Do you remember the first time you received a box of Sweethearts conversation heart candies? Or even more thrilling, a single heart with the message “BE MINE” or “CUTIE”? Whether or not you like the taste of these pastel cousins of the Necco Wafer, receiving a heart with a sweet message is likely to make you smile.

Aside from being a whimsical Valentine’s Day gift, Sweethearts candies also offer an interesting window into how communication has changed throughout the years. The original conversation candies date back to the mid-nineteenth century, when Necco’s founder Oliver Chase adapted his method for cutting lozenges so that it produced a candy in a shell shape. Each shell contained a piece of paper with a romantic message or piece of advice. Later Chase’s brother Daniel found a way to stamp messages directly on the candies using red vegetable dye. Because the shells were much larger than the hearts we know today, they could accommodate long messages such as “HOW LONG SHALL I HAVE TO WAIT? PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE.”

By the early 1900s, Necco produced message candies in a variety of shapes, including baseballs, horseshoes, and the hearts we know today. When the candies became smaller, the messages became shorter. Side by side, conversation heart sayings throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first make a fascinating scrapbook that demonstrates the evolution of our language and technology. Phrases such as “HEP CAT” and “GROOVY” were retired after the 60s and 70s (occasionally resurfacing in “retro” assortments over the years), and the “FAX ME” of the 90s has given way to the “TEXT ME” of today. But one message that will never be retired, according to Necco marketing director Aimee Scott: “MARRY ME”!