Starting April 1, 2013, World Confections began making their candy cigarettes with the original, classic recipe. And no – this isn’t an April Fools’ joke! The original is most definitely back, and having gone without one for a few years, they taste to me like a sugar-wrapped memory mountain of amazingness! But to understand what makes this moment in time so monumental, we’re going to have to take a look at the sometimes-sweet, sometimes-sour history of what happened. I understand this might be hard for some of you, but hold tight, dear readers – this flavorful fairy tale has a happy ending. Deep breath… A change just happened. The magical kind of change that turns the clock back and sets things right with the world. The kind that happens when the people make some noise and ‘the man’ listens! And the proof, my friends, is in the pack. In fact, it’s in every pack of Kings, Lucky Lights, Target, Stallion, and oh yes – even Round Up! Just a few years ago in 2011, World Confections decided to switch up the formula for their classic candy cigarettes. For those of you keeping score, they’re actually called candy sticks now, but around these parts most people still call them candy cigarettes. Perhaps it’s because bubblegum cigarettes are still called cigarettes and not sticks – you know, the kind with the puff of powdered sugar ‘smoke’? I’m not sure, but I know I’m getting off track! That happens when I start ‘talkin’ candy’. OK – back to 2011… The team at World Confections decided they’d try a slightly altered recipe for their famous candy cigarettes. They didn’t go all the way back to the drawing board, but they changed them up enough that a discerning public most definitely took notice. And – that’s what they were hoping for! They had made this change with the best of intentions, and really, truly believed they had improved the recipe. Well, guess what, folks? The candy cigarette lovers of the universe were blowing a bit of smoke – out their ears! And where there’s smoke, there’s usually a fire. As for this fire? This fire was fueled by one of the purest, simplest sadnesses there ever was – the sadness that comes when a favorite candy is seemingly different or gone forever. (*cue sad music – grab a tissue – scream ‘Whyyy?!?!’ as a single tear falls*) Don’t worry – the story doesn’t end there. (*cue happy music – throw the tissue on the floor – dance around the tissue!*) World Confections only ever wanted to make us happy, and by making us sad for a bit, they get to make us happy all over again! Once it became clear that people preferred their original candy cigarettes recipe, with its melt-in-your-mouth consistency and slightly rough texture, they decided the change they needed to make was obvious. They needed to toss that new recipe in the recycling bin and go back to the classic recipe we all grew up with and love. And… they did! (*the crowd goes wild!!!*)