Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Queen Gertrude offers the
now-loved sentiment “Sweets to the Sweet.” Perhaps this is the origin of the
tradition of giving candy to a loved one.
Early American colonists made homemade candies with love notes
scratched on the surface for Valentine’s Day. New England Confectionary
Company (NECCO) expanded upon the colonists’ idea and created the
conversation heart in the mid-1800s.
In 1860, Daniel Chase, brother of NECCO founder
Oliver Chase, invented the process to print motto candies. Originally, the
candies were “cockles” – small,
crisp, scallop shell-shaped candy wrapped in colored paper with printed
sayings. The Sweet Hearts, the name
used for candies with mottos inscribed directly on them, were invented in
1900. The candy was cut into shapes like horseshoes and baseballs. This
allowed for longer sayings to be printed on them such as “How long shall I
have to wait? Pray be considerate.” This enabled would-be-lovers to send
messages to each other.
