February 11, 1996
Web posted at: 1:00 a.m. EST
From Correspondent Jeanne Moos
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (CNN) -- As you gaze into your true love's eyes across a candlelit dinner, say something real classy like, "Dig Me." No? Well, chances are she or he wouldn't swallow that line anyway, especially if it's the white yucky kind.
But that's okay. There's plenty of chewable amour at the Necco Candy factory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They say, as Valentine's Day approaches, prepare to eat your heart out.
It is a factory not for the faint of heart; after all, there are hearts everywhere, falling, climbing, rolling, and sometimes breaking, but only if they hit the floor. They range from "Cool" to "Hot Stuff." It's candy you can converse with. "Be Good." "Yes Dear."
New Yorkers, known for their grit, have a mixed reaction to the chalky, multi-colored love mottoes. Although some people never eat them, they only read them.
One guy says that they're great projectiles. "I never ate them. I used to throw them at everyone."
They are known as conversation or motto hearts. There are more than 125 different sayings on the hearts, so keep looking; you'll find something you like.
There's "Dig Me," "Call Me," "Kiss Me," "Marry Me," and "Fax Me?" That's the latest one. Maybe they should come up with a "What's Your E-mail Address, Sugar?"
At the Necco plant, where they also still make Necco Wafers, they've been making conversation hearts out of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, and flavoring since 1902. The messages are stamped on, though some longtime workers say "No Way" when it comes to reading them. "After 49 years, you want me to keep reading these things?" a tough looking Necco worker says with a smile.
But not all Necco workers are so jaded. One candy handler used the little heart-shaped lump to propose. And it worked.
Frequently, the company gets requests for "Marry Me" hearts from guys who want to include one with the ring. But you can't always buy these things; they're only sold the six weeks before Valentine's Day.
And just try to "Stop" passers-by on a New York street with a little mint-green-colored wavy heart. The response was less than heart-warming. "Oh c'mon. No offense, but get a life," a man tells Jeanne Moos as she drops her heart and smile.
Some people immediately picked out the "Marry Me" candies and threw them away.
Some of the sayings have been around forever: For instance, there's "Be True." Others are considered outdated; both "Dig Me" and "Far Out" are on their way out.
Folks send in suggestions, but Necco wants to keep their hearts clean. "I won't even mention some of things people want you to do. But we're apple pie and motherhood," says vice president of corporate planning at Necco, Walter Marshall.
New Yorkers had a few suggestions:
So far, Necco isn't snapping up those suggestions.
The candy hearts, by the way, shouldn't damage your heart; they're fat free. "Oh Boy," each one has four calories. If you really want hearts printed with your own message -- someone suggested maybe "Safe Sex" -- you can have your own words stamped on, but you'll have to purchase a whole production run, 36-hundred pounds for around $3600 bucks. That's a lot of "Safe Sex." Better settle for a "Hug."
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