Nik L Nip (History, Marketing, Pictures & Commercials)
If you did not know that this colorful candy that looks like little bottles of soda was called Nik L Nip, you would not be alone. Not everyone knows the name of this unique candy but many people recognize the candy by its shape and appearance. There are not many other candies on the market that look like this one and there are very few candies that have a liquid filling the way that this one does.
Nik L Nip is an older candy that is still going strong despite its very unique style. There are not many other candies of this type that have lasted on the market the way that this one has. This is one of the most unique candies that you can pick up and try and you should make sure to give this candy a shot if you are looking to try a candy that will not remind you of anything else.
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History
Nik L Nip was created by Vinny Cavallo in the early part of the 20th century. This candy is a fruit-flavored candy that is shaped into little bottles that are filled with fruity liquid. You can bite off the top of the waxy little bottles and then drink the liquid that is inside the bottles. This is how the name of the candy came about. The Nik was for the nickel price and then the rest of the name references the old method of opening other wax bottles where you “nipped” off the top of the bottle to access the liquid inside.
Nik L Nip has actually been around since the prohibition era. In the early 1900s, this candy was made as a nod to the fact that no one would get alcohol but they could get candies like this. The candy seems like a novelty now, but at the time, it was a bit of a statement about the conditions of the supply of alcohol and the lack thereof in the US at this time. This is part of why the style of the bottles looks so antique. Liquor bottles were made in this shape and style back in the early 1900s and that is part of why the candy is still made in this shape and style.
Wax candies were also more common in the early part of the 1900s. Wax lips and wax fangs were not unusual at this time, so the little wax bottles with candy inside were not as unusual as they are today. These candies were still popular just like wax lips in the ’80s and ’90s and that is probably the period where these candies were as popular as they were when they were new.
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Nik L Nip enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the 80s and 90s due to sugary soda and drink treats like Squeeze-It and other fruity and sugary candy-style drinks. Think about what a fruit snack would be like if it were made into a liquid. This is what these kinds of drinks and candies are like. You have to remember that this was before the awareness of how unhealthy sugar is for you and these candies and drinks enjoyed a really huge rise in popularity during this period when sugary foods were everywhere.
The wax of these bottles is food-grade but you might not chew on it since it is not meant to be swallowed. This is part of why this candy is really unique. Most candies of this nature are completely edible, but not this brand. The product was made in this way in an era where this was much more normal and it is still made in the same way as it always was.
These candies are sold in a multi-flavor pack and they are sometimes sold as party favors or for seasonal occasions. Tootsie Roll makes the candy these days and they have not changed the product from the 1940s version. This candy has a really limited public history because it really has never been that popular compared to many other candies. That being said, it is still on the market so it has its own loyal following. This is really interesting because the candy really is not advertised by the company nor is the history of the candy discussed anywhere in specific. This is so uncommon for candy products that are still on the market today that it stands out as unique just like the candy itself.
Retro candies are very popular right now and this has probably given this candy new life that it would not have enjoyed otherwise. Candy that was made in the early 1900s is really popular compared to the more basic candies that we have all been enjoying for the past twenty years. This is an interesting time to enjoy candies because you can source your candy online to make sure that you get to try all the most unique candies like this one with ease.
Nik L Nip is sold with orange, lemon, lime, and cherry flavors. The flavor is not in the wax bottle and is contained in the liquid that is inside the bottle. The wax does have its own sweet flavor but it is not specifically related to the flavor of the liquid in the bottles.
Tootsie Roll works with Concord Confections to market this product these days. The product is not sold in Alaska, but it is sold throughout the rest of the US. This is likely an issue with the wax bottles and food legislation in Alaska. Concord Confectioners makes Dubble Bubble Gum and Cry Baby Sours so this candy is not that far outside of their wheelhouse. These are also older candies that have been popular for a long time so this is a great fit for this candy’s stable of other classic candies.
Nik L Nip has a loyal following in Canada since Concord Confections is based in Concord, Ontario. This is one of the few candies that is sold with equal success in Canada and the US due to this partnership between the two companies. This is probably also part of the reason that this product has continued to be so successful. Most older candies that have been around for generations have not been supported well enough to be sold in so many locations like this one. The modern candy market is not usually too keen on promoting older candies like this but if the right partnership is in place behind the candy, then it can make the shift to the modern candy market without too much trouble. This is the story of Nik L Nip and it should continue to be popular into the future.
Logo
Buy Online
You can also buy Nik L Nip at Old Time Candy by clicking the image below.
Ingredients
From the company website:
- Refined wax
- Water
- Corn syrup
- Artificial flavors
- Citric acid
- Sodium benzoate
- Potassium sorbate
- Artificial colors
- Red 40
- Blue 1
- Yellow 5
- Yellow 6
- BHT
The company notes that soy might be present in the product. They also note that the candies contain bioengineered food products from the US. Nik L Nip is a simple candy and a lot of the large ingredients on the list are related to the wax in the bottles.
Nutrition
| 5 bottles | 20ml | % Daily Value* |
| Amount Per Serving | ||
| Calories | 15 | |
| Total Fat Total Sugars 4gIncludes 4g Added Sugars 8%Protein 0gVitamin D 0mcg 0%Calcium 0mg 0% | 0g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 0mg | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 4g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Total Sugars | 4g | |
| Includes Added Sugars | 4g | 8% |
| Protein | 0g | |
| Vitamin D | 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium | 0mg | 0% |
| Iron | 0mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 0mg | 0% |
| Vitamin A | 0mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0mg | 0% |
| Net Carbs Per Serving | 4 |
- *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Marketing
Nik L Nip has always been marketed with a really light touch. It was sold individually for a nickel in the original years that it was on the market. Today, it is sold in packs with all of the flavors. The packaging is purple and the candy name is displayed on the front of the packaging in cartoon letters. The background of the name of the candy is orange and there is a small cluster of the candies showing at the end of the tail of the logo.
The front of the Nik L Nip pack says the slogan, “Bite ‘em, Drink ‘em, Chew ‘em”. The candies are visible through the cellophane of the packaging as well, so you will know what kind of candy you are getting. This is a really unique packaging for a really unique candy. You will get to try a different candy style when you pick up this candy and you will be sure of what you are getting as soon as you see the packaging.
Candy stores sell the candies in boxes that look a lot like the outside of the wrappers of the unique candies. The pouches are usually stacked inside and you will just pull yours out of the box if the store has not chosen to display them individually. This is not a candy that is easy to display without the box and many candy stores just keep all of the packets inside the boxes so that the candies do not get squashed on the shelves.
Ads
Finding ads for Nik L Nip is difficult. As mentioned before, there were very few advertising campaigns that were run even in the original popular period for this candy. You will be more likely to find taste tests and other kinds of media about this candy out there online these days.
Pictures
A taste test style video:
Another taste test style video:
My name is Brianna and I love writing on all topics. Candy history fascinates me and I am passionate about sharing my love of this topic with everyone else!
Please leave a review or any memories of this snack in the comments below. Thank you!
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Wow! Very good article! much better than the usual article of this type. I’ve just read several articles on this confection and this one is the most informative and had lots of interesting tidbits that I did not know. One factor mentioned in the article but not emphasized is the low calorie count. A full package of eight delightful little bottles is only 25 calories, and that makes this interesting for a dieter that is counting calories. The confection is fun, exciting, colorful, eight bottles seems like a big, satisfying portion, it does take some time to sip the liquid out of the bottle, maybe several minutes, plus then you can chew the wax for a while before it gets boring and you trash it. That means this dessert might take you a while to eat, maybe 30 minutes, you’ll end up satisfied and only 25 calories!
That said, I didn’t really like it much. Sipping the liquid is ok, but once you’re done with that, chewing the wax gets boring fast. The article implies that the wax has a sweet flavor, which may be technically true but that would be better stated as it has “a tasteless wax flavor with a possibly imperceptible sweetness.” I can only chew it a few minutes before I have to trash it.
As fun as it is, it’s of limited enjoyment. Plus it’s no nickel anymore, I just paid $2.
Also, there is a latino version of this confection, but instead of being made of wax, the bottle is made of an edible sugar. I’ve never seen it or tried it, but it looks great. Search for “botellitas de azucar,” which means “little bottles of sugar.” These wax bottles seem like a poor imitation of those. I’d be interested in the history to see which came first, who copied whom, and why those sugar bottles never made it to the USA, or if they did. Such info would be a valuable addition to this already useful article.