The Story of Fun Dip | America's First Lik-M-Aid

Fun Dip, originally known as Lik-M-Aid, has a sweet and colorful history that traces back to the 1940s when the Sunline brand first introduced the product. Lik-M-Aid was a unique powdered sugar candy mix packaged with a candy stick for dipping. In the 1970s, the product underwent a rebranding and was renamed Fun Dip, gaining popularity for its interactive and playful nature. Over the years, Fun Dip has remained a beloved treat among children and adults alike, with its distinctive sweet and tangy flavors and nostalgic appeal, making it a staple in the confectionery world.
Subscribe: / @eatshistory
Facebook: / itshistoryonair
TikTok: / itshistoryonairl
Contact: [e-mail]
• EAT'S HISTORY PODCAST
• The History of Food
• The History of Drinks
• The History of Restaur...
• The History of Candy
• EAT'S HISTORY FEATURE ...
Chapters:
00:00 What is "fun dip"?
00:47 Who invented Lik-M-AID
02:10 Fruzola Candy Company (Sweet Tarts & Pixy Sticks)
03:25 Why Fun Dip introduced the dipstick (lix-a-stick)
04:51 Fun dip in the 1990s (Nestle Era)
05:35 Fun dip in the 2000's (Wonka Era)
06:17 Lick-a-Stix as a stand-alone candy (Yummy Mummies)
07:25 Fun Dip Ingredients
08:57 Fun dip in the 2010s (New Packaging)
09:41 The future of Fun Dip (Ferrero era)
10:21 Taste Testing Fun Dip
» CREDIT
Produced and hosted by the Socash Family
Edit Matthew Lacey
Script by Dillan Aultimate
» NOTICE
Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only - always reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error / mispronounced word/spelling mistakes - retractions will be published in this section.
Copyright ©️ EAT'S HISTORY. All rights reserved.
#EatsHistory #RyanSocash #FunDipDelights #CandyFun #SweetTreats

[@johnnysukhumvit9242]

Am I the only one who began salivating at that picture? And I haven't had this in 40+ years.

[@cyclenut]

I am a 60s / 70s kid and as a kid I was a sugar addict. Lik-M-aid was LOVED.

[@Nonduality]

In the 50s it was popular. We didn't have the stick. We poured the powder into our dirty palms and licked it. It was good and good for our immunity getting all those germs in us.

[@Dee-jq2ob]

62 and still love this 😂

[@Thraith]

One of my favs from the 70s.

[@Geonious]

Fun Dip and Nerds. Those were a childhood staple.

[@SurnaturalM]

Now I want to buy fun dip. I'm 49 so I remember the very package you showed on your thumbnail, and I remember the taste perfectly.

[@ebogar42]

Why are you acting like you don't ever see these in the store to buy? 😂😂

[@yell0wberry]

I’m almost willing to bet that 90% of the people who vigorously tried this product are now all diabetics

[@gunnarbiker]

@@ebogar42 When you grow up, adults usually don't go shopping for Fun Dip and little things like this bring back great memories of running free, playing with friends and going to the local store with your $1 bill and buying a pack of this. Maybe, one day, you'll understand. Kind of like seeing an old pic of a good childhood friend that you haven't thought of in years.

[@brooke8567]

Pixie stix

[@stevenbrookover3934]

I used to get those all the time when I was a kid in the early 80’s. My dad always called them lick-em-aid and I would always correct him and say FUN DIP!

[@thomasshipley4516]

I moved to Ecuador 8 years ago and this is in the top five of things I miss from North America. I’m 55

[@timp8843]

Fun Dip was a gateway to my addiction of pixie sticks🤙

[@worldtraveler930]

I actually knew a kid that Snorted pixie-sticks!!! 🤠👍

[@timp8843]

@@worldtraveler930 that was me

[@MrChopemup]

remember asking for a Buried Treasure whenever the ice cream man came around. You could win a free ice depending on the character on the plastic strip.

[@michaellurie9138]

I usually get this as a Christmas gift for my friends with diabetes

[@kelleywyskiel3478]

😂

[@Daehawk]

Loved this in the 70s and 80s. Took forever to eat that stick. It way out lasted the powder.

[@azerial]

Awe you didn't bite the stick, which is what i do because i can't resist. This is literally my most favorite candy. My sister used to buy Yummy Mummies and give me one. They were Awesome! It was like a sweet tart stick. Speaking of sweet tarts, they used to make giant sweet tarts and i was so disappointed when everything went chewy. Anyway, i loved this video. Thank you. It's awesome.

[@gunnarbiker]

As a 53 year old that enjoyed this confection in the 70's/80s, I recently saw this while glancing thru a dollar store. I bought a pack (think it came with 6 packs and 6 sticks) and bought some. Doesn't hit the same as it did as a child, but, it was fun reliving the memory for just a moment.

[@chrysalide2795]

5:11 Wow ! I remember of that candy when I was a kid 😋

[@terrykirk6951]

Oh yes! used to love this. Late 70's thru 80's

[@thumbsarehandy.]

As a kid we would get the Kool-Aid in the jar with sugar already included, put some in a baggie, and dip a lollipop (usually dumdums) in it. Very similar but less sour and of course much more flavors.

[@ebogar42]

I would eat Kool-Aid out of the pack without any sugar in it. My kids did the same thing.

[@meatbyproducts]

It was my favorite growing up.

[@MrMegaFredZeppelin]

As a child in the 1970's I loved Fun Dip\Lik-M-Aid😃Great videoi👍🏻ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻

[@erinl4111]

Memories unlocked! I loved Fun Dips. When I was a kid I thought they were healthier than other candy because it was fat free and because it was fruit flavored.

[@mikethemechanic7395]

Good memories of the early 80s. Grew up spoiled as a child. Had unlimited snacks in the kitchen. Soft batch cookies, double stuff, kudos, little Debbie snacks, 2 liters of soda. Great times!

[@mikal]

The sticks taste better than the dips. I would buy just a package of the sticks if they sold them.

[@MissMTurner]

Absolutely! The sticks were always the best part by far.

[@KellsTheGhost902]

I was just thinking that

[@thenuclearsandwich]

I always had to resist the urge to eat the stick before finishing off the powder dips. lol

[@Ready_Set_Boom]

Yes. I wish they would do this. The closest I can find is candy cigarettes

[@pinkpools]

I call em Jumbo Xanax. Best candy ever!

[@pagalmasala]

I liked Space Dust and Pop Rocks!

[@bennetfox]

OMG I love Fun Dip!! My mouth is just salivating while watching this!!!!

[@wadejacobs2011]

Even as a kid I kept waiting for them to just release the sticks on their own. They were the best part.

[@prpr44]

RIGHT?!?

[@So-CA_NV_AZ82]

Been a long time since I had Fun Dip, good stuff

[@jennybwat]

One of my favorite candies! Did anyone else hear “valentiMes day”? Lol

[@jimmelka8132]

Hello Mr. Socash. Thank you for another tasty video. It's been years since I have colored my tongue with tangy Lik-M-Aid. Tomorrow I will hunt some up. Since you do such a great job on Chicago stuff (West Side, Cicero / Berwyn "Boomer" kid here) have you ever thought about doing a video on The Ferrara Pan Candy Company (another candy company bought by Ferrero) and its connection to the "Little Italy" Taylor St. Ferrara Bakery? (Since 1908 at 2210 W. Taylor St.) From Lemon Heads, Red Hots, SweeTARTS, Chuckles and Trolli, the 116-year-old Ferrara Pan Company has become one of the world's leading manufacturers of sugar candies. Plus, their fantastic, gourmet chocolate covered almonds. (A "Chicago Only" product, I think. I get them at the Taylor St. Bakery.) Ferrara Pan still has their Forest Park factory (You can "smell" the Lemon Heads or Red Hots from 2 blocks away.) at 7310 W. Harrison St. but they are international now and market in 40 countries. (It 'sez' here.) Oh, and the Bakery is worth a stop the next time you're in Chicago. Thank You, again for your hard work. Fun Fact: The Ferrara Pan factory building in Forest Park was once the Chicago headquarters for Borden's Milk.

[@EATSHISTORY]

This is amazing story, would you be knowledgeable enough to sit for an interview about the topic?

[@MOSESI]

When I was a tiny little kid there were 2 types avaliable, a 2 pack of orange grape, or cherry lime, and as the little brother I was ONLY alowed to buy/eat the chery lime because orange and grape were flavours that belonged to my brother.

[@Higinjhhg1123]

This is the candy that connects all generations. I'm 31 and love this but my dental bill is difficult .

[@martinamartinez3304]

favorite candy, the sticks were just a vehicle for the powder. my dobermans would sit patiently and wait for me to be done so they could have the left over sticks LOL. BRING BACK THE LIME!!! anyone else remember lime starburst in the 80s before they had cherry?

[@lruss5050]

A big favourite and pixi stix were another one!❤

[@arfriedman4577]

Our parents rarely bought this for us. We didn't get much sugar as kids. I liked the stick more. We had pixie sticks and sweet tarts too. Great video.

[@Yukosan13]

I use to make the mistake of just eating the candy stick first.. and then make a mess of my fingers with the powder.. so I rarely was allowed fun dip. Cuz my parents thought it was too messy.. but my friend loves the candy and still gives it out for holidays.. I honestly love those sour patch straws and sweet tarts ❤

[@lilacbelly]

👏 great channel, can’t wait to check everything out and see your new ideas!!

[@truhhhhhhhokIII3]

If the “valemtimes” was a teen girl squad reference im going to be so happy lol

[@jayeverette]

“Arrowed!”

[@FranklySpeaking.]

my childhood right on the screen. in the mid-late 70s i swear i remember it as lik-m-aid.. but i ALSO remember fun dip & I always remember the 'stick'. either way... what an awesome memory of childhood! oh pixies rules too! & sweet tarts!!!

[@mar4kl]

Thanks for making this video. I never much cared for Fun Dip or any of its predecessors or relatives, but I was introduced to it when it was still called Lik-M-Aid, and I often used to wonder if they were in any way related. Now I need wonder no longer! (And even through this candy does nothing for me, it's fun to watch you enjoy it.)

[@EATSHISTORY]

Thanks for sharing!

[@void________]

Do all of the ice cream truck treats like Cool-A-Coos, UFOs, It's Its, Grab Bags, Big Sticks, Now-N-Laters, Maybe the grab bags were a local thing. They were yellow bags with a trading card, piece of gum and a tiny toy inside. It would be about 4 small items and you never knew what you were going to get.

[@jreneeintuitive]

Our childhood candy!

[@EATSHISTORY]

Hey Cuz!!!! You use to buy that for me non-stop. Do you remember how the package looked when we were kids?

[@jreneeintuitive]

@@EATSHISTORY yep, I supplied the fun dip, cassette tapes and little Caesar's 🤣 I remember the packaging to be simple, it was the one in the video from the 80's/ 90's time period.

[@Dee-743]

I was get these at the concession stand as a little kid while my brother was playing baseball.

[@geologyjoerocks]

Great video! I loved these as a kid in the 80s, that old packaging brings back memories

[@Bishop228]

I’m in my early 40s & I still buy cases of this stuff at Sam’s or from Amazon. Loved it as a kid, & I like it even more now.

[@goldengalsclazy]

I never did eat the stick. I always thought it might be edible, but never ate it. Thanks, for the info! I grew up eating this fun snack! Great video! Have a GREAT week! :)

[@wisecoconut5]

Weirdo! 😂 I'll be your friend. You can have powder and I'll eat the stick. 😂

[@user-dh2qf5kd8c]

This was wonderful. Instant sub!

[@EATSHISTORY]

Welcome aboard!

[@rebeccakozak]

Great video! This candy hits hard in so many ways! Funny thing is, my kids end up tossing it out when they get it trick or treating

[@AyStar]

Solid video and you kept me entertained. Before I saw your sub-count I expected your channel to already be in the 100Ks based on your emulation of similar channels like Company Man, Bright Sun Films and similar, but the editing and camera work isn't quite there yet. Great pacing and research, great narration too! Just the timing on your visuals as well as the context could be tightened out as well as image quality choice. I would look into using subtle transitions so images or overlays aren't abrupt hard-cuts, plus maybe example or archived commercial footage, cameos or anything of the product instead of just a slideshow since the Ken Burns scrolling effect becomes obvious over time. Get to know your camera's settings better so you can better adjust white balance and exposure. Check out lighting techniques to give depth and variation as well to match the quality of your other skills and it will make things stand out better. Usually audio is where I see people fall short and you seem to have a great concept of it. Genuinely, great work.

[@dopenerd]

This is a great spin-off channel, congratulations!

[@HMOCreations1807]

Loved the Dutch version!😊❤

[@charlesincharge.5161]

Great video great knowledge.📡🇺🇸👽

[@MoBaconLives]

I remember that as a kid i used to eat this all the time. I loved the stick more than the powder.

[@jerrysanders9101]

Great video- wish you would do more of Candy and other unique consumer goods products. Cheers🎉

[@EATSHISTORY]

We will!

[@jlastre]

I actually one of the stick lovers.

[@sparks2spare782]

I was a fan of the stick more than the powder.

[@EATSHISTORY]

I was also! I would have bought that as a stand alone candy forsure!

[@Brocuzgodlocdunfamdogson]

100%. I don’t even know how to describe the flavor. Closest thing is candy cigarettes maybe. But is that even a flavor? What flavor *is* a lik-a-stik?

[@azerial]

You like lick it once or twice, eat the stick then dump the powder in your mouth, then as a kid, show your blue tongue to everyone. Lol

[@glennhendrickson7993]

Yea coulda done with out the powder

[@pibly7784]

Exactly ! I liked the stick better than the powder! Lol.

[@debusen81]

Unpopular opinion: the sticks are good, but infinitely better with the powder!!

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

This was a favorite among my childhood friend group in the 80's. None of us had any idea that the stick was edible, so that's quite a shock to learn 40 years later!

[@debusen81]

Didn’t you notice it got smaller as you licked it?

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

@@debusen81 Yes, but I've seen that happen to a sucker stick too, so I never thought anything of it.

[@BeingShari]

I almost bought some fun dips today and I really wish I did now because it sounds so good again

[@Stay_positive_Test_negative]

One of the best candies.. minus the red 40 but hey here for a good time not a long time 😂😂

[@EATSHISTORY]

Do you still eat it as an adult?

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

[in wholesome voice] Red 40, just like mom used to make!

[@Stay_positive_Test_negative]

@@EATSHISTORY every now and then really when the special edition ones come out

[@LaDracul]

This always reminds me of going to the beach as a kid.

[@luisreyes1963]

I had Pixy Sticks, Pop Rocks & Nerds as a kid. But for me, my favorite will always be Lik-M-Aid Fun Dips. 😋

[@nxios]

Razz apple and grape were my favorites, also there was a rumor that the stick was not edible, at least in my area haha

[@yell0wberry]

Wow, there’s nothing at all like a 12 minute video on…….., wait for it, fun dip! 😯

[@TheoneandonlyJobis]

You made me really want some fun dip but I was bummed when I heard they were owned by Nestle. Glad for the ending and just bought some!

[@ebob1967]

I thought it was kind of gross to lick the stick and dip it into the powder, so I would just pour the powder in my mouth and eat the sticks separately.

[@Brocuzgodlocdunfamdogson]

Id avoid licking the stick too. I liked to break the sticks into pieces before opening them, then I’d dump some powder in my mouth along with a chunk of stick.

[@alancarnell2747]

You won't survive the apocalypse

[@Brocuzgodlocdunfamdogson]

@@alancarnell2747 but you will? Shit, I’m following you.

[@btbb3726]

How do you eat cereal and ice cream, etc?

[@inthefade]

Which is even more gross, in its own way.

[@Danflave]

I'm one of those people who LOVES the actual lik-em-stick! Always had a vanilla taste to me...

[@ThatThrashGuy99]

As a kid, you love it because it tastes good. As an adult you love it because it tastes good, nostalgic, and tax deductible because it's in your video 😁

[@greghatton1787]

I've eaten these for 40 years. Never noticed the Lik em Aid bit,

[@salinaember9527]

mandela

[@Cam-zv1jq]

My favorite candy is the sticks.

[@Last_Vestiges]

As a kid, I LOVED Fun Dip! DIP THE LIK-A-STIX! I don’t know why they replaced lime with blue raspberry. I think blue raspberry tastes weirdly undefinable. Jolly Ranchers (watermelon, cherry, green apple), Fruit Stripes gum, Charms Blow Pops, Smarties & Sweet Tarts, were other candies I enjoyed. No Pixie Stix because I hated the paper straw delivery of the candied powder. I found the paper thin and prone to mushiness. Nowadays, when Halloween rolls around, I like Tootsie Roll Pops, their outer hard candy shell flavor not important, as long as it’s not the limited banana. If I see them, I’ll grab a Pop, or more, but I won’t have bags of these things lying around, as I can’t get away with kiddy eating habits in my adult years, unless colored sugar is considered one of the food groups, LOL!!!!!!!!!!

[@TheTrumpReaper]

I *HEART* Fun Dip. Dip Dab and the other sherbet pops have the addition of fizz, and the treacle sticks are the best after the Lik-a-Stik. 🍭

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

i am salivating like the dog hearing the dinner-bell. this takes me back…

[@kevincharbonneau5953]

Brilliant. A story for the sugar/candy cartel of America 🤗👍❤️

[@toddegoldberg]

2 sticks for 3 bags?...those monsters!

[@jesusluver2878]

My first introduction with playing with Powder 😝

[@felsiccanis]

Canadian here, I have never heard of Tangerine flavor! We have razz-apple!

[@jeyDsixx18]

Did they ever make flavored sticks that came with the powder or only those weird white one? I figured it woulda been a good opportunity to have a flavor fusion type candy with the powder being one flavor and the stick another. They were sold separately but I wonder why they were never combined together.

[@robertrobert7924]

I was a candy and snack Broker who worked for Sunline and sold their products for many years. As a Corporate entity they were tyrants to work for from the owner Smith all the way down the corporate ladder. I am glad those day are long gone.

[@forgettablelisa]

I always wanted them to sell packs of the candy sticks when I was a kid

[@JT-un7dc]

In elementary school, we had some fun dip, and one of the older brothers came out and snorted it. Then he had all of us kids out there doing the same thing.

[@stampscapes]

I don't know if Fun Dip was my favorite candy as a kid but it was right up there towards the top. Maybe it was because it took a while to eat it or something.

[@tone_bone]

the nostalgia on the package at 5:26 hits so hard.

[@spittinvenom9843]

The best

[@Sir_Tanooki_Dookie]

Cotton Candy flavored mints taste exactly like the Sticks. The texture is even exactly the same.

[@295g295]

2:15 - Seeing the beginning of the story, I thought, I don't know Lik-m-aid FUN DIPSs, but this sugar powder reminds me of PIXY STIX. hmm.. Sweet-Tarts here too.

[@ericthiel4053]

I always thought the stick tasted the best so I usually ate it alone lol.

[@jamesbillingsby8043]

Those sticks were so damn delicious to eat.

[@eclyectkjackson8883]

Quickest click everrrrr❤😂😂😂

[@user-ms1pg2ok4i]

I'm interested in the tiny wax bottles with flavored water. Also if you add Fun Dip powder to water does that become a drink?

[@quitcallinmebill1699]

The sugar sticks are perfect plain

[@MrSpliffy2]

That must have made sooo much money over the years. Wow

[@graphiquejack]

In Canada I think we had two package options with two flavors each, in the 70s when I was a kid. I definitely remember grape, cherry and orange… was the fourth flavour lime or strawberry maybe? My memory fails me

[@stornkolson]

Dang i remember yummu mummies!

[@TrvisXXIII]

For some reason I’m shocked that I saw 50cent and a quarter for those assorted candies during that time, I guess because they were new? I remember pixie sticks individually costing 15 cent and some powdered candies as low as 10 cents in the 90’s. The cheapest thing you can buy even being a mint ball for 5 cents.

[@JohnDaker_singer]

I'd dump the powder in the trash and just eat the stick. It was a strange vanilla type flavor. I can still taste it in my imagination.

[@pinkfreud62]

I used to eat them in the late 60's & 70's. They weren't my fave candy, tho, lol.

[@RWHaulbrook]

My mouth broke out in ulcers just watching this.

[@Ardante11]

Why was the lime flavor replaced? That was my favorite.

[@AngelusNielson]

I was one of those people who liked the stick more than the powder....

[@katiecoollady]

The vanilla stix were the best part

[@katiecoollady]

I just bought some for my grandkids (and myself!)