Why Is Nerds Candy Called Nerds? The Sweet Reason Will Make You Smile.

While doing some “research” for an article called 16 Totally Awesome '80s Candies We Were Obsessed With, I stumbled across something that took me right back. You can’t make that list without mentioning the iconic candy, Nerds—but it brought back memories for a whole other reason.

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I loved Nerds. The sweet-tart flavor combo, the genius two-flavors-in-one box, and those devilish, cartoonish characters.

FUN FACT:

Did you know that Nerds was a short-lived breakfast cereal, complete with a divider down the middle of the box separating two flavors? Check out this neat-o commercial:

But my love for Nerds got me into trouble on the playground because, well, I was a nerd. Cue the inevitable taunt: “The nerd loves Nerds!” Charming, right? So, I became an expert at stashing my Nerds where the bullies couldn’t spot them.

But Why Nerds?

I also remember wondering, “Why the heck are they called Nerds?” Back then, there was no Google, and I wasn’t about to write a letter to the editor of Time magazine for answers (that's what we did back then).

READ MORE: 17 Smells That 1980s Kids Will Instantly Recognize

Fast forward to present day, while researching for the article, I found two possible explanations.

The Nerds Candy Backstory: Sweet Memories and a Dr. Seuss Connection?

One theory on the origin of the word "nerd" traces it back to Dr. Seuss. (Nope, not from Revenge of the Nerds!)

The first appearance of “nerd” was actually in his book If I Ran the Zoo. According to the Liberty Science Center (and how cool is it that they did a history of the word “nerd”?), the narrator in the book says that if he had a zoo, he’d collect “a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a seersucker too.”

After that, the word “nerd” evolved to mean someone passionate about math, science, and other “uncool” things. Not the nicest label at first, but it stuck.

So Why Are Nerds Candy Called Nerds?

The official Nerds website gives us a clue. In the "Words on Nerds" section, under “A Brief History of Nerds,” there’s a line that made me smile:

Since 1983, NERDS candy has always been fun and innovative, with perfectly imperfect shapes that are better together.

And there it is: No two Nerds candies are exactly alike. They’re all unique, “perfectly imperfect,” and “better together.”

A little dramatic? Maybe. But it does remind me of Revenge of the Nerds—how all the misfits had to bring their quirky traits together to defeat the bullies and, well, rule the world.