Adventures in Nostalgia: Fun Dip/Lik-m-Aid

I've thinking lately about the things I enjoyed as a child, and I've been wondering how they've held up, and if I can still like them as an adult.

So in a series of recurring posts, I am going to go back and look at some of the things that I loved as a child/teen and see if they've held their appeal.

I thought it would be nice to start with something most kids love: candy.

Unfortunately, most of the candy that I ate as a child I've had as an adult, so there was no great shock when I kept rediscovering them every few years.

However, there was one confection which I haven't had in about 15-20 years, and that is Wonka's Lik-m-Aid, which is also known as Fun Dip (pictured below).



I ran across some of them when I was at a dollar store recently, and I thought it would be an interesting experiment to document what happened when ate it again.

And last night, I documented my experience eating it.

First 10 seconds: That is a nice intense flavor. It is like someone took some pixie dust and smashed some Sweettarts into it.

30 seconds: That is a strong cherry flavor. Is this what is it like to eat ready to mix Koolaid from a packet?

45 seconds: I think I can actually feel my teeth rotting.

75 seconds: Should my tongue be hurting? Is this too much flavor?

100 seconds: Yeah, this isn't good. It feels like I've been licking sandpaper for a few minutes now.

180 seconds: Oh good, now I can't feel my tongue. Wait, yes I can. Ow.

300 seconds: OK, I have to stop now. It is official. The Fun Dip has beaten me.

Looking at the remaining powder, I can tell I haven't even made a dent in either flavor, and with my tongue feeling like steel wool, I don't plan on finishing this treat. So I would say that no, the Fun Dip is no longer fun.

In retrospect, I don't know what I ever saw in this candy. I know I was hyper and everything, but surely there were better ways of getting sugar.

Tags: adventures in nostalgia, fun dip, lik-m-aid, wonka, candy, recurring feature, tongue, burn