Does a box of Sweethearts still include the heart that says “MARRY ME”, how likely are you to find one, what is printed on the newer hearts, and what did the people in the candy maker’s own survey say about Valentine’s Day? Spangler Candy Company, the maker of Sweethearts, answers most of that in its 2025 and 2026 press releases. The likelihood part, it turns out, is the one piece with no current published figure we could find.
The short answer
Yes. Spangler’s January 2026 release says fans will still find classic sayings such as “CUTIE PIE”, “LOVE BUG” and “MARRY ME” in boxes and bags of Sweethearts.
How often a heart says it is another matter: we found no current published figure from Spangler, or anyone else, for how often “MARRY ME” or any other saying turns up. The odds are unpublished; the proposal is not.
What the newer hearts say
For 2026, Spangler added a set it calls “Love in This Economy”, with sayings such as “SPLIT RENT”, “SHARE LOGN”, “CAR POOL”, “BUY N BULK” and “COOK FOR 2”. Romance, apparently, now comes with a budget line.
Evan Brock, vice president of marketing for Spangler Candy Company, said in the release that Sweethearts has always kept up with dating trends and relationships and that being practical is having a moment, which is why some of this year’s messages are not just about finding love the old way.
The year MARRY ME could be scanned
In 2025, Brock called Sweethearts “Commitment Hearts”, and Spangler made some of the hearts scannable with a phone at the Sweethearts website. A scanned “MARRY ME” heart led to a website where users could get married online through a service called Courtly; that was a 2025 promotion.
What Spangler’s survey found
Spangler’s figures come from its own online survey of 1,000 Gen Z and 1,000 millennials who are single, casually dating or in a serious relationship, conducted December 23 to 31, 2025.
In that Spangler survey of Gen Z and millennials (December 23 to 31, 2025), candy topped the Valentine’s Day wish list for millennials, at 33%. Among gift givers in the same survey, 40% planned to give candy, followed by cards at 37% and flowers at 33%. Singles in the same December 2025 survey preferred candy over flowers, 34% to 29%.
These figures come from a survey the company ran and published in its own press release, so they describe its 2,000 respondents, not all Americans (our inference).
Hearts with nothing to say
Most recently, the January 2026 release says, the brand put out “Ghosted Sweethearts” just in time for Halloween: specially designed boxes of all white hearts with no messages at all. No “MARRY ME” there, and no “SPLIT RENT” either.
The short version
Spangler Candy, the maker of Sweethearts, says “MARRY ME” is still among the classic sayings in 2026. We found no current published figure for how often a heart carries it.
Last checked: 2026-10-20, against Spangler Candy Company’s Sweethearts releases of January 28, 2025, and January 27, 2026. This article was machine-checked against the sources above and has not been expert-reviewed. Spotted an error or a newer public figure? Please tell us on our contact page with the article link and we will review it.
Sources
- S1 Spangler Candy Company, “Sweethearts celebrates ‘Love in This Economy’ with new sayings for practical romantics”, PR Newswire, January 27, 2026, including its survey methodology note. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sweethearts-celebrates-love-in-this-economy-with-new-sayings-for-practical-romantics-302670272.html . Saved copy accessed Oct 20, 2026.
- S2 Spangler Candy Company, “Sweethearts candies mean what they say this Valentine’s Day”, PR Newswire, January 28, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sweethearts-candies-mean-what-they-say-this-valentines-day-302361428.html . Saved copy accessed Oct 20, 2026.