South Carolina Teacher ‘Wraps’ Her Way To Guiness World Record

Sometimes you just have no idea what will become from something started on a whim.  Take for example, Greenville, South Carolina, teacher Elizabeth Allen.  When Elizabeth was a student at Furman University, she started folding "Starburst" candy wrappers into a chain.  The candy was provided by a professor.  Flash forward four years and now Elizabeth Allen holds the Guiness World Record for the "Largest Candy Wrapper Chain."

No one achieves success like this alone and Elizabeth Allen is no exception.  Apparently other students caught sight of what she was doing and began to freely donate their discarded wrappers to her chain.

Wait, contribution and construction continued post-graduation as well.  Kinda makes her world record sound like she was working on a Masters Degree, but whatever.  During her first two years of teaching, her students passed along their wrappers as well.  Granted, Elizabeth Allen did prime her own pump a bit.  She tells UPI, "As a reward or to help students stay awake during a longer day, I would share Starbursts and they were so careful to not rip the wrappers."

And I know you're wondering, "How big does a candy wrapper chain have to be to become world-record worth?"  I thought you'd never ask.  The finished chain is made up from more than 10,000 Starburst wrappers.  However, come to find out, construction and maintenance of structural integrity is not as easy as one might think.

Once the chain had more than 500 wrappers, Allen discovered the chain could not support its own weight.  No problem, that's why Target and Wal Mart sell large plastic containers.  Thus, Elizabeth Allen's record-breaking chain now had a vessel for transportation to keep from it breaking.

Okay, so you've worked for four years to build this chain.  More than 10,000 wrappers from who knows how many contributors who endured who knows how many cavities have created this world record candy wrapper chain.  Where do you keep it?  For posterity has it found a home in a museum somewhere?

Nah, Elizabeth Allen's Guiness World Record Candy Wrapper Chain is a featured decoration of her classroom.

If I could eat candy every day, I would. Sadly I would be in poor health if I did, so that is why I currently don't. Candy sweet tooth is very different in America, there's no sugarcoating that fact. The team at Coventry Direct wondered if each state had a favorite retro candy. Based on search volume for 56 classic candies, Coventry mapped out the most popular choices by state and region.

Trying to find Americans’ favorite candy in every state was jawbreakingly sweet, but no easy task. Based on a list of 58 childhood candies that are still being produced today, the study used Google Trends data from February 2021 to February 2022 to find out which nostalgic candy is America’s favorite.

North Carolina has a particular sweet tooth for a certain treat. Find out what it is below. We also included some additional state favorites on the list too. Personally, Sno-Caps are my weakness. Turns out I’d fit in just fine in New Hampshire and Wyoming! You can view the full report and your state’s favorites here.

The retro candy of choice is Bazooka Bubble Gum.

The retro candy of choice is Heath Bar.

The retro candy of choice is Sno-Caps. These are one of my favorites.

The retro candy of choice is Chick-O-Stick Candy.

The retro candy of choice is Bottle Caps.

The retro candy of choice is Charleston Chew. These retro candies are the most popular, appearing as the favorite retro candy of 3 states.

The retro candy of choice is Life Savers.

The retro candy of choice is Pixy Stix.

The retro candy of choice is Chocolate-Covered Raisins.

The retro candy of choice is Zotz/Dubble Bubble.

The retro candy of choice is Charleston Chew.

The retro candy of choice is Candy Corn.

The retro candy of choice is Butterfinger.

The retro candy of choice is Wax Lips. These were so much fun as a kid.

The retro candy of choice is Vanilla Cow Tales.