Remembering Chewy Chalk Candy

It didn’t last long, but for those of us who got to indulge in Chewy Chalk, it left a long-lasting cherry-flavored impression.

When I was a kid, there was a candy that I used to buy before school called "Chewy Chalk." It was a strange candy that resembled a piece of chalk in both shape and size. Maybe it was a bit smaller than regular chalk? I am not sure, I was young and everything looked larger back then. The outside was covered in this white powder, but it had a soft, chewy cherry flavored interior that was nothing like actual chalk.

I thought I was clever, and I used to try to eat it during class at school, thinking that I wouldn't get in trouble because it looked like chalk. Which I know makes no sense to an adult, but it seemed very reasonable when I was a kid. Of course, the teachers eventually caught on when dozens of kids had the same idea, and Chewy Chalk was effectively banned from the school. Still, it remained a popular treat for kids in my town outside of school.

Chewy Chalk was born in 1987. It was deep in that time period when novelty candies were all the rage and was made by the now-defunct Leaf Candy Company, which also produced other classic candies like Milk Duds, Sixlets, and Jolly Ranchers. Yes, a version of Leaf still exists today and sells candy, but it is not exactly the same company that made Chewy Chalk.

The novelty of the chalk-like appearance helped sell the candy, but the strong cherry flavor kept you coming back for more. One of the most interesting things about chewy chalk was its texture. It was soft and chewy on the inside, which I thought was delicious, but the white stuff added an interesting wrinkle via texture.

When they rolled it out in 1987, they went big with ads in comic books where you could send away for a Chewy Chalk calculator. They also used the brand in a Space Camp contest that Leaf was sponsoring. (I want that calculator!)

And here is the Space Camp Essay contest entry form, also from 1987. Anyone who sent in their essay by October 31st would automatically get a Space Camp patch!

It was a reasonably priced candy for the time. I would buy it for about 25 cents a pack. I don't think they ever made larger or fun-sized packages of it. That's a shame, I think it would have made a great Halloween treat.

Despite its popularity, Chewy Chalk had a relatively short lifespan. I can't find much about the candy as we rolled into the Nineties. So if it did exist then, it was difficult to find.

Why did it go away? Maybe it wasn't as popular as it could have been? Perhaps it was due to concerns about its chalk-like appearance and the potential for kids to mistake it for actual chalk?

Looking back on it now, it's not too hard to understand why we were so drawn to a candy that looked like chalk. There was something subversive about trying to sneakily eat candy in school. That, combined with a well-made product, was a potent combo. Chewy Chalk was fleeting, but remains a unique part of candy history. It will always hold a special place in the hearts (and taste buds) of those of us who got to try it.