It wouldn't be Valentine's Day without those fun messages on candy hearts that you see everywhere! This February tradition was started by
the brother of the founder of NECCO in the 1860s. Remember, this was Abe Lincoln's era, so you know they've been around for a while. Candy hearts were originally printed with hand tools. It seems like a lot of work, but some people will do extraordinary things for love. It took about forty years before the ones we are familiar with went into production. Today, over 8 billion of these chalky hearts are produced annually. They're made from late February until mid January of the following year, averaging about 100,000 pounds a day. They sell out in about six weeks.

These are some of the messages you might have seen over the years:

My Way
All Mine
I Hope
#1 Fan
Sweet TalkAngel
Love
Whiz Kid
Pen Pal
Be Mine
Magic
URA Star
My Baby
Lets Kiss
Love Her
Lover Boy
For You
Lets Read
You & Me
Do Good
True Love
For You
New Love
Love You
Wild Life
Home Run
Call Me
Call Home
Purr Fect
Cutie Pie
Be Mine
Soul Mate
My Treat
Top Chef
Love Bird
Sugar Pie
Yum Yum
Chill Out
Heat Wave
Cool Cat
My Pet
All Star
Dream