Easter candy through the decades

Walk into a grocery store this time of the year and you'll see shelves piled high with an assortment of chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs and marshmallow chicks. But what would the shelves have looked like 10, 50 or even 95 years ago? Here's what you could find in your Easter basket decades ago.

1920s: The original vanilla Caramel Creams, sometimes referred to as Bulls Eyes, date back to the '20s. But today, you can also find strawberry, caramel apple, chocolate and licorice flavors in your Easter basket. Other notable candies of the '20s: Bit-O-Honey, Black Cow, Charleston Chews, Dum Dums, Goobers, Jujubes, Milk Duds, Oh Henry and Slo Poke.

1930s: Candy Buttons, which come in bright pink (cherry), blue (lime) and yellow (lemon), were a popular candy in the '30s. But they still make for a colorful addition to an Easter basket today. Other notable candies of the '30s: Easter Nonpareils, Tootsie Pops, Hershey's Easter Kisses, Life Savers, Mallo Cups, Red Hots, Sky Bar, Sugar Babies and Zagnut.

1940s: You can't go wrong with 15 pastel candies wrapped together in one roll. Plus, Smarties are small enough to fit inside an Easter egg. Other notable candies of the '40s: Almond Joy, Candy Cigarettes, Jolly Ranchers, Licorice Twists, Fun Dip, M&Ms, Mike & Ike, Smoothie and Whoppers.

1950s: Pez was first invented as a breath mint in 1927, but by the mid-1950s, Pez introduced its fruity flavors and popular character dispensers. Today, you can even buy Anna and Elsa Pez dispensers. Other notable candies of the '50s: Bonomo's Turkish Taffy, Candy Necklace, Chocolate Gold Coins, Cup-O-Gold, Hot Tamales, Peanut M&Ms, Root Beer Barrels and Wax Bottles.

1960s: You can't have an Easter basket without the classic Peeps marshmallow chicks and bunnies. Peeps, which gained popularity in the '50s and '60s, were originally made by the Rodda Candy Company of Lancaster before they were acquired by Just Born in 1953. Other notable '60s candies: 100 Grand, Good & Fruity, Lemonheads, Now & Later, Pixy Sticks, Starbursts, Swedish Fish, Sweetarts and Twizzlers.

1970s: How can you resist this peanut butter candy in a crunchy shell? Reese's Pieces, first introduced in 1978, now come in a carrot wrapping during the Easter season to make for a more festive Easter basket. Other notable candies of the '70s: Blow Pops, Bottle Caps, Gobstoppers, Laffy Taffy, Pop Rocks, Ring Pops and Zotz.

1980s: While jelly beans became a popular Easter candy in the 1930s, Jelly Bellies were made famous 50 years later by President Reagan. Each bag has 20 assorted flavors from strawberry cheesecake to sizzling cinnamon. Other notable candies of the '80s: Airheads, Big League Chew, Cow Tales, Gummi Bears, Nerds, Runts, Skittles, Spree, Spring-Colored M&Ms and Sour Patch Kids.

1990s: Whether or not you can find it in a bunny shape, the silky smooth Dove chocolate bar made a great choice for an Easter basket in the '90s. Other notable '90s candies: Peach Rings, Shockers, War Heads and Baby Bottle Pop.