The New Messages For Valentine’s Day 2015 On Classic Candy Hearts

The New England Confectionery Company — better known as NECCO — has unveiled what new messages will adorn the crunchy classic candy hearts for Valentine’s Day 2015, as well as which messages have been removed.

According to Mary Lane, social media specialist for the candy company, a lot of thought goes into which words will be stamped in red on the chalky little hearts.

“We have to evaluate what’s modern, what’s hot, how people are actually communicating,” Lane told the New York Daily News.

This year, NECCO shelved the messages that were considered “timely” last year, but were deemed out-of-date for 2015. Among those messages shelved for this year was the “Occupy my heart” message, a reference to the social movement Occupy Wall Street that protested income inequality and whose members expressed disgust with the financial system.

Who knew that those tiny little hearts were so socially aware?

Along with “Occupy my heart,” other phrases eliminated include “Tweet,” “You and I,” “U R Hot,” “Love Me,” and “Shine Bright.”

In return, those messages have been replaced in favor of “Te Amo,” “Je T’aime,” and “BFF.”

NECCO also held an elementary school contest for new candy heart phrases, and among the entries, four were chosen. Those four consist of “Pugs & Kittens,” “Girl Power,” “Luv 2 Dance,” and a mustache emoticon.

Just a few years ago, the candy hearts made by NECCO which have always been such a central part of Valentine’s Day for people of all ages, included messages like “Fax Me” and the unromantic “Let’s Read.” Those phrases have since been tossed, much to the chagrin of Mitch Cohen, owner of Economy Candy on the Lower East Side. His company sells thousands of pounds of the candy hearts every year, and it’s his belief that the removal of those sayings killed “the charm of the conversation heart.”

“Searching through a bag for the most ridiculous message was always fun as a kid,” he said. “You might not share the ‘Let’s Read’ or ‘Fax Me’ with the cute girl you are trying to impress in third grade… they did come in handy for your enemies.”

Cohen happens to take a very serious view of the messages included on the candy hearts. What’s at stake when these hearts retire, Cohen said, is nothing short of history itself.

“How else will kids learn what a fax is?” he asked.

But Lane, of NECCO, said it’s all about being unique

“We want to see how many ways we can say ‘I love you,'” she said.

Some people take their candy really seriously — perhaps no one as much as this Florida man. And if candy is on your list to buy for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, check out this list of recommendations, and the history behind some of the most popular candy choices!

[Image via NECCO]