In Canada, U.S.-style Smarties tablet candies are marketed under the name Rockets. The candies are the same pressed, chalky tablet confection sold as Smarties in the United States, but Canadian packaging uses a different brand name.
The distinction exists because Nestlé already owns the Smarties trademark in Canada for its chocolate-covered candy, which resembles the product known as Smarties in the United Kingdom and much of Europe. To avoid that trademark conflict and consumer confusion, Smarties Candy Company sells its tablet candy as Rockets in Canada.
The tablet candy was introduced in 1949 by Edward Dee's company, originally called Ce De Candy. Production later expanded to Canada, where the company operates a factory in Newmarket, Ontario. The candies are made by pressing flavored sugar-based ingredients into small, biconcave discs and wrapping them in rolls.
A common mix-up is assuming Canadian Rockets are a separate recipe or a fruit-flavored candy. They are the Canadian-market name for the same basic tablet candy Americans call Smarties. The name is unrelated to rocket propellant or any space-themed confection.