Most sweets are eaten. Fun Dip is played with first — a stick dragged through flavoured sugar, licked, dragged again. That interactive format is close to eighty years old, even if the name on the packet has changed more than once.
Lik-M-Aid: the original powdered candy
The candy that became Fun Dip has been sold in the US and Canada since the 1940s under the name Lik-M-Aid: four small packets of flavoured, coloured sugar, originally in lime, cherry and grape, with nothing to dip. It was made first by a company called Fruzola, and later by Sunline Inc through its Sunmark Brands division.
The rebrand that added the stick
The product was rebranded as Fun Dip in the 1970s, and this is where the format most people recognise today was born: two solid, edible candy sticks called Lik-A-Stix, designed to be dipped repeatedly into the powder rather than eaten alongside it. It turned a fairly plain powdered sweet into something closer to a toy, which is likely a big part of why it lasted.
From Nestle to Ferrara
Nestle bought the brand in January 1989 and kept it for nearly thirty years. In 2018, Nestle sold off a group of its US confectionery brands, including the Wonka-branded lines that Fun Dip had been grouped under, to the Ferrara Candy Company, which manufactures it today.
Why the format still works
The most common flavours now are cherry, grape, and a raspberry-apple combination that changes colour from blue to green as it gets wet — a small piece of theatre that a plain bag of sweets can't offer. It's a reminder that the packaging and ritual of a sweet can matter as much as what it actually tastes like, which is as true of American candy and snacks as anything else on a shelf.
Frequently asked questions
What was Fun Dip called before it was Fun Dip?
Lik-M-Aid, sold since the 1940s, before the Lik-A-Stix sticks were added and it was renamed in the 1970s.
Who makes Fun Dip now?
The Ferrara Candy Company, which acquired it from Nestle in 2018.
What are Lik-a-Stix made of?
Solid, edible sugar candy sticks shaped for repeated dipping into the flavoured powder.