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Rainbow drops
Crunchy, colourful and weighing almost nothing, Rainbow Drops were a penny sweet in the 1930s and are now widely regarded as a retro sweet.
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Rainbow Drops are sweets made from puffed maize and rice, a little like a breakfast cereal, coated in brightly coloured sugar. They are made by Swizzels and sold in Britain and Ireland, and they have a cult following as a retro sweet.
What are they?
Each drop is a small piece of puffed grain with a crunchy, sugary coating in orange, pink, green or yellow. They are light, crunchy and very sweet, and they melt away quickly in the mouth. Today they come in small bags of between 10 g and 80 g.
A penny sweet from the 1930s
Rainbow Drops first went on sale in the early to mid 1930s. At first they were sold loose, scooped into bags for a penny, which makes them one of the penny sweets: see the history of penny sweets.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
A fictional version of Rainbow Drops appears in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl wrote about the sweet shops of his childhood, and some of his invented sweets, like the Everlasting Gobstopper, were inspired by real ones. See Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and real sweet factories.
From the makers of Love Hearts
Swizzels grew from a market stall in Hackney in the 1920s and moved to New Mills, Derbyshire, during the Second World War. As well as Rainbow Drops, it makes Love Hearts, Parma Violets and Drumstick lollies.
A retro sweet
Rainbow Drops have gained a cult status and are widely regarded as retro sweets. Their bright, glittering coating makes them a good choice for a retro sweet gift or a nostalgic sweet table. For what counts as retro, see what are retro sweets? See retro sweet gifts for grandparents.
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Questions and answers
What are Rainbow Drops made of?
Puffed maize and rice, like a breakfast cereal, coated in coloured sugar.
Who makes Rainbow Drops?
Swizzels, the Derbyshire sweet maker behind Love Hearts and Parma Violets.
When did Rainbow Drops come out?
In the early to mid 1930s, when they were sold loose and scooped into bags for a penny.
Sources
- Rainbow Drops, Wikipedia
- Swizzels, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- British heritage sweetsLove HeartsLove Hearts are tablet sweets printed with messages like Be Mine, made by Swizzels in Derbyshire since 1954. They grew from Victorian message sweets.
- British heritage sweetsParma VioletsParma Violets are violet flavoured tablet sweets made by Swizzels in Derbyshire since 1946. People either love the floral taste or say it is like eating soap.
- History and originsThe history of penny sweetsPenny sweets come from the days of old money, when a penny bought a bag of Rainbow Drops. What a penny bought, and what happened after decimalisation.
- Stories, heists and recordsCharlie and the Chocolate Factory and real sweet factoriesRoald Dahl tested new Cadbury chocolates at school, and rival makers really did send spies. How real factories shaped Charlie, and how Wonka became real.
- Parties, gifts and occasionsRetro sweet gifts for grandparentsRetro sweet gifts for grandparents: the sweets of their childhood decade by decade, from wartime rationing to Spangles and Opal Fruits, and how to mix them.
- British heritage sweetsOld fashioned sweets: the A to ZAn A to Z of old fashioned British sweets, from acid drops and aniseed balls to Wham bars and yellowman, with a line on each and a link to its full story.