"The lollies that have been making me smile for 24 years."

As we get older, our palate changes and we develop a taste for the finer things in life. But sometimes, nothing hits the spot quite like your favourite childhood lolly. And when I say sometimes, I mean all the time.

The lollies that we enjoyed as kids still hold a special place in our hearts, so for all the smiles they’ve given us over the period of our lives, they deserve a special salute.

You know you're in for a fun time whenever someone whips out these bad boys. Image: supplied.

Here are six of my favourite Allen’s lollies that have been making me smile for the past 24 years.

Red Frogs.

Dare I say it; this is probably the most iconic Australian lolly. From filling the crumpled white paper bag that gets passed around during the quarter break at Saturday netball, to the bottoms of birthday lolly bags around the nation, was there ever a childhood occasion where red frogs didn’t make an appearance?

Once I’d reached high school, the magic of red frogs took a new form: finding a five-cent coin on the playground was like striking gold, meaning we’d get to sink our teeth into our favourite lunch time treat – after stretching them out as far as we could, of course, so we could savour every millimetre of it.

Red frogs are so iconic that an entire community organisation was formed in their honour, bringing red frogs and other edible delights to schoolies parties around the nation, keeping young party goers fed, hydrated, safe and smiling all night long. They’re practically an Aussie institution. 

Spot the red frog. Image: supplied.

Fantales.

Can anything ever compare to the feeling of biting into Fantale? Feeling its creamy, chocolate coating shatter in your mouth and fall about your tongue, before your teeth sink into the delicious, chewy caramel toffee centre? I think not.

While you chew away for what seems to be an eternity, the delight of the Fantale continues as you quiz your friends on the fun facts that are printed on its wrapper. I can’t think of another lolly whose wrappers are treated with more care and concern, carefully flattened and de-wrinkled by their owners to reveal a wealth of knowledge with every bite. They’re probably the only lolly in the world that actually makes you smarter – you’re welcome, world.

They're delicious AND educational. Genius. Image: supplied.

Milk bottles.

The beauty of the milk bottle is often understated. While it has long been seen as the filler of Allen’s mixed bags, one of my most distinct childhood memories is being taught by a friend at a birthday party that you can use them to “change the flavours of other lollies.” You see that coca-cola bottle in the bag? Eat one with a milk bottle and you’ve suddenly concocted a coca-cola milk float-flavour in your mouth. Ran out of strawberries and creams? Eat a raspberry with a milk bottle and you’ve got a pretty great raspberry & cream alternative.

A lolly that elevates all others? Genius.

The feels after eating my own lolly concoctions. Image: Giphy.

Peaches & Cream.

While strawberries & cream are the more renowned of these creamy siblings, peaches & cream were always the winner for me. Their potent, fruity flavour was always one that I wanted to savour for as long as possible. I would always eat them in the same way: I’d bite off the bottom white bit and happily chew away this creamy delight. Then, I’d pop the peachy orange section into my mouth and suck on it until it completely dissolved in my mouth.

On days where I was lucky enough to scrounge a number of peaches & cream, I’d repeat the same process, but instead of eating the peachy sections one by one, I’d pile them up into a mega peach stack, and pop them all in my mouth at the same time. This way I’d ensure the flavour – and my closed-mouth grin – would linger for as long as possible.

Now that these come in a bag all on their own, there is no more fighting through a Party Mix to find the favourite of the creamy sisterhood. Winning.

The best parts of all birthday parties. Image: supplied.

Snakes.

Stretch ‘em, suck ‘em, pull them apart and share ‘em – snakes will always be the ultimate fun lolly. Not only are they super sharable, but a verified way to determine how good you are at kissing how skillful you are, depending on how quickly you can tie knots with them using only your tongue.

The thing about snakes is that everyone has a very precise ranking system about their preferences for flavours: the red ones are always the first to go (and for some reason seem to be the rarest in the packets?) closely followed by orange , but the remaining colours are always up for negotiation.

And if you’re a green snake kind of gal, well, lucky you, because you know they’re always going to be the leftover ones that nobody wants.

Every single one of us eats snakes like this. Image: Giphy.

Minties.

Okay I’ll admit, as a kid I didn’t really understand the appeal of the mintie, apart from the ritual challenge of trying to tear up the mintie wrapper to be longer than my brother’s. As an adult, however, I’ve been totally converted: minties are a sure-fire way to enjoy a sweet treat in any adult situation, and leave with fresher breath. Even the most composed professionals cannot relegate the smiles as soon as they begin to unravel the wrapper and suck on a mintie. This 3pm slice of heaven should be mandatory in all work places.

Unraveling the Mintie wrapper is always the best part. Image: supplied.

What type of happy memories has Allen's given you?