Sweethearts Sending Mixed Signals On Valentine's Day

Be whose? Sweethearts, the iconic Valentine's Day candy, will have you scratching your head this year, as the majority of candies have reportedly been left blank, incomplete or illegible. It's less "love you" and more "printer running out of ink," sending lazy significant others into a tailspin and gigantic teddy bear stock soaring.

How did this happen? It's been a rough couple years for Sweethearts, which saw its parent company Necco go belly-up in 2018 amid rising rents in Revere and a scathing review by the FDA. Sweethearts got off relatively easy, seeing a resurgence under new owner Spangler Candy Co. as one of the more recognizable Necco brands.

But Spangler's run into some production issues, according to bulk seller Candystore.com. Turns out equipment from the country's oldest continuously operating candy company, which Necco claimed to be, is, well, old. Both the original printer and a replacement printer broke down, and while Spangler was able to salvage some printing in time for Valentine's Day, it said there wouldn't be as many phrases and some of the Sweethearts would be blank.

Candystore.com opened 10 boxes of Sweethearts and found that 65 percent were blank, 24 percent were illegible, 8 percent had a partial phrase and 3 percent were complete. The candies are also in limited supply – Spangler spokespersons told Candystore.com distribution is not up to pre-2018 levels.

But it's not all bad news. There were no Sweethearts at all last year, and Spangler predicts it will have a full supply by 2021. And if you're sour over your sweetheart giving you a box of candies reading "mis yo" and "e min," hang onto it – you might be able to cash in with candy and nostalgia collectors.