Wax lips

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A pair of Wack-O-Wax lips

Wax lips are the common name of a confectionery item made of colored and flavored food-grade paraffin wax, molded to resemble a pair of oversized red lips. They were most popular in the 1970s and currently are sold by Tootsie Roll Industries as Wack-O-Wax.

Contents

Description

Wax lips are the common name of a confectionery item made of colored and flavored food-grade paraffin wax, molded to resemble a pair of oversized red lips. [1] The lips have a bite plate in the back; when the plate is held between the teeth, the wax lips cover the wearer's own lips, to comic effect. Their popularity among children can be attributed mainly to the comedy of wearing the lips. Although they were intended to be used as a chewing gum of sorts after the novelty of the joke wore off, the lips were often simply discarded rather than consumed

History

Invented by the American Candy Company in the early 20th century, [1] wax lips became a popular novelty in the United States for many decades, especially during the Halloween season.[ citation needed ] Wax lips were most popular in the late 1970s and have been referenced extensively in fiction.[ citation needed ]

The original design of wax lips is proprietary. The patent was obtained by Concord Confections, Ltd. in 2002,[ citation needed ] which was in turn acquired by Tootsie Roll Industries in 2004. [2] The lips are now produced under the Wack-O-Wax brand name. Other designs include the wax fangs design (which depicts open lips with a mouthful of bloody vampire teeth), [3] black wax moustaches, [4] and horse teeth. [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Wells, Bruce (2021-12-17). "Oleaginous History of Wax Lips". American Oil & Gas Historical Society. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  2. "Wack-O-Wax". tootsie.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  3. "Wax Fangs". tootsie.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  4. "Wax Mustache". tootsie.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.