from Steven Stern
Candy is dandy, but some venerable American treats have pretty interesting back stories. Here are a few for you to chew on.

Russ Sifers / New England Confectionery Co., Inc.

Ring Pop
The lollipop you wear on your finger has its origins in the disco era. The Topps company, of baseball card and Bazooka gum fame, introduced the Ring Pop in 1977, but the sugary gem really came into its own in the age of bling. Madonna, Lindsay Lohan, and Fergie, have all sported it. Most recently, Nick Cannon proposed to Mariah Carey by offering her an engagement Ring Pop. Though Mariah's, unlike the ones you'll find in a store, had a 17-carat diamond hidden inside.

Visit topps.com

Milk Duds
The appealingly saggy shape of the popular movie treat was a bug, not a feature. The original manufacturer, the Hoffman Company of Chicago, was trying to make perfectly round chocolate-covered caramels. Candy technology in the 1920s wasn't up to the task, but the makers decided to sell the "duds" anyway and a new brand name was born. Famous Chicago restaurant Lou Mitchell's took up the cause of the Dud early on and to this day, hands out free candies to women and children.

Visit hersheys.com

Chuckles
Don't you hate it when your jelly candies sweat? Well, you would have if you were a pioneering confectioner. In 1921, candy maker Fred Amend solved the sweaty jelly issue with his own formula, and Chuckles were born. Originally sold in a hand-rolled strip, the five-cent, five-flavor package of chewy jellies were advertised as the "Best candy buy in town." Chuckles got a higher profile in the 1970s as a major sponsor of daredevil Evel Knievel, who attempted to leap the Snake River canyon in a "Sky-Cycle" emblazoned with the candy's logo.

Visit farleysandsathers.com

Abba Zaba
Introduced in the 1920s by the Cardinet Candy Company of Alameda, California, the taffy-and-peanut butter Abba Zaba has attracted an alternative West Coast following. Psychedelic music legend Captain Beefheart wrote a song to the candy, and based the back cover of his 1967 album Safe As Milk on the distinctive black and yellow checkerboard design of the Abba Zaba wrapper.

Visit annabelle-candy.com

Cherry Mash
The Chase Candy Company of St. Joseph, Missouri introduced its signature chocolate-covered peanut and maraschino cherry candy in 1918. While today the company concentrates most of its efforts on dominating that crucial cherry candy niche, once upon a time Chase was a big player in the Midwestern confectionery scene, introducing hundreds of products in the first half of the 20th century. The Cherry Mash is the winner of a process of sugary natural selection that saw the extinction of Chase products like Candy Dogs, the Opera Stick, Mammy's Pride, Nutrol, and the Mint Barber Pole.

Visit cherrymash.com/

Chick-O-Stick
Despite its name, the bright orange peanut and coconut log from Lufkin, Texas is completely chicken-free. The Atkinson Candy Company hasn't always played down the poultry associations, though. The candy's original wrapper featured a cowboy hat-wearing chicken mascot. When the company first started making the product in the late 1930s, such chewy stick candies were known in Texas as "chicken bones." Going national in 1954, they discovered another company already owned the Chicken Bones name, and settled for a more subtly chicken-y handle. The Atkinson Company has experimented with various flavored sticks over the years, but they've always stayed away from chocolate, for practical, climate-related reasons.

Visit atkinsoncandy.com

Dum Dums
Dum Dum Pops, made by the Akron Candy Company since 1924, always include a "mystery flavor" in each bag-usually a hybrid of two of their regular flavors. This is a clever way of making a virtue out of necessity. The production lines that make the candy run continuously, so when they switch from one flavor to another, a batch comes out mixed.

Visit spanglercandy.com

Nicole Goksel

Goo Goo Clusters
Created in 1912, this Southern sugar bomb was originally a real breakthrough in chocolate history: the world's first "combination candy bar." The Standard Candy Company mixed peanuts, marshmallow, caramel, and chocolate into thick mounds, and delivered them to stores by the case. It took the company a few more years to figure out how to wrap the unusual shape. A Nashville hometown favorite, the Cluster has advertised on the Grand Ole Opry radio show since the early 1960s.

Visit googoo.com

Hershey's Kisses
The iconic chocolate drop was invented in 1907. The origin of the name is something of a mystery, but the going theory has something to do with the smacking sound made when the chocolate was extruded from the machines. The familiar foil wrapper has been a Kiss feature since the beginning, but for the first fourteen years of its existence, packaging had to be done by hand, one at a time. The requisite machines weren't developed until 1921.

Visit hersheys.com

Jupiter Images

by Kat Kinsman
Nothing's sweeter than giving V-Day chocolate to a loved one, but don't you wonder what's gonna be under the lid? Our panel popped the tops off 22 heart-shaped boxes from $.99 drugstore counter specials to $55 chi-chi boutique bon-bons so you can help guide Cupid's arrow straight to your beloved's sweet spot. In ascending price order... (read on)

Rachel Been for AOL

Producer: Elmer

Verdict: DEFINITELY NOT
Style: Small cardboard heart box
Contents: 4 chocolates
Weight: 2.4 oz
Price: $.99
Website:elmercandy.com
Note: Every single person spat theirs out.
Our panel said: "Bleeeaaaauuugggh!" "Awful - plastic-like." "Way, way too sugary. I could almost taste the granules."

Rachel Been for AOL

Producer: Russell Stover

Verdict: GOOFY & SWEET
Style: Looney Toons Mini-box
Contents: 3 chocolates
Weight: 1.75 oz
Price: $1.29
Website: russellstover.com
Note: It's also available with a Bugs Bunny or the Tasmanian Devil design.
Our panel said: "Totally darling!" "I'd be so excited to get this." "Great for giving out at school."

Rachel Been for AOL

Producer: Gillham & Grand

Verdict: CUTE & FUN
Style: Novelty tin with "kiss / hug / tickle" spinner
Contents: 3 chocolates
Weight: 1.5 oz
Price: $3
Website: hallmark.com
Note: Gillham & Grand is made by Fannie May exclusively for Hallmark Gold Crown Stores.
Our panel said: "Very cute! You could give this to anyone." "Fun!"

Rachel Been for AOL

Producer: Russell Stover

Verdict: WEIRD CONCEPT, DECENT CHOCOLATE
Style: XOXO Just For Him cardboard heart
Contents: 6 assorted chocolates
Weight: 3.5 oz
Price: $2.99
Website: russellstover.com
Note: More deluxe editions come in metal, tire-tread embossed tins.
Our panel said: "Why is this for men in particular? Are they beef and sweat flavored or something?""Pretty standard, but yummy."

Rachel Been for AOL

Producer: Russell Stover

Verdict: HORRIBLE
Style: Foil-wrapped cardboard heart
Contents: 7 assorted sugar-free creams, chews and crisps
Weight: 4 oz
Price: $4.99
Website: russellstover.com
Note: A sugar-free pecan candy assortment is also available.
Our panel said: "Tastes like a tire. Rubbery." "If your sweetie is diabetic, just get them flowers or something instead."

Rachel Been for AOL

Producer: Russell Stover

Verdict: HIT OR MISS
Style: Foil-wrapped cardboard heart
Contents: 13 assorted creams, chews and nuts
Weight: 7 oz
Price: $4.99
Website: russellstover.com
Note: This is the #2 best selling heart-shaped box assortment in the US. The 1 lb selection is #1.
Our panel said: "Seems a little old-fashioned. Not that there's anything wrong with that." "It really depends on which pieces you get. Some are great and some are kind of nasty." "Not for me, but my Mom would love this."

Rachel Been for AOL

Producer: Reese's

Verdict: CAN'T GO WRONG
Style: Cardboard heart
Contents: 30 miniature Reese's peanut butter cups
Weight: 8 oz
Price: $4.99
Website: reeses.com
Our panel said: "You know exactly what you're getting, and it's GOOD!" "You can never go wrong with Reese's, even if the package design is cheap." "The taste is classic goodness. I'd be thrilled to get this. As muchas I'd like to be high-end, I can't escape my love for Reese's."

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Producer: Hershey's

Verdict: GOOD, BUT GO WITH THE REESE'S
Style: Cardboard heart
Contents: 54 Hershey's Kisses
Weight: 8 oz
Price: $4.99
Website: hersheys.com
Our panel said: "Who doesn't love to get Kisses?" "Cute & romantic." "I love this, but it seems a little plain." "It's nice knowing just what you're getting."

Rachel Been for AOL

Producer: Godiva

Verdict: OKAY IN A PINCH
Style: Miniature heart gift box
Contents: 6 foil-wrapped milk chocolate hearts
Weight: 1.1 oz
Price: $5
Website: godiva.com
Our panel said: "Cute, but not impressive." "Good valentine for the teacher."

Rachel Been for AOL

We admit we're a li'l funny when it comes to chocolate bunnies. They're awfully cute in an Easter basket, but so often they collapse into shards upon the first munch. Or, even worse, they're chock full of mystery goo or taste just plain nasty. We lopped the ears off a few dozen hippity-hoppers so you and your kids will know just what's under the wrapping.

Follow our bunny trail from most to least expensive chocolate treats, or use the menu feature to hop all around.

Rachel Been, AOL

Palmer
Bunny Buddy with Double Crisp Bunny Pop 27 oz

We're usually not so big on the hollow chocs, but this buddy comes bearing gifts! He may be empty inside, but the charming lolly fills the void.

Bun for the buck: Good, but only because of the extra treat
Contents: Hollow, with a solid, crispy chocolate lollipop
Price: $9.99

Rachel Been, AOL

Lake Champlain
Milk Chocolate 4 oz

It's cartoon cute, but tastefully so, and boasts some truly delicious chocolate to boot.

Bun for the buck: A very solid bet
Contents: Solid milk chocolate
Price: $9.99

Rachel Been, AOL

Lake Champlain
White Chocolate 4.5 oz

Not everyone's a white chocolate fan, but if you've got one on your bunny trail, this elegant, creamy cottontail is definitely the one to snare.

Bun for the buck: One really regal rabbit
Contents: Solid white chocolate
Price: $9.99

Rachel Been, AOL

Ferrero Rocher
Plastic Box 5.7 oz

The box isn't chocolate, but it's crammed chock full of some of our favorite little nibbles. We won't quibble.

Bun for the buck: So good, it's kinda nutty
Contents: 13 Hazelnut-filled chocolates
Price: $7.99

Rachel Been, AOL

Palmer
Diva Da' Bunny 14 oz

What's not to love about a bunny who brings her own bling? She may not be the most delicious, but she's certainly the most diva-licious.

Bun for the buck: Top of the hop, design-wise
Contents: Hollow milk chocolate with candy necklace
Price: $7.49

Rachel Been, AOL

Godiva
Milk chocolate 2.25 oz

If you've got a Godiva freak on your must-give list, this is your cheapest way out. It's cute (oh, that bow!) and silky-smooth, to be sure, but would it have killed 'em to make him solid?

Bun for the buck: Pricey for the size - you're mostly paying for the Godiva name
Contents: Hollow, foil-wrapped
Price: $6.50

Rachel Been, AOL

Frankford Impressions
Jackrabbit 5 oz

We held off from cutting into this one until the very end because it was sooooo cute, and even after, there were scuffles to see who'd take him home. Think of it as décor rather then dessert.

Bun for the buck: Not much choc for the dollar, but that's not why you're buying this one
Contents: Hollow multi-chocolate
Price: $5.99

Rachel Been, AOL

Belfine
Belgian Chocolate 2.65 oz

Often when design gets this fussy, the chocolate flavor suffers. Not so for this multi-colored cottontail. Bonus points for the fancy li'l bag.

Bun for the buck: Beaucoup
Contents: Hollow chocolate
Price: $5.99

Rachel Been, AOL

Russell Stover
Milk Chocolate 12 oz

This one's a classic for a reason. It may not be life-changing chocolate, but it'll keep 'em smiling 'til 'round about Flag Day.

Bun for the buck: Big time
Contents: Solid milk chocolate
Price: $5.99

Rachel Been, AOL