Wax lips are the common name of a confectionery item made of colored and flavored food-grade

paraffin wax Paraffin wax (or petroleum wax) is a soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal, or oil shale that consists of a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules containing between 20 and 40 carbon atoms. It is solid at room temperature and melting poi ...

, molded to resemble a pair of oversized red lips. They were most popular in the 1970s and currently are sold by

Tootsie Roll Industries Tootsie Roll Industries () is an American manufacturer of confectionery based in Chicago, Illinois. Its best-known products include the namesake Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops. Tootsie Roll Industries currently markets its brands internationall ...

as Wack-O-Wax.

Description

Wax lips are the common name of a confectionery item made of colored and flavored food-grade

, molded to resemble a pair of oversized red lips. 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, for comic effect. Their popularity among children can be attributed mainly to the comedy of using the candy as a humorous substitute for their own lips. Although they were intended to be used as a

chewing gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its tex ...

of sorts after the novelty of the joke wore off, the lips were often simply discarded rather than consumed.

History

Invented by John W. Glenn, founder of J.W. Glenn Co. of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, some time in the mid-20th century, wax lips became a popular novelty in the United States for many decades, especially during the

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

season. Wax lips were most popular in the late 1970s and have been referenced extensively in fiction. The original design of wax lips is

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