Sweethearts' New Candy Is for the Most Practical Among Us
Nothing says ‘I love you’ like ‘SPLIT RENT.’
Image Courtesy of Spangler Candy Company
For a classic candy, Sweethearts is remarkably adept at reflecting the mood of the moment. The brand is famous for its sweet “Be Mine” and “True Love” messages, but it’s also been putting out playful, surprisingly relevant twists on its conversation hearts for the past few years.
In 2024, Sweethearts helped people celebrate Valentine’s Day with fuzzily misprinted, difficult-to-read Situationship hearts featuring “messages as blurry as your relationship.”
For Valentine's Day 2025, the brand used scannable AI technology to help people commit to relationships — by helping them access moving trucks, marriage licenses and, for the truly (like, eternally) committed, matching heart-shaped headstones.
And in October 2025, Sweethearts branched out into another candy-centric holiday, Halloween, with limited-edition Ghosted Sweethearts. Those hearts were all-white, with no words at all printed on them. However, the box said they featured “messages that disappeared like you did.” (Ouch!)
Every time, these candies really seem to get to the heart of something. Valentine’s Day 2026 is no different.
What is the Sweethearts conversation hearts theme for Valentine’s Day 2026?
Drumroll, please… The next Sweethearts theme is “Love in This Economy.”
Aimed at “practical romantics,” Sweethearts’ Valentine’s Day 2026 concept is “acknowledging the realities of modern dating” and the need to find love “with both your head AND your heart,” according to the brand.
Sweethearts surveyed 1,000 Gen Z and 1,000 millennials who say they are single, casually dating or in a serious relationship, and it found that three-quarters of U.S. respondents are actively trying to keep dates “affordable” this year. Eighty percent said the economy was affecting their Valentine’s Day plans in particular.
In response, Sweethearts has stamped tongue-in-cheek messages on some of the conversation hearts you’ll find in this year’s candy boxes and bags. New this year are messages like "SPLIT RENT," "SHARE LOGN," "CAR POOL," "BUY N BULK" and "COOK FOR 2." Don’t worry — those who prefer the classics will still find hearts with iconic sayings like "CUTIE PIE, "LOVE BUG" and "MARRY ME.”
"Sweethearts has always evolved with the times by staying aware of current dating trends and relationships — and being practical is having a moment," Evan Brock, vice president of marketing for Spangler Candy Company, the company that makes Sweethearts, says in a press release. "That's why some of the messages on our Sweethearts candies aren't just about finding love the old-fashioned way this year.”
Where can you get Sweethearts “Love in This Economy” conversation hearts?
Sweethearts conversation hearts are available at retailers nationwide.
And you may want to snap up these limited-edition candies: They’re already a sneaky hit on social media:
“Joint taxes is pretty romantic,” wrote one commenter on TikTok.
“well that's the real message of true love,” another chimed in. “it all starts with butterflies and cupcakes ends with bulk toilet paper and doing taxes together.”
Ah, romance.
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