Wacky Wednesdays – Wrecko!

I have yet to commit much coverage to the Necco brand here on CollectingCandy.com, but it’s not for lack of desire.   Necco is an important American brand, so when I get there, I want to do it right.  Until then, I’ve got today’s related post; a bit of a sideways look at Necco through the lens of a 1970’s Wacky Packages sticker parody.

Released as part of 1974’s Wacky Packages Series 12, Wrecko was a parody of Necco’s Wafers in assorted flavors.

Wacky Packages Series 12 - 1974 - Wrecko wafers

Wrecko is a Wacky Packages parody with a moral; that gambling can wreck your life.  That’s pretty deep for a product that was marketed to be a sticker sold to kids.

I’m fortunate to have an unused 1970’s Necco Wafers wrapper example that matches up nicely with the version parodied in this classic Wacky sticker.   All of the key package graphic design elements match up.  Here it is:

Necco - Assorted Wafers candy wrapper - 1970's

And that’s everything for today’s edition of Wacky Wednesdays.  I hope you’ve enjoyed this look back, and I hope this serves as a sneak peek to my future Necco-centric column.  See you next time!

About Jason Liebig

A New York City based writer, editor and sometimes actor. After spending much of the 1990′s in the comic book business helping tell the stories of Marvel Comics’ X-Men as series editor, he has since split his time between developing his own entertainment properties while still consulting and working on others. Having been described as “the Indiana Jones of lost and forgotten candy”, Jason is one of the country’s premier candy collectors and historians with his discoveries appearing in countless blogs, magazines, newspaper articles, and books. Always happy to share his knowledge and unique perspectives on this colorful part of our popular culture, Jason has consulted with New York’s Museum of Food and Drink and has also been a featured guest on Food Network’s Heavyweights, France’s M6 Capital, and New York’s TheActionRoom.com. My Google Profile+
This entry was posted in 1970's, Topps, Wacky Packages and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Wacky Wednesdays – Wrecko!

  1. NECCO HQ is about a 20 minute drive from my house. Unfortunately, they don’t do factory tours.

  2. Bob Stambaugh says:

    Jason,
    I recall a brief period in time when Necco offered a third flavor for their rolled up wafers. They were ‘sour or tart’ and weren’t around for very long. Do you recall these at all? Is there a wrapper anywhere in evidence? Did they get threatened by ‘Sweet-tarts’ for having too similar of a product?
    Perhaps there were more flavors?
    Thanks

    • Jason Liebig says:

      Bob,

      That’s correct, and I believe I have a Tart/Sour Necco Wafers wrapper in my files (though not in my scanned archives yet). I should point out that beyond the original flavor assortment and Chocolate, they’ve also made “Smoothies” flavor as recently as a few years ago and “Tropical” which was out only a year or two ago (might still be on-sale). I know there have been others over the decades.. maybe a Peppermint roll? I guess I need to figure out the many flavors of Necco Wafers that have been made, and write about it at some point. 🙂

      Also, for Halloween just this year, a fun-size Halloween-themed package included Sour/Tart Necco Wafers in little short rolls, where the wrappers had monster faces on them. Pretty neat! I do have some of those.

  3. Bob Stambaugh says:

    Jason,
    Once again, well done.
    Bob

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *