Sixlets Candy: History, Varieties & Packaging

Snack History Nostalgia Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Small candies that can be eaten by the handful are some of the most enjoyable candies on the market. There are many candies that are made using this format, but Sixlets are one of the most well-known of these candies. You will find that there are many versions of candy that have been made to copy this candy but Sixlets are still one of the best versions of this candy style.

If you have never tried Sixlets, you will want to make sure that you plan to do so. These are really delicious candy snacks that can be enjoyed in the movie theater, or when you are on a road trip, or even at work. This is a really great candy for people who like gumballs but don’t want to have to suck on a candy for a long time to get to enjoy it.

History

These candies were originally made by Oak Leaf Confections. This candy company was based in Canada but sold these candies to other countries almost from the start. This candy was first sold in 1960 and was made for Leaf Brands to be sold alongside a candy that was similar called Fivesomes. Fivesomes were like small Whoppers while Sixlets were more like large M&Ms.

It appears that the original idea was to sell these products like gumballs from candy machines but the candy seems to have always been sold in cellophane tubes that line the candies up in a row. This is likely the reason that they were named Sixlets. The idea is that you could get six candies for a penny.

Sixlets were made with red, brown, yellow, green, blue, and orange shells from the beginning. The candy has since been expanded to include seasonal varieties in other colors. There is a pink and white version of the candy for Easter and a red and green and white candy for Christmas. The Valentine’s Day candy offers up pink, red, and white candies. There are also Halloween versions that are sold with teal, purple, green, and black.

There are some locations that do sell these candies loose to be dispensed into bags that can be bought at the counter. This is not common and most of the locations that sell this candy sell it in the tube format. Some stores also sell these candies as baked goods decorations. This is a candy that has been used for many years in baking as well, and there is a huge list of baked goods and other items that are made to include these yummy little chocolate candies.

In 2003, the candy was sold to Hershey Foods under a sublicense that allowed the brand to be sold through SweetWorks Confections LLC. The candies are still sold under this license in much the same way that they always were. They have introduced a tube format that offers six of the candies in a hard tube. This was added in 2017 along with some of the other varieties of additional packaging.

This candy is still sold in much the same way that it was in the 60s. If you were around to see the original candy, you will find that the candy that is made today is much the same. This is one of the benefits of Hershey’s having taken over the candy. They take care not to change a classic candy in such a way that no one will recognize it. This can be really important with classic brands like this that have such a following.

If you want to experience a classic candy that has stood the test of time, this is the right one to choose. These candies are like a little time capsule and you will love how special they are. There is something really nice about being able to try traditional candy bars and traditional grab-and-go candies since they are not made by many companies anymore. Even if you have to get your Sixlets without ordering the cellophane tube style, you will still enjoy a really classic candy experience.

Are Sixlets Like M&Ms?

Sixlets are similar to M&Ms since they are chocolate balls that are dipped in hard candy shells. The differences between the two candies are mostly related to the shape of the candies. M&Ms are flattened some and are smaller overall. Sixlets are made to be rounded and are slightly larger in shape. You will get a more chocolatey taste from the Sixlets and the candy shell is thinner so it is not as much a part of the taste of the candies.

This shape and size difference makes the Sixlet a little more chocolatey than M&Ms but they are more prone to melting due to this as well. You will find that M&Ms will hold up better to heat and to be carried around than Sixlets. Their shells are a little thicker and are made to handle the heat a little better than the shells of the Sixlet candy coatings.

Sixlets are colorful in much the same way as M&Ms but the colors are slightly different. These were candies that were made to be sold to much the same market and they are certainly quite similar. This can lead to some confusion about whether or not they are M&Ms since Hershey’s now has the license for the candy.

One of the other key differences between Sixlets and M&Ms is that the Sixlets are still sold with brown candies included in the regular varieties of the candy. M&Ms has phased out the brown M&Ms for use in most varieties of the candy and only include them in special versions of the treat. The colors of the SIxlets are also more muted and are not as bright as the M&Ms colors.

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Ingredients

This is a simple candy. You will find that the ingredients are consistent other than the dyes that are used for coloring the candies. From the Amazon entry:

• Sugar
• Dextrose
• Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil
• Reduced Protein Whey (Milk)
• Cocoa
• Corn Syrup
• Lecithin (Soy)
• Natural and artificial flavors
• Tapioca Dextrin
• Carnauba Wax
• Salt
• Colors (which can vary per variety)

The candies are now sold in tubes of 12, even when sold as seasonal varieties. This is a change from the six candy model that was used in the early years of the candy’s sales.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	Tube (10g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat	18
Calories 45		3%
Total Fat	2g	10%
Saturated Fat	2g
Trans Fat	0g	0%
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	10mg	1%
Potassium	42mg	2%
Total Carbohydrates	7g	0%
Dietary Fiber	0g
Sugars	7g
Protein	0g
Calcium		0%
Iron		0%

• * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Marketing

Sixlets, like most classic candies, have been sold primarily off of reputation for many of the years that this candy has existed. The current boxes of candies are sold with a yellow background that shows colorful dots all over them. The logo is white with a red background. There is sometimes a candy caterpillar made up of Sixlets on the box or bag as well.

The individual wrappers are still made of clear cellophane with the same logo on them. The cellophane does not offer much other information besides the ingredient information. This has always been a simple candy that was marketed in this classic way and you will still see this style of marketing in place when you buy Sixlets today.

Hershey’s has always been sure to leave alone marketing plans that were delivering good results. They have done the same with Sixlets. This candy already has a following that does not need fancy new tricks to attract them to buy it. The candy’s livery has not changed significantly in many years.

Sixlets Might Melt in Your Hand

One of the reasons that Sixlets has never been as popular as M&Ms and some of the other candies in this grouping is because they can easily melt. This makes them really delicious to eat but can make them very messy to consume if you hold them in your hands for too long. The cellophane packaging is intended to help keep the little candies from sticking to their wrappers if they get too warm.

Many early candies suffered from this problem when they were made with chocolate and Sixlets were no different. Some of the more successful candies in this category were able to resolve the issue of melting through design improvements. They are still made in the same way because the taste is so much better with this design but candies like M&Ms have been made smaller and flatter and with a thicker candy shell to help them to survive being exposed to heat and being carried around before being eaten.

There are benefits to this candy being made with slightly larger chocolate centers and taste is one of the primary of these benefits. That being said, it is very easy to melt your Sixlets before you can eat them and it is likely that you can make a big mess in your hands if you do not pop them right into your mouth. This candy offers some really excellent taste benefits but can create some challenges related to keeping them from melting and making a mess.

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