Business

'You Are Gay,' 'Fax Me,' 'Let's Read,' and 17 More Amazing Retired Sweetheart Candy Sayings

By Derek Thompson
Saved Stories

"Love Me." "Marry Me." "Dig Me"? Sorry, not anymore.

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NECCO

The Sweetheart is 147 years old. But not all of its cute little sayings have enjoyed quite the same sesquicentennial longevity. The folks from NECCO, the confectionery company that sells 4 million pounds of their traditional heart-shaped candies in the 6 weeks before Valentine's Day, sent me the full list of their most notable retired sayings.

  1. DIG ME
  2. HOT CHA
  3. SAUCY BOY
  4. GIRL POWER
  5. OH YOU KID
  6. WHY NOT
  7. GROOVY
  8. COOL DUDE
  9. MY, SUCH EYES
  10. FAX ME
  11. HEP CAT
  12. TELL ME HOW
  13. YOU ARE LATE
  14. 1-800 CUPID
  15. [PEACE SYMBOL]
  16. YEAH RIGHT
  17. OH BOY
  18. YOU ROCK
  19. LET'S READ
  20. YOU ARE GAY

This year's batch includes: UR HOT, TEXT ME, and LOML [that's: Love of My Life].

Amazingly, NECCO told me that they once toyed with a saying like PUCKER UP. But the industrial machine had a habit of printing Ps that looked a little to much like Fs. So, yeah. That was one Sweetheart that didn't make it to market.

Check back tomorrow for The Atlantic's blowout special feature on the business, economics, and technology of Valentine's Day ... including a look at the industrial technology behind each little Sweetheart candy.

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