Seriously, new candy bars or fad-type sweets have little chance of making it in the nougat-and-caramel world. Parents buy their kids the bars they used to eat as children, and that's why Milky Way, Snickers, Nestles' Crunch, Mounds, Almond Joy and the Hershey Bar are still the kingpins. The ten most popular candy bars in the United States are the same today as they were 25 years ago, although price and size have gone up and down, respectively.
The only new bar that has achieved any kind of success lately is the Mars Marathon bar. Think I'm full of fudge? Well, when was the last time you saw Willie Wonka's Peanut Butter Oompahs?
At any rate, it looks like Baby Ruths and Oh Henrys will not feel their candy home-run kingdoms threatened once the fad wears off by All-Star break.
I'm still not used to it. If a kid came to my store and asked me for a "Reggie," I think I'd probably hang him up by his underwear like they used to do to me at summer camp.
The NBA comes roaring into the home stretch of what has been a very successful and competitive season. And after a disgusting start, the Boston Celtics are still in the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, though just barely.
The satisfying thing about the Celts' play of the last few months is a visible change in attitude. Although the club has played only .500 ball since he took over in November, new Celtics coach and former Harvard hoop mentor Tom Sanders has wrought small miracles with the hustle and determination of that squad.
The influx of aggressive new talent (prodigal swingman Don Chaney, quarterback-with-a-new-lease-on-life Ernie DiGregorio, and unfortunate-victim-seeking-asylum-and-full-time-power-forward Kermit Washington), reincarnation of former pouters like Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe, and long-awaited discipline to present pouters like JoJo White have finally given Sanders supporting players for Dave Bing, Dave Cowens and John Havlicek.
Not only that, but the Celtics are a lot of fun to watch these days, quite a change from the Celtics of late 1977, of for that matter, the "slow-it-up" Harvard teams of the Satch regime. (Quiz Answer: Julian Mack.)