Rockets or Smarties?

If you grew up in Canada, you know the difference between Rockets and Smarties. Or do you? Here's a hint: the Ce De Candy Company makes both. Feeling a little confused? We can help: Rockets are the pressed hard candy we know and love in Canada in the clear and red wrapper, but in the United States, they're called Smarties (we won't even get into the "other" Smarties this time...)!

Their name aside, Rockets (we're in Canada, afterall) are made right here in Canada! In fact, the Newmarket, Ontario plant works 24 hours a day to produce these little pocket-sized treats. All the Rockets produced between the two manufacturing facilities each year would circle the globe three times - and they're only 1cm across! And did you know that Rockets have been in production since 1949, but can trace their lineage back to England in 1928 and a little company, Matlow Bros.Ltd. One of the brothers came to North America in 1949 with the mission of making and selling their popular candies. "Smarties" lore has it that he came with "only two wrapping machines, a rented facility and a lot of ingenuity"

Regardless of what path they took to make it to our loot bags, we're so pleased to have the ever-present white, yellow, pink, orange, purple and green concave discs all year round!

The Wikipedia entry actually has a great little comparison of the American and Canadian-made Rockets (they're labelled Smarties, but we think you'll know what we're talking about!), showing the slight colour variations that the true candy afficiando would appreciate:

Labels: rockets

posted by The Candy Store @ 1:30 PM