If You Remember This Old-School Fizzy Candy, You're Probably A '70s Kid

Nostalgia, generally speaking, seems to have skipped a decade. By now, our current period of sentiment for the 1980s has lasted even longer than the actual 1980s (thanks for nothing, "Stranger Things" and your lousy New Coke tie-in), and in accordance with the "30-year nostalgia cycle," there was a significant wave of longing for the 1960s back in the 1990s. But there doesn't seem to be quite as much of a desire for a return to the 1970s, generally remembered as a time of widespread discontent as the dream of the '60s curdled into disillusionment and paranoia. Still, that just means we can get in on the ground floor, right? Throw on some Steely Dan, grow an ill-advised mustache, and try that old-school fizzy candy, Zotz. (There are other substances you can consume if you're looking for a truly nostalgic '70s experience, but they fall well outside our purview here at the Takeout.)

Now, we may call Zotz (stylized as ZotZ) a '70s treat, but the concept of a fizzy candy dates back much further. The advent of carbonation in the United Kingdom inspired 19th-century sweetmakers to distill that fizz into a solid little lozenge, resulting in popular treats like sherbet lemons — a famous favorite of one Albus Dumbledore. But Zotz, as we know them, may not have existed, at least in America, without one enterprising executive who visited Italy back in the early '70s.

To be clear, Frank Landry, the man who brought Zotz to America, wasn't just in Italy on vacation. He was the head of Andre Prost Inc., a company that specialized in importing food from Europe to America. (Andre Prost was the founder, who appointed Landry as his successor in 1964 shortly before his death.) When Landry visited Italy in 1970, he was given a box of a curious fizzy candy as a gift from one of his suppliers, and as soon as his kids tried it, word spread around. Soon enough, everybody wanted to sample those sweet little explosions (not unlike Pop Rocks, another nostalgic candy), and Landry was really in business.

For reasons that must have made sense at the time, Landry would often say "don't give me the zotz" when he suspected someone was yanking his chain. Maybe it was inspired by "Zotz!", a 1962 fantasy comedy film, or maybe it was just silly nonsense. In any case, it was a perfect name for Landry's new candy, and they spread rapidly across America. Although they're not quite so popular nowadays, Zotz is still going, being made by the same Italian family that gave Landry that little box so many years ago. If you're feeling adventurous, there's even a line of sodas intended to taste like the candy, which you can buy at (among other places) Pops, one of the best diners you'll find on Route 66.