Tragically named and extremely discontinued: AYDS candy

My mom kept a box of these in the cupboard with the dishes…and the medicine. We weren’t supposed to eat them. They were For Adults.

So of course, we promptly ate them. They tasted kind of like fudge, but with that familiar, weird vitamin-y aftertaste. I figured they contained some type of amphetamine or something that swelled up in your stomach. Originally, AYDS apparently contained Benzocaine, a topical anesthetic, which aimed to dull your taste buds. Later, they (the AYDS, not your taste buds) hyped you up with phenylpropanolamine. Seriously. It was in the New York Times.

Check out the commercials for AYDS. AYDS are just little candies. They won't hurt you. Really!

Gee, I don’t know why they were taken off the market, what with the clever name, sweet, kid-enticing taste, and legalized speed...