What candy instantly takes you back to your childhood?
Maybe it’s a box of Nerds, a Fun Dip pouch, or that Pixy Stix that made every parent regret saying yes. For me, the candy aisle tells its own kind of story, one filled with road trips, movie theaters, school lunches, and grocery store shelves of the 1980s.
So when I had the chance to talk with Jason Liebig, brand historian, nostalgia expert, and the man often described as the Indiana Jones of snacks, I knew we were about to go on a journey.
Jason is the founder of CollectingCandy.com, a massive archive of candy and snack packaging. He’s consulted on shows like Stranger Things, Mad Men, The Queen’s Gambit, and The Goldbergs, making sure every wrapper, cereal box, and grocery store shelf looks era-accurate. He’s also a lead storyteller on History Channel’s The Food That Built America and appears alongside Henry Winkler on Hazardous History.
In short, he’s the guy you want to talk to if you love snacks, nostalgia, or the history tucked inside everyday things.
Here are some of my favorite stories and insights from our conversation.
How a Comic Book Kid Became a Candy Historian
Jason didn’t grow up dreaming of cataloging 130,000 pieces of candy packaging. His journey started with comic books, action figures, and a fascination with design during his time at Marvel Comics.
Then one day in a Boston Barnes & Noble, he stumbled across a book called Crazy Kid’s Food, filled with retro packaging from the 50s–70s. Instantly, he was hooked.
Not on the candy, but on the design, the memories, and the way packaging tells a story.
His first holy grails?
- A 1970s Hot Tamales box
- A Super Sugar Crisp cereal box
- A Marathon Bar wrapper
What started as a nostalgia project eventually became one of the most extensive packaging archives in the country.
Why the 1980s Were a Golden Age for Candy
If you grew up in the 80s, you probably remember that the candy aisle felt like an explosion of color, sugar, cartoon mascots, and weird gummy creatures.
According to Jason, that’s not your imagination; it really was a moment.
During the 80s, we saw the rise of:
- Nerds (1983)
- Runts (1984)
- Airheads (late 80s)
- Sour Patch Kids
- The gummy boom (worms, bears, and every shape in between)
The decade wasn’t about chocolate bars; it was about sugar innovation, “gross-out” candy, and brightly colored fun. Worm-shaped gummies were a revelation. Candy became a toy, a choice, a little bit of agency for kids.
And speaking of agency…
The Genius Behind the Nerds Box
Jason shared one of my favorite insights: the Nerds dual-chamber box wasn’t just clever packaging. It was psychological.
Kids in the 80s didn’t have much control over their lives. But Nerds gave you a choice: Grape? Strawberry? Or shake both sides and create chaos?
It was fun. It was interactive. It felt like freedom. And it helped Nerds become an instant classic.
From Hawkins to Hollywood: Candy in Pop Culture
Jason’s work on shows like Stranger Things and Mad Men highlights something we often forget:
Packaging is part of our cultural memory.
Authentic branding helps create believable worlds. That’s why in Stranger Things, even the Eggo boxes Eleven carries are modeled off real 1980s packaging. Those tiny details transport us back in time just as powerfully as clothes, music, or cars.
A Kit Kat Wrapper That Survived World War II
The story that gave me chills was about a rare Kit Kat wrapper from the late 1930s.
During WWII, sugar and milk were rationed, so Kit Kat temporarily changed its formula. To avoid confusing customers, the company shifted the wrapper from red to blue and added a note explaining the shortages.
It’s a piece of history, wartime, branding, culture, all captured in something most people throw away.
Jason acquired one of those wrappers from a family in the UK whose father had saved them as a boy. He carried that small box of wrappers through bombings, moves, marriage, and parenthood. Decades later, his children reached out to Jason to help preserve them.
It’s the perfect example of why Jason calls himself a storyteller first.
Why Candy Matters
Talking with Jason reminded me that candy is more than sugar.
It’s:
- road trips
- movie nights
- grandparents
- school friends
- holidays
- Saturday afternoon gas station stops
- the small joys that show up again and again throughout our lives
No wonder we feel something when we unwrap a candy from our childhood. It’s tied to moments, people, and memories we don’t want to lose.
