Sweethearts conversation hearts (made by Necco in Massachusetts for nearly 150 years) have been a colorful Valentine’s Day candy favorite since 1866.
By Aimee Tucker
Feb 07 2022
As of 2018, Sweethearts are no longer made by Necco. Learn more in the update at the bottom of this post.
Expressing love and affection on Valentine’s Day is a tradition dating back centuries, but here in New England, the practice was always extra sweet. Why? Sweethearts! Once made by Necco in Massachusetts for nearly 150 years, Sweethearts, the pastel candy “conversation hearts” stamped with sweet phrases of love and friendship, were long the most popular and best selling non-chocolate Valentine’s Day candy.
We’ve already delved into Necco’s history in our previous post on Necco Wafers, but here’s a quick review. Until it filed for bankruptcy in 2018, Necco was the oldest continuously operating, multi-line candy company in the country. Based in Revere, MA, since 2002 (before that they were in Cambridge, and before that Boston), its history stretched back to 1847, when Oliver Chase invented America’s first candy-cutting machine. In 1901, his company joined forces with two other Boston-based confectioners to form Necco, and they churned out popular candies like Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mary Jane candy, Haviland Mints, Clark Bars, Sky Bar, Mighty Malts, and the aforementioned wafers and hearts for more than a century.
But where did conversation hearts come from? It turns out they’re also part of the Chase family history. In 1866, Oliver’s brother Daniel created a machine that would press dyed letters into the candies his brother had invented. They were an immediate hit, and several companies began making their own — including Necco. It wasn’t until Necco acquired the Stark Candy Company in 1990, however, that they began using the Sweethearts brand name and became the leading manufacturer of conversation hearts candies. During its Necco days, 2 billion individual Sweethearts were produced every year!
Looking at the history of Sweethearts is truly like taking a trip back in time, conversationally speaking. The sayings on the hearts changed each year to reflect the latest trends in language and communication, so while some of the 40-something phrases (like Be Mine and Sweet Pea) are timeless, others (like Fax Me and Dig Me) were phased out for newer, better quips — sometimes with the help of the public. There was also New England favorite Wicked Cool, and (my personal favorite) Let’s Read, which was brought back from retirement in 2014.
Sweethearts might have been made by Necco, but they tasted a bit different than the well-known wafers. In recent years, the colorful hearts were updated to be bolder and fruitier, with flavors like orange, grape, strawberry, and green apple. There was also a line of chocolate hearts and tart hearts in flavors like watermelon, tangerine, and pink lemonade. Sweethearts might be old (at nearly 150 years old, we don’t think they’ll quibble with that), but for fans of all ages, it’s just not Valentine’s Day without them.
Do you remember getting and giving Sweethearts for Valentine’s Day?
In May 2018, Necco declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was purchased by Greenwich, CT-based Round Hill Investments for $17.3 million. Hopes for a rebound were abundant since Round Hill had been responsible for reviving troubled brands like Pabst Blue Ribbon, Chef Boyardee, and Hostess (including its venerated Twinkies), but on July 24, 2018, the Revere facility was suddenly shuttered. Approximately 230 workers and executives were laid off, and production of all candy lines stopped, ending the Necco Wafer’s reign as the country’s longest-running, continuously produced candy.
Round Hill would go on to sell off many of Necco’s long-running candy lines to other manufacturers. The Necco Wafer, Sweethearts conversation hearts, and Canada Mints were sold to the Spangler Candy Company of Ohio, best known for their Dum Dum Lollipops. Spangler quickly announced plans for both Necco Wafers and Sweethearts to return to store shelves. After a rocky relaunch in 2020, when a limited supply meant that many of the hearts were sold with (gasp!) no words or phrases, Sweethearts are back in 2021 with classic phrases plus new sayings inspired by timeless song lyrics from the last seven decades.
This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated.
Aimee Tucker is Yankee Magazine’s Home Editor and the Senior Digital Editor of NewEngland.com. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.
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Was excited to find Sweetheart conversation hearts back amongst all the Valentine’s Day retail hoopla. Sadly just tried a single serving box now made by Spangler. The quality is not reminiscent of the Necco quality. The colors are very pale, the green actually looked yellowish-green….the messages were barely legible. The box was labeled from Spangler Mexico. If Spangler can’t assure the nostalgic quality…they should let us all mourn the original….and discontinue.
Living in a home of 3 generations of Italians, next to a house of 3 generations of Poles, in the 50s, naturally Necco wafers were a child’s substitute for Communion Hosts. Yes, we were little Catholic nerds.
Love Neccos! Loved the old necco hearts or sweethearts. Purple is fav.. oh they all are. Now sweethearts have fruit flavors … so disappointed. Want the old heart flavors back!!! Please!!
I hate the new flavors that especially brach’s candy has now sweetheart is come back with a little bit better tasting flavor but then Elaine’s has gone changed their recipe this year we all love the original recipe of sweetheart conversation candies and I would like to see everybody go back to those flavors I was buying Elaine’s because sweetheart change there’s now changing back there’s it’s just hurting but I see sweetheart as gotten theirs closer to them original flavors thank you for doing that nobody likes these new flavors the drug store has them on sale and nobody buying the brach’s candy that are on saleit taste awful so candy makers don’t follow their bad lead thank you
How about Vermont Country Store? They carry many things we thought we couldn’t get anymore ????
I’m old enough to remember the almost quarter size hearts that I believe had scalloped edges.
My kingdom for a roll of NECCO WAFERS!
My husband grew up in Maine and loves Necco Wafers. I always bought him a case for christmas and another one in June for his bday. I grew up with and loved the candy hearts. I heard they were going to be selling again in 2019, then I heard it was pushed back to Valentines Day 2020.. and yet, I havent been able to find them. I wonder if they ran into problems or have thrown in the towel about making / redistributing them. I certainly do hope not. I look forward to hearing more!
Where can I buy the old Necco conversation hearts? I’m craving them right now.
I do not like the new flavors. Nothing better than the old version. Big mistake to change the flavor.
I agree with you Carolyn, the old Necco are better! I’m looking for the old ones too!
Where can you purchase Necco Sweetheart candies. All I find are Brach’s. I spend my winters in Florida and these are all I can find. Maybe Amazon?
Used to smell those strange flavors in the street over by old factory near M.I.T……industrial candy works,they cranked em out.
I agree with Deb, I loved the old flavors of the Sweethearts. The new flavors I won’t eat. NECCO: “Go back to the old flavors”!
I agree Steve!
Our 46 yr. old daughter just gave my husband and I a few boxes each for Valentine’s day. When she was little I made her a 3d house birthday cake. Of course the roof was tiled with Necco wafers. Thanks for the happy memory that this article brought back.
Sure do LOVE the Necco wafers ~ especially the LICORICE ones ~ been eating them all my child hood years and they are hard to find in Florida where I live now! The price per roll and the size sure has changed!
Such sweet memories….love this candy..and love to share it too..
Been eating these 70 of my 79years!
If only Necco would go back to their original recipe. The new Sweethearts taste so artificial. The original was the BEST.
I agree Deb!
Great article—I grew up in Mass. and never heard about a company Necco being the one who made the candy I loved to eat growing up there. I guess being next to Fall River and the famous noodles for Chou Mein, we never learned about the famous candy factory in our state. I loved the fact that the messages on the hearts keep up with the culture.
My grandmother worked for Necco in the 40’s….thanks for the memories!
I love these candies and with my birthday the day before Valentine’s, I always get some! Even at 36 years old, it wouldn’t be my birthday or Valentine’s without them!!
Hi Grace. You mean the one outside the NECCO factory? I’m hoping to visit there sometime this spring, and when I do, you can be sure I’ll snap a photo of the wafer tower!
should have posted a photo of the tower colored like necco wafers….