A Guide to Candy Vending Machines

As a kid, you probably spent hours combing the corridors of your school, holding on tightly to a fistful of quarters in anticipation of what type of sweets might await inside. With such limited options, it's no wonder that the mere sight of those telltale red and white candy-filled machines was enough to send children into a tizzy!

So before you get too excited and start spending your hard-earned cash on sugary snacks at today's modern vending machine equivalents, here's how to play it safe:

*What is it? - A vending machine for all sorts of sweets. With a hopeful selection that includes chocolate bars, wafers, cough drops and more.

*Where can I find one? - Anywhere there's a long line at the supermarket, a bank or afterschool activities.

*What should I know? - Since they're coin operated, you'll want to stock up before heading out. Also, don't expect any exotic flavors or healthy options. And it's always a good idea to check the expiration dates on your snacks of choice.

*The Content: This list is a wonderful complement to Alex's "All About Candy" post! Although it seems like candy vending machines are so 20th century, they still exist...and kids still adore them! It's also a nice way to make students think about what candy is most important to them and why .

1. Jelly Bellies - Many kids' favorite chocolate candy is one with a long shelf life and minimal chance of going bad. I remember getting a quarter box of these in elementary school and devouring the contents completely before lunch was over.

2. Twizzlers - These delicious curly-shaped sticks are chewy and spicy, perfect for Halloween, but then again so are Smarties! They're also nearly impossible to eat without washing your fingers!

3. Butterfingers - In case you didn't know, Butterfingers have a hint of caramel in them that can make you spin out of control as they melt in your mouth...the perfect balance between sweet and salty!

4. Cotton Candy - This is the king of all hard-to-eat candies because it's so soft and fluffy! Cotton candy also has a very long shelf life, so you don't have to worry about expiration dates.

5. Kit Kat bars - This bar is most popular with kids today because it's portable, bite-size and easy to eat. On top of that, Kit Kat has a cleaver name for a candy bar!

6. Caramels - Another popular bar that's not too hard to eat...I've seen lots of kids at school eating Caramels like they're M&Ms!

7. Tootsie Rolls - These chewy rolls are fairly soft and easy to eat, plus you don't even need to unwrap them!

8. Hot Tamales - I actually found a box of these a few weeks ago in the checkout lane at Target, but I've never seen these before...what?! How could this be? Apparently they come with a warning label.

9. Starburst - A sweet candy that can also be sour...dare you to try one while your mouth is full of fresh milk!

10. Hershey Bars - The original candy bar that's actually not too hard to eat...it's more about the creamy chocolate taste than it is the crunchy nuts.

11. Bottle Caps - One of the more popular candies from the Willy Wonka movie, these jumbo-size bottle caps, which come in both cola and root beer varieties, have an awesome spin-off theme song with a catchy tune!

12. Jolly Ranchers - These super sour hard candies are another one of those candy bars that you put in your mouth, suck on and can't bite into or they'll take your teeth out! (And they last forever.)

13. Mint Patties - Like mints, but in a fun-to-eat bar...it's like they make your mouth water until you eat it!

14. Tootsie Pops - I love these lollipops because they're coated with both chocolate and hard toffee! But I also don't understand why they have to be so hard to unwrap.

15. Slice Candy - A special type of Wonka candy that comes in "orange" flavor and is packaged inside individual plastic slices.

16. Wrigley's Gum - Back in the day, gum was the ultimate after-school treat...there's nothing like a spearmint smell to really freshen the breath.

17. Lollipop - A basic hard candy lollipop that comes in all sorts of flavors and colors.

18. Bubble Gum - Most kids love bubble gum because it can be fun to blow bubbles...and try to catch them with your face!

19. Candy Corn - This Halloween staple is great if you like your sweets sweet and deceiving if you think it looks like corn! But it also has a long shelf life and travels well, so feel free to save one or two pieces for later!

20. Necco Wafers - These minty little chalky disks come in a variety of colors and flavors, but for some reason I've never tried one!

21. Dots - Remember the commercials for Dots candy bars? One was about a group of kids who would sneak into their teacher's class to eat these. The other was about how two kids had a race to see who could eat more dots first...and the loser had to wear his best friend's clothes.

22. Dolly Mixtures - This lollipop is something like a taffy stick and has been around since the 1920s...it's also the only candy bar that comes with its own saucer!

23. Peanut M&Ms - I had these as a kid and they were a lot thicker than today's candy. The peanut inside was hard to find, but once you did, it was great!

24. Snickers - A chocolate bar that is the classic candy bar for adults...but highly addictive for kids because it can be hard to break off without everything falling out!

25. Milky Way bars - I won't lie, Milky Way bars have a bizarre aftertaste that's so good in chewing gum that you really have to spit it out before it gets in your mouth...but like Snickers, Milky Way is the de-facto candy bar for adults.

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Conclusion.

I hope you enjoyed this list and gained a better understanding of the candy that's out there. Don't hesitate to browse Amazon for some great options for stocking your own vending machine for Halloween or anytime!

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Six Back To School Candy Bars That I Used To Love As A Kid! Many kids' favorite chocolate candy is one with a long shelf life and minimal chance of going bad.