Printer Error Means No Sweetheart Messages This Valentine’s Day!

Posted by Rob Errera on 02/14/2020

Be mine.

Will you?

Kiss me!

Printer error.

Valentine’s Day Is going to be a little different this year because of some faulty printers.

I Love...What?

Spangler Candies, who took over production of Sweetheart Candies and other Necco products in 2018, encountered a printing error that left the vast majority of the conversational candy hearts blank or stamped with indecipherable symbols. That means a severe lack of Sweetheart Candies on shelves this Valentine’s Day...essentially the one day per year when these chalky “treats” are consumed.

Fail X 2

This is the second year in a row Spangler, makers of Dum Dum lollipops, has completely failed on Valentine’s Day. Last year the company was unable to produce any Sweetheart Candies in time for Valentine’s Day. They’d only acquired the Sweetheart brand a few months prior, after Necco went bankrupt in September 2018, and didn’t have time to produce conversation heart candies for Valentine's Day 2019. The company promised to be in full swing by Valentine’s Day 2020.

But a series of equipment failures prevented that from happening. After shipping 60 truckloads of equipment over 800 miles, from former NECCO headquarters in Revere, Massachusetts to Spangler’s home base in Bryan, Ohio, the company found the printers used to print the conversation messages (“Why not?” “Hug me!” “Be mine!”) weren’t working correctly. They brought in replacement printers, but they broke down too. As a result, 65% of this year’s Sweethearts crop are completely blank. Only 3% have printed messages as expected. The rest are either blank or imprinted with indecipherable symbols. Source: CandyStore.com

Prescription For Romance

As a result of this year’s shortage, Spangler has limited distribution of its conversation hearts to major pharmacy chains, like Walgreens and CVS. After dropping the ball for the second year in a row, Spangler promised to be back on track next Valentine’s Day. Will you?

Rob Errera

Rob Errera is an award-winning journalist embedded in the world of printers and printing supplies. Rob has nearly two decades of experience writing about cutting edge technology, business trends, and the ever-evolving industry of printing.