Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Medical Insurance: Devoted to the Insurance Examiner and Clinical ..., Volume 24 published this poem in 1909:

The Ganderbones Forecast
For December
(Copyright 1908 by C. H. Rieth.)

Save brothers, save with care,
A nickel here and a nickel there –
A two-bit piece will fill the tum
Of some small celebrant with gum,
Nigger-toes, peanuts, bum-bum,
Apples, raisins, lemon drops,
Popcorn, suckers, caramels,
Filberts, taffy, butterscotch,
Walnuts, figs, and angel cake -
Save for the Christmas bellyache

What's bum-bum?  I suspect it's a Christmas candy, but I can't find a recipe, except for a tequila drink.

I was originally trying to find when Brazil Nut was coined as a less offensive name for what I'd only ever heard called "nigger-toes" intil the late 1960s, including by my mother, who only bought bigger-toes as a part of "mixed nuts" because she didn't want to utter "nigger" in any form whatsoever.

It turns out that ngrams says Brazil Nuts was by far the more popular term, since the 19th century.

A disk jockey on WJR related this story about 1970 or so.

He was late for a Christmas party and he drove to it through the center of Detroit in order to save time.  Suddenly, he remembered that he had agreed to bring some Brazil nuts.  Well, he thought, I'll just jave to stop at one of these small groceries.  Don't know if they'll have them, having a limited selection, but maybe...   And he stopped at one that was lit up and seemed to be a llittle larger than average.

He rushed in, as much out of fear of being attacked in this rough neighborhood as by being late, and when a clerk offerred to help, he said he was looking for christmas nuts.  The clerk led him to a display, but he didn't see any.  The clerk sdaw him hesitate, and asked, "What kind of nuts did you want?"  Try as he might, he couldn't think of the new, socially-acceptable term, and he wasn't about to use the name he'd always heard when he was growing up.  He describe the nuts, and the clerk nodded, in understanding, then yelled in a really loud voice to a man at the back of the store, "Hey Joe!  Would you check the shipment that just came in?  This man wants some nigger toes."  The DJ shrank in horror, but he got his nuts, and was soon on his way.

I don't think there is a less offensive use of the n-word, but I have trouble remembering "Brazil but" so like my mother, I don't buy them except in a mixed nut assortment.

But back to that poem.  What in the world is bum-bum, and how would I make some?