Maligned Necco Wafers are suddenly hot sellers

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Necco's Candy Wafers may be an American classic, but they're not exactly a popular favorite.

"They're not bad, they're not good either," summed up Amon, who was shopping at the Upper East Side candy store IT'SUGAR.

But the word that the 171-year-old candy could soon be a relic of the past seems to have some people stockpiling the old-timey wafers in droves.

"One of America's least-favorite candies is suddenly its most sought-after," declared the Washington Post.

"No One Likes Necco Wafers, but People Are Hoarding Them Anyway," Fortune said.

Last month the New England Confectionary Company, which also makes sweets like Candy Buttons, Sky Bars, and Sweethearts, said it will have to shut down its Massachusetts plant if it doesn't find a buyer by May. Since then, sales have apparently been soaring.

The online retailer CandyStore.com says its sales of Necco wafers were up 63 percent this March over last Marcher.

Vlogger and author Ms. Candy Blog said the Necco panic is real.

"People are freaking out," she said. "I'm getting a number of emails and calls if I know anywhere that they can get them."

It's not the taste people will miss. The Wall Street Journal reported that the wafer's flavor profile has been described in terms like "tropical drywall" and "plaster surprise."

Ms. Candy Blog said chalky taste aside, the sudden wafer craze is all about holding on to the memories.

"You know, it's a nostalgic thing. The thing with candy is people have a love/hate relationship for it," Ms. Candy Blog said. "Like we're seeing right now with Necco, when you're about to take away that childhood memory or that memory with your grandparents that you had, people want to hold onto that."