATTERED
Juicy, pink, and stretchy - and who could forget those "biggest bubble" contests in the school bus? And the wrappers were almost collectible.SWAD & HAJMOLA CANDY: THE TANGY FINISHERS
After all that sweet came the tang. These digestive candies were often handed out by adults, but we secretly loved them more than chocolate.MANGO BITE & KACCHA MANGO BITE: REAL FRUIT FEELINGSadvertisementWhether you were a fan of the ripe, syrupy Mango Bite or the sharp-tangy Kaccha Mango Bite, these candies were little homages to the king of fruits.PARLE KISMI: A TASTE OF COCONUT ROMANCE
That pink-and-white wrapper, the chewy coconut center - a candy that tasted like a stolen sip from your mom's thali dessert.Today's kids have international candies, but 90s kids had emotions in wrappers. These weren't just candies - they were rewards, bribes, peace offerings, and little joys that cost 50 paise or a rupee. Recalling them is like flipping through a photo album of childhood - sweet, sticky, and unforgettable.- Ends
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