It’s National Junk Food Day – Michigan’s Favorite Snack is… Drum Roll…

I'ts National Junk Food Day, and if you're anything like me, you've become a connoisseur of confections since this pandemic began. I can't get enough of peanut butter stuffed pretzels. The tiny pockets of wonder are one of the few things giving me joy in isolation. But, surprisingly, crunchy, protein packed snacks aren't Michigan's go-to snack. Another of my favorite treats takes the top spot as Michigan's preferred goodies. With the tagline "Sour then Sweet," The Mitten's number one snack food is none other than Sour Patch Kids.

Sour Patch Kids began their story not in the United States, but in Ontario, Canada. Jumping on the coat tails of the space craze of the late 60s, the delightfully sour candies were originally called Mars Men and were designed after science fiction ideas of what martians would look like with a small body with large head and giant eyes. They were available in orange, cherry, lemon, and lime flavors, with the blue raspberry added to the box just a couple of years ago. other than adding the new flavor not much has changed since they rolled off production in the 70s, which is a good thing. Why fix it if it ain't broke, right? People, especially Michiganders, love them just as much now as they ever have.

Maybe we could get Mondelez International to make a mitten shaped series in our honor...

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