"sweethearts conversation hearts" news and stories

Sweethearts, the chalky, pastel heart-shaped candies with imprinted expressions of love, have become as synonymous with Valentine's Day as Cupid himself. Love or hate them, the tiny conversation hearts mean it's time to profess your feelings.

With more and more people turning to social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to do so, the newest message to appear on New England Confectionary Company's (NECCO) Sweethearts this Feb. 14 will be "Tweet Me."

"It's a recognition that society is changing the way to say, 'I love you,'" Jackie Hague, vice president of marketing at New England Confectionery, told USA Today.

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved the little sweethearts conversation hearts that Necco releases each year. Though they still produce some of the original sayings like "be mine" and "sweet talk", each year they add something new to the mix.

For 2007, they have joined forces with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) and released ten new "pet-friendly" sayings including "love bird", "bear hug", "purr fect", and "puppy love".

Did you know that you can have Necco custom imprint hearts with your own special message on them? Be warned though, you have to be willing to buy a full production run. According to their website, that is approximately 3,500 pounds of the six-flavored candies, or 1.6 million individual hearts. Or, you can just do what the rest of us do and buy the ones that they have already made.

Other than the actual sayings, the best part about the hearts is that they are fat-free, sodium-free, and only contain three calories per small heart and six calories per large heart. So, next time someone asks you to "be mine", "take a walk", or "kiss me", you can do so without guilt.

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