Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. One of the best ways to say I love you is giving conversation hearts candy to say it for you! Made in Revere, Massachusetts, this classic candy — also known as Sweethearts — has been around for more than 150 years.
Sold during the Civil War and originally named cockles, the candies made of sugar and flour had sayings that were printed on thin paper and rolled inside the folded, shell-shaped candy like a fortune cookie.
It wasn’t until the 1860s that the New England Confectionary Company (NECCO) printed words directly on the candy with a machine that pressed red vegetable coloring on the dough and cut the heart shapes like we see in stores today. The candy is still a hit with adults and children alike, but as time changes, so does the conversation. The most popular new sayings are Tweet Me, Text Me, You Rock, Love Bug, Soul Mate and Me + You.
Fun facts about conversation hearts
- NECCO makes more than 8 billion conversation hearts every year to keep up with demand — about 100,000 pounds per day!
- The entire amount — produced from late February through mid-January — sells out in six weeks. Candy hearts are the best-selling Valentine’s Day candy.
- When the company asked fans to submit suggestions for new sayings to include in the lineup, the top two entries, Text Me and Tweet Me, were added to the annual mix.
- Every year, about 45 sayings get included in the mix, but you can personalize the candies by purchasing a full production run of 1.7 million hearts!
Craft this candy-heart frame
Materials
Conversation hearts (a few boxes of them)
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Picture frame
Optional: clear spray sealant/adhesive
Instructions
- Make sure your glue gun is nice and hot. Drop a small dot on the back of each conversation heart and stick to the frame.
- Continue adding simple rows or overlap rows by gluing hearts on top of a row … whatever you like!
Optional
- You may want to seal the frame with some spray sealant as you don’t want anything (or anyone) to be tempted to eat them.
- You can alternate colors on a single frame, or adhere the hearts with the sayings facing up for a more creative and personalized approach.
