There was something about painful food that made you tougher. Before the whole “sour” phenomenon, there was nothing was as painful as Atomic Fireballs. They were red gumballs that were overloaded with cinnamon flavor. They were over-sized so they would barely fit into your mouth, but once you did, they would start to burn, then your mouth would start to water and your eyes would tear up. We would have contests to see who could keep it in their mouth the longest. I would always lose. Later on I found out that once you get most of the red coating off, they weren’t as painful. Man, if I would have known then, I might not have been such a food wimp.

5 thoughts on “Artifacts of the Analog Age: Atomic Fireballs

  1. Trevour says:

    I was just craving one of these the other day. I’m gonna have to hit up a convenience store to get one. They are definitely one of the top nostalgic candies of our generation!

  2. James Riot says:

    Ha! Nothing like being a kid and having a candy coated with WAY TOO MUCH CINNAMON.
    Then, around ’91-’92, Atomic Fireballs gave way to Warheads, which were worse and didn’t taste nearly as good.

  3. fluffy says:

    They were not gumballs – they were (and still are!) jawbreakers. Also, it’s not cinnamon flavor, it’s actually capsaicin, the same chemical that makes chili peppers so hot.

  4. knuxkitsune says:

    That reminds me. My cousin had a huge jawbreaker, it even came with its own stand…I don’t know if she ever ate it…she just kept it on her dresser. It was white with swirls of different colors mixed in….let me see if I can find one. Something like this: http://www.mrbulkytreats.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=388

  5. knuxkitsune says:

    I guess I shouldn’t be surprised they still make them, but it was actually in the early 90s I remember them…I think it was 1992, and my cousin still played NES religiously…

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