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Retro Sweets

Retro sweet of the week

Posted on by dmuns

This Retro sweet of the week will take you right back to Pick ‘n’ Mix days gone by!

These multicoloured drops are actual sugar coated, chewy jelly perfection :D.

Of course, we’re talking about…

American Hard Gums copy

American Hard Gums!

Yumm these really are tasty. We’re always getting caught out chewing away on a handful and trying to not get them stuck to our teeth!

How about winning some of these?

If you would like to get your sticky fingers on these retro treats, just leave a comment on this post. Tell us why you would like to win these or let us know where you think the name American Hard Gums comes from.

Our favourite comment will win the sweets next week. You will need to get your entry in before 9am next Monday, 21st November.

We can’t wait to read your comments Chewbz fans!

*** UPDATE ***

A great big thank you again for another week of great comments retro sweet fans! We were well impressed this week with so many rhymes and sweet memories, so we’ve chosen our favourite four comments to win the sweets :D.

Our winners this week are:

Phoebe, Ashleigh Summerskill, Beverley and Sue Willshee.

Hooray! Keep an eye on your inboxes as we will be popping you all an email soon.

Thanks again for taking part each week amazing Chewbz fans. We love you all!

dmuns

109 thoughts on “Retro sweet of the week”

  3. sharon griffin says:

    i remember eating these when i was little and i loved them because they always lasted ages and took much longer to eat than the other sweets. I used to love the black ones best x

  5. Rebecca Coyne says:

    Oh Chewbz why do you keep showing off your sweets
    I like them all so could never decide upon my favourite treats.
    American hard gums the prize this week to give away
    Chewy and fantastic what more can I say
    I would really love to win American Hard Gums in a jar
    The family would really think I was a star
    Oh if lady luck is smiling on me
    I guess we’ll have to see

  8. Francesca says:

    they like rainbows in a pot!!! I throw my hard gums in the air some time sayin ahoo taste the rainbow haha!!!! 🙂 the whites are the best mmmmm sweeties 😀

  11. Marie judd says:

    Ohhh I love these mouth watering, sugary, hard, teeth stickers!! We have competitions to see who can suck tthem and not chew them but it’s mission impossible. I love them to be as hard as possible so they last longer but as soon as they soften I have to chew but they always get stuck to my teeth!! I love the white ones!! Delicious sweeties!!!

  12. Bexii Boo says:

    Chewbiz, you have the best retro sweets 😀
    I remember these, constantly buying them when i was younger.
    Days in the playground doing swaps 🙂

  13. Amanda porritt says:

    Mmmmm love these sweets they are tip top quality and the fact I never win anything would be nice if I could just this once

  15. tracy parsonage says:

    it would be lovely just to win them as a treat for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee havent had them in years oh what a treat

  17. Debbie Connell says:

    I would love to win these for my hubby! They are his most favourite sweets & it would be a great surprise!

  18. Fiona Foskett says:

    So love American hard gums so chewy so they last a long time and plenty of flavour and I think the name comes from the American word Gumdrop.

  19. Julie Hoggy says:

    This takes me back to when I was a kid and you could walk into a shop and buy a quarter of sweets. Jars of sweets all over, but these were the ones that I always picked, so would love to win them 🙂

  20. uraula mccord says:

    yummy, yummy, yummy i got CHEWBZ in my tummy and a rainbow flowing from my eyes as i spy even more delicious CHEWBZ as a prize id like to win.

  22. Erin says:

    I would love to win these for my Mother in Law. She has been soo helpful since having my baby 6 months ago and these are her favourite sweets, so would be a lovely treat to give these to her as a thank you . xx

  23. Emma Sly says:

    with all this christmas shopping that I’m doing, and all the money that I’m spending on everyone else.. these would be the perfect treat for me 🙂

  24. Phoebe says:

    I remember years back going to the sweet shop once a month and me, my brother and 2 sisters having to all decide on the sweets we liked the most. I would choose these, my brother pear drops, my younger sister sherbet lemons and i’m afraid my older sister’s choice has slipped my mind! Every now and again we would get these, my siblings would scoff them, I, however would stick my tounge in and scoop out the filling, i’d sometimes feed the dog the case! Oh memories, how sweet they taste… a bit like these scrummy sweeties!

  25. Tracy MacDonald Grant says:

    Used to love these as a kid, they’d last forever and then when you thought you’d finished you’d realise there all stuck in your teeth, so you’d spend another hour picking out your teeth to enjoy every last little chewy bits, yummy yummy yummy xx

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  28. Linda Guest says:

    OMG this takes me back to my courting days. Hubbie to be would buy these and off we went to the cinema. I always wanted the black or red ones but in the dark it was difficult to tell ….. 35 years later and I can still taste them yummy.

  29. helen says:

    I think the name originates from:
    An old american man got addicted to these sweets and ate so many all his teeth fell out and then he was only able to suck on them with is gums which hardened his gums.
    I know it sounds stupid!!!! lol

  30. Tina says:

    These are a classic especially for every good granny to keep hidden in the handbag. And brought out with the cry of I’m hungry!!

  31. Kirsty Sparks says:

    awwww I used to LOVE these!!!!!!! remember using my pocket money to buy these when I was younger 🙂 I always loved the white ones 🙂

  33. helen says:

    I love these, i am going through a stage at the moment of trying to find all the old sweets that i use to like as a kid and getting them for my 5 & 7yr to let them see what sweets were like in my day instead of some of the sweets that are out now. so these would be for my 2 littlens to sample,i may have a cheeky one or two 🙂 x

  34. Ashleigh Summerskill says:

    I imagine they’re called what they’re called because you chuffin’ well need hard gums to get through them! They are rather tasty though, and I love chopping them up and putting them in ice cream x

  36. Chris Bull says:

    I love these sweeties
    They’re so yum
    Even though they stick to my gum
    Makes them last longer and more fun

    I’m guessing because they are called Gum drops in America

  38. Laura Pritchard says:

    I’d love to win these so I have something to distract my mouth from not allowing myself chocolate!

  39. Rebecca Denyer says:

    Love these, havent had them for ages, think a shopping trip is in order. Used to love pinching my Dads but he always knew as i couldnt talk properly as they were stuck to my teeth

  40. Beverley says:

    Chewy fruity gums are always the best,
    I’ll always take them over the rest,
    I always had a bag as a little kid,
    Oh! the anticipation! as the shop opened the lid,
    I watched like a hawk as the scales went round,
    To make sure I got my full quarter pound,
    Hoping for lots of red ones – they were the best,
    I always left the red ones until I’d eaten the rest,
    Off home I’d trot, mouth watering in anticipation,
    Of the only sweets I knew would fulfil my expectation,
    “Early night” I’d declare, and I’d be off up to bed,
    Tuck myself up with a book I hadn’t read,
    Opening the bag so the aroma flooded my nose,
    Until the temptation overwhelmed from head to toes,
    I’d take out an American Hard Gum, pop it in and chew,
    Oh! the flavour – (well, nobody knows better than you!)
    I’d chew and read, chew and read, until the bag was gone,
    But the intensity of flavour would always linger on.

  43. nichola armstrong says:

    did someone mention sweets :P… i used to love these growing up i used to buy about a quarter from the sweet shop before school instead of having dinner and then eat them throughout the day during lessons, the best way to eat them is to suck all the sugar off first and then chew them up :0)that way they last that little bit longer and you have to fight the temptation to not chew 😛

  45. carol coldicott-stirmey says:

    I like them,as they look so sweet,and when in the mouth,oh,what treat,the name is so,as,and I really do know,that America’s,not hard and,so they pick the wine gums!

  46. Lisa Waugh says:

    I would share the hard gums
    With my best chums
    i look forward to winning them
    when the postman comes!!

  50. Lyndsey Brett says:

    I remember eating these when I was little. I used to eat all the orange, green, red and white sweets and leave the yellow ones to give to my mum (I still do this today!). Mum used to get annoyed that I never left her any nice flavours but why would I do that when I could eat them myself?! 😉

    I assumed the ‘hard’ part of the name came from the fact that they are hard to eat since they tend to stick your teeth together!

  52. Kim Carberry says:

    Would love to win these….
    Would really make my day to win as the closing date is my birthday…hehehe

  53. Maria Messruther says:

    I think the name comes from the old types of sweets being mainly chewy and meaning business. Great colours and taste definitely the bizz.
    Would love to win them but i would have to make sure i hid them well otherwise my hubby and son would eat every last one.

    my precious Chewbz hidden away
    all for me to eat every day.
    my husband and son looking and searching
    upstairs and downstairs even the oven in the kitchen
    though they search night and day
    my precious is hidden well away

  55. alison manley says:

    In the 80’s I chomped away eating hard gums every day
    they were my weakness and still are
    i even eat them whilst in the car
    so if I’m lucky enough to win this stash
    I’ll hold and american hard gum bash!

  59. Tim Bain says:

    These and midget gems are what i have to choose from when I buy a bag of sweets, both have distinctive flavours I go through the colours from black onwards in favurite order, AHGs win when chewing like a nutter isn’t frowned on ..can’t suck these can you ? lol

  60. Maya Russell says:

    I think the name American Hard Gums comes from a native American tree where the sap is taken out and forms a hard, sweet gum like substance. (Just a guess!)

  61. VALERIE WILLIAMS says:

    I think the name Hard Gums comes from the dentist. When people had all their teeth out and were feeling down and depressed the dentist would give them a jar of Hard Gums. This had two effects, 1: it would cheer the patient up eating such yummy sweets and 2: harden their gums for the dentist to fit false teeth.

  65. Tina Corder says:

    I remember these when I was little, when I sucked the sugar off the black ones I thought they looked like little bowler hats. This was the time when laurel and hardy were on tv with their bowler hats.

  66. Debbie M says:

    I would love to win these….I have such a pregnancy craving for sweets at the moment and American Hard Gums would hit the spot!!

  67. sian says:

    American Hard Gums, by contrast soft chewy and stick to your teeth – where they named hard gums because all that chewing led to your gums getting stronger and harder? And American,I’m not sure aren’t they British?

  68. JoC says:

    If only Chief Brody had taken some American Hard Gums onboard the Orca, they wouldn’t have needed a ‘bigger boat’….if Arnie had given a few to the Predator he might not have looked ‘so d*mn ugly’ – and why aren’t they included in the Call of Duty weapons pack? 😉

  70. tony lathwell says:

    oooh I used to love these as a child! I used to eat them until my jaws ached!

    I imagine they are called American Hard Gums as they are hard to remove from your teeth! that of course is part of the enjoyment!

  71. Stephanie Green says:

    I love these. You can suck them for ages. I would love to know where the name comes from as I have no idea.

  74. NICOLA T says:

    I think that when these sweets were brought out in America that people loved them so much that they ate loads of them that it rotted their teeth down so much that they ended up toothless and the sucking after this made their gums go hard and that’s how they got the name American Hard Gums 😀

  75. Natasha Gandy says:

    Ohhh these are so yummy and a real blat from the past – not had them for years !! I loved the white ones but not to keen on the back ones xx

  77. sue willshee says:

    My other half absolutely loves American Hard Gums so if I’m lucky enough to win he might find that Santa leaves him a little pressie in the shape of a sweetie jar 😉
    I have no idea where the name comes from but have a fab image in my head of American Footballers using these as their mouthguard. How good would that be? Although perhaps they might not be able to terrify their opponents if they grinned wickedly and instead of black gum shields they displayed sparkly hard gums 🙂

  79. sarah lee says:

    I think it comes from the fact that they are not like chewing gum, so named hard gum to distinguish – would give them to my teenage son to shut him up lol x

  80. carla maloney says:

    L.O.V.E these!!!!!!!! :)))))
    Think the name comes from an old american cowboy who once rescued a cherokee indian girl who had been kidnapped by a rogue cowboy mob.To give thanks, the cherokee indian girls tribe and family gave these sweets to the cowboy as way of thanks and named them after him as a tribute, because he was “The American Hard ONE”.
    It was really called the American hard Gum, having been made from the sap of a GUM tree.
    So thats my story as to why they are named 🙂

  82. Sheri Darby says:

    I’d love to win these – dad would sometimes come home on Friday night with bags of sweets for us to share – and usually American hard Gums

  83. William Gould says:

    I love American Hard Gums, especially as they are one of the few sweet things that SWMBO doesn’t like, so I get to eat all of them!

  84. Jamie Glew says:

    Proper old-school sweets, none of this kids-and-grown-ups-love-it-so malarkey! Fruity, tangy and just a bit sore on the dentures, hard gums are perfect for all.

    Except for those without any teeth, mind.

  85. P Phillips says:

    I’d love to win these because they were always my favourite and I can’t find any nice ones anymore.

  87. clare allen says:

    i’d love to win these for my hubby – there his childhood favourite and he has never grown up!

  90. TRACY HAYES says:

    American hard gums were great when i got payed from my paper round i use to buy a quarter of them

  91. Ami Pilbrow says:

    I would like to win these because…..

    I love hard gums,
    I love hard gums
    I put them in my tums
    I’ve got 4 tums
    Cos I’m a cow,
    MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

  92. Luci Newton says:

    I love the white ones. Also on a long journey with the kids and they are arguing in the back of the car just give them an American hard gum at least they will shut up for 30 seconds! American hard gums name comes from an American man who put his gums in the snow or in the fridge to get hard lol.

  97. Karen Dixon says:

    I love american hard gums i have to eat the red and purple one’s first – i assume the name originates from america

  98. Louise Comb says:

    I’m 50 and I still love munching on these when I can. I hope I win them while I’ve still got the teeth left to enjoy them.

  99. Bry Cannon says:

    This competition would be much more easy
    If people did not write rhymes so cheesy
    Then simple souls like me
    Would have a chance, you see
    To get my mitts on these great sweets
    Or some other Chewbz retro treats

  100. kath Amis says:

    I think they are called hard gums because they are a made from gum which is cooled to harden it- before sugar and colour are added

  101. Luisa L says:

    I used to love these, and i have been trying to think of where the name might have come from. I reckon the sweets were probably eaten or brought over by Americans during the war or something… but then again maybe not! All I know is they are delicious!

  105. Becky Downey says:

    I’m guessing the name came from the fact they’re American sweets. And they’re hard. And they’re gums (gum arabic)). But I hear they’re not actually hard. Just hard to describe the yummy sensations when you chew these JELLICIOUS flavoured jellies, covered in sugar! A SWEET escape, BAGS of fun and CANDY to have around for all those SOFT-HEARTED SWEETIES who like JELLYbrating! Definitely something for the CHOSEN CHEW.

  106. Hazel Wright says:

    Are they called hard gums because after all your teeth have fallen out you’d get hard gums from chomping on them? 😉

  109. Dean Cook says:

    American Hard gums get me through my days at work, I always have a bag in my drawer for that sugar rush needed to relieve stress!!

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