Christmas Countdown: Beich’s Classic Santa Claus Candy and More!

CC_Beichs classic Santa Claus candy and more

For decades the company Beich’s, also known as Bike’s, was one of the larger confectioners on the candy landscape.  Among many long-running products, they produced Laffy Taffy, which is still produced today by the Nestle company under their Wonka brand.   But for decades one of their seasonal mainstays was their classic Beich’s Santa Claus candy.

I’ve got two different versions of the Santa Claus Candy wrapper in my collection; a cellophane example from the 1970’s and an earlier wax paper type wrapper.  Here they are:

Bike Beich's - chocolate covered Santa Claus candy 10-cent wrapper - 1970's

Bike Beich’s – chocolate covered Santa Claus candy 10-cent wrapper – 1970’s

Beich's - Santa Claus candy bar wrapper - 1950's 1960's

Beich’s – Santa Claus candy bar wrapper – 1950’s 1960’s

There were other Christmas shapes and themes utilized by Beich’s in their seasonal lineups, as you can see in the following vintage trade ads:

Beich - Christmas candy bars - candy trade magazine ad - National Candy Wholesaler Magazine - June 1969

Beich – Christmas candy bars – candy trade magazine ad – June 1969

I’d love to find one of those Snow Man or Reindeer wrappers, but thus far I’ve never come across any.

Beich - Christmas candy bars - candy trade magazine ad - National Candy Wholesaler Magazine - June 1971

Beich – Christmas candy bars – candy trade magazine ad – June 1971

Last up is a trade ad from 1963, featuring a decidedly of-the-era attempt to get the attention of candy salesmen:

Beich - Christmas - Merry Money Makers - candy trade magazine ad double-page - August 1963

Beich – Christmas – Merry Money Makers – candy trade magazine ad double-page – August 1963

Here’s a close-up of the main packaging designs for 1963 – note the alternate version of Santa:

Bike's 1963 assortment

Bike’s 1963 assortment

For decades Beich’s provided wonderful Christmas-themed candies to the masses.  These days there’s not much left of what Beich’s was from way back then, aside from Laffy Taffy.  Still, Laffy Taffy does bring out the Christmas cheer from time-to-time, too:

Nestle - Wonka - Laffy Taffy Peppermint candy bag & wrapper - 2000's

Nestle – Wonka – Laffy Taffy Peppermint candy bag & wrapper – 2000’s

So that’s everything for today’s edition of the CollectingCandy.com Christmas Countdown.  I hope you enjoyed it and I’ll see you next time!

Happy Holidays!

 

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 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, Christmas, Holiday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Christmas Countdown: Beich’s Classic Santa Claus Candy and More!

  1. Tom says:

    I’ve never seen these candies or anything by the Paul F. Beich/Bike confectioner. The only Beich in candy I’ve ever known was the Kathryn Beich charity raising candy bars we sold in school. Any relation?

    And as for that trade ad? Hootchie MAMA!!!!

Leave a Reply

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