Towards Cupid

In Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love.  In greek mythology, he was known as Eros and was the son of Aphrodite.  And so on.   I am interested in another development out of Valentine's Day: Sweetheart Candies. These are small heart-shaped sugar candies sold at Valentine's Day.  Each one has a message - for example "Be Mine". A U.S. company started the candies in 1847 with a machine to cut lozenges from wafer candy.  The original candy was often used for weddings.  The says were more extensive:  "Married in pink, he will take a drink", "Married in White, you have chosen right", and "Married in Satin, Love will not be lasting". Many shapes were tried - horseshoes, postcards, watches, baseballs, and then sweethearts came about in 1901.  Things have evolved over the years and a different candy recipe is used to achieve the same effect today. Here is a sampling of the messages: All Yours Be Mine Call Me Cheeky Boy Date Me Dream On Email Me Great Guy Hot Lips Kiss Me My Boy New Love Text Me U Rock You're Mine The British company that produces Sweethearts had a competition in 2008 for new messages.  They are:  "Think Pink", "Joyful Jo", "Granny P", "Me Julie Best Mum", "Juicy Jessie", "I Luv Alan", "Happy Harry", "Heart Baby", "Kin of U Home" and "Mermaid Eloise".  We can check things out at the official British candy website where the emoji message love hearts are displayed:  Swizzles.com.  Scrolling down one sees the history of British events and Royal Family members.