“Kiss Me.” “Be Mine.” “Sweet Talk.”
For more than a century, the makers of NECCO Sweethearts Conversation Hearts have come up with different ways of telling your loved ones you care. These heart shaped candies have become ingrained in American society as the ultimate representation of Valentines Day. Every year, NECCO presents new messages on the tiny, colored hearts that have been a tradition since the Civil War. The new sayings for 2005 are sports-inspired. These include “#1 Fan,” “Fit for Love,” “Be a Sport,” “Love My Team,” “Cheer Me On,” “Be My Hero,” and “All-Star.”
Last year’s sayings followed the theme of “sweet dreams and new beginnings.” They included “Start Now,” “New Love,” “Charm Me,” and “New You.”
There’s also one that reflects the newest way of getting your messages of love across instant messaging, “IM Me.” But are these classic Valentine’s Day candies becoming too modernized?
“They’ve tried to modernize them to sound cool, but they’re no longer romantic,” says Steve Abrams, a freshman majoring in engineering.
Many female students might disagree. Kate Hunter, a first-year philosophy student, says she loves getting these heart shaped candies once a year.
“Even though they’re cheesy, they’re still fun to get,” Hunter said. “It’s all about the tradition.”
NECCO says that creating mottos can be tricky. The new sayings can’t be “offensive, distasteful, or too wordy,” according to Walter Marshall, retired NECCO vice president. Sometimes a motto is discontinued for a time and then makes a reappearance; others are gone for good. Sayings considered outdated by NECCO include the funky “Dig Me” and the cheerful “You Are Gay.” The lengthy, old-fashioned sayings included such wistful thoughts as “Please send a lock of your hair by return mail.” Some students, like Chris Hinkhouse, a freshman biology major, will not be buying these heart shaped candies this Valentines Day.
“I think they’re too clichCB),” Hinkhouse said.
Other students, like Tyler Jost, a freshman business student, are fans of the candy. “I love them,” Jost says. “They’re my mom’s favorite candy and she sent me a package of the hearts this year. Who wouldn’t like them? They’re pretty and they taste good.”
For those single students recovering from a breakup, bitter about love or just looking for a good laugh, there’s also BitterSweets, “The Valentine’s Candy for the Rest of Us.” Like NECCO candy Conversation Hearts, BitterSweets sport a message on their face. But unlike traditional candy hearts, these are stamped with bitter sayings and mockeries. These include “I Miss My Ex,” “Table For 1” and “Settle4Less.”
