Friday, October 26, 2012

Astro Pop (Original Flavor)

Astro Pops were introduced in 1963, a time of great excitement in the space race, by Nellson Candy Company in California. The design of the pop was a simple cone with three layered flavors to emulate the three stage space rocket of the time.

Astro Pop

The shape and production technique for the pops was rather unique, as they were molded right in the wrappers and sealed at the ends with a small layer of food-grade paraffin wax. Astro Pops were discontinued in 2004 and after several years of work to both secure the rights to the product and re-innovate the production, Leaf Brand Candy got them back on shelves recently.

The style of the candy itself is a little different, as most lollipops are made from a stamped hard candy that’s usually slightly aerated before molding. This can lead to bubbles and voids. (Gourmet lollipops such as Linda’s Lollies and the Jelly Belly Lollibeans are also super-dense hard candy.)

Astro Pop

It’s hard to eat an Astro Pop without creating a hazard. They’re already unbalanced, with a very short stick and a blunted point. Once you start licking it, the point becomes rather sharp. Add to that the stark ergonomics of consumption: it’s a hands-on pop. You can’t hold it in your mouth because it’s so bottom heavy and long (unless you clench it in your teeth, and that presents another problem because the candy style can become soft and cement your teeth together). You can’t put it down without having it stick to things because of the larger surface involved when it’s a rest (it’s not one point of contact like a sphere, instead it’s a plane/line of contact with the length of the pop).

So, all those physical things aside ... it is a fascinating confection, especially for someone like me who is a fan of Barley Sugar Candy. The flavor layers are Pineapple (top yellow), Passion Fruit (middle green) and Cherry (base red). The candy is dense and smooth with a slow dissolve. The flavor is mellow and all sweetness. Pineapple is floral, a little like strawberry with a hint of pina colada. The passion fruit layer was a little hard to distinguish, partly because it’s sandwiched between the more distinct flavor layers. It’s a little pine-like and kind of like a fruit punch. The cherry base is a little like a cough drop in that it’s syrupy and even though it’s an intense red, I didn’t have any metallic bitter aftertaste from the coloring.

The candy lasts for a long time, the density of the boiled sugar means that it’s not crunchable (like Jolly Ranchers) so you have to dissolve the whole thing, lick by lick. There’s no way, until the pop is shorter, to tuck it into your cheek and rot your teeth either.

Here’s a classic commercial from the Astro Pop heyday when they made a bunch of different flavor varieties.

What I found most amusing about this history is that the Nellson Candy Company sold the rights to the pop to Spangler Candy in 1987. A scant 9 years early Spangler made a name for itself by creating the SafeTPop, the little lollipop with the looped string for a handle instead of a stiff stick.

Overall, a fun candy but not necessarily an everyday confection nor for everyone. The version I tried is 1.5 ounces, larger than the one ounce size that may be more ubiquitous and perhaps easier to eat. It’s definitely expensive, I paid 2.99 for my little pop, something I wouldn’t plan on doing again.

Related Candies

  1. Bubble Gum Cigarettes
  2. Squirrel Nut Zippers
  3. See’s Lollypops
  4. Hammond’s All Natural Lollipops
  5. Starburst Retro
  6. Jelly Belly: Lollibeans
  7. Regennas Clear Toys
  8. Pop Rocks Dips


Name: Astro Pop
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Leaf
Place Purchased: Sweet! Hollywood
Price: $2.99
Size: 1.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 100
Categories: Candy, Hard Candy & Lollipops, 7-Worth It, United States

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:04 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyReviewLeaf Brand CandyHard Candy & Lollipops7-Worth ItUnited States

Comments
  1. I’ve always wondered about the wax. Why the wax? What was its original use?

    Comment by Laura on 10/26/12 at 8:50 pm #
  2. These look so lovely! I want one for myself:)

    Comment by PayDaygirl on 11/27/13 at 4:11 pm #
  3. The whole thing tastes like wax! Astropops have a waxy fruit flavor.

    Comment by Charlie Tremaine on 9/03/14 at 7:31 pm #
  4. I used to love barley sugar pops but I hated the way Astro Pops stuck to my teeth for a few seconds before I took it out of my mouth- it would make that noise…

    Comment by Kira on 11/26/16 at 4:10 pm #
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