You never realize how much you love your favorite candy until they stop making it. Like a dirty trick, these treats disappeared.
Seven Up Bars
The seven milk chocolate squares that made up this mid-century candy bar each contained a different filling. The anticipation of biting into a pillow of coconut, butterscotch caramel, buttercream, fudge, mint, cherry cream, or orange jelly was the thrill of the Seven Up Bar, manufactured by Pearson’s from the 1930s to 1979. It’s gone for good, but the Sky Bar could be an apt alternative, with four chocolate squares containing caramel, vanilla, peanut, and fudge fillings. This popular bar from the ’70s almost met its own demise last year when Necco broke up, but a small manufacturer in Massachusetts bought the brand and plans to start selling Sky Bars later this year.
Beech-Nut Gum
Beech-Nut strictly makes baby food now, but they used to be in the ham, marmalade, mustard, and chewing gum businesses. Beech-Nut gum was popular in the mid-century (and their peppermint flavor was “the pep-pep-peppiest one”). You can’t find it — officially — anymore, unless you want to pay $37.49 for a decades-old pack on eBay. Richardson Brands, however, owns and produces Beechies, the Chiclets-like candy-coated gum Beech-Nut made years ago.
Baffle Bar
Manufactured from around the 1920s to the ’70s, the Baffle Bar was a bit of a mystery “with all the tang of the great outdoors” and “zest that was born of a mountain wind,” hinting at its California origin. Inside its chocolate coating were walnuts, fudge, and some sort of jelly. Early ads suggested that hostesses slice a bar into pieces and arrange it on a plate for their next party. Finding an alternative to the Baffle Bar these days is a head-scratcher (though we welcome suggestions). The next best things might be U-No and Abba-Zaba bars, the still-produced candies out of Baffle’s original Oakland company, Cardinet.
Danish Ribbons
Danish Ribbons — or Delfa Rolls — were an imported strawberry licorice treat that candy lovers might remember seeing on shelves in the ’60s. For years, the only alternative has been strawberry Broadway Rolls, but the company Iconic Candy has been working for years on a proper return of the Danish Ribbon. They plan to release it later this year.
Clark’s Teaberry Gum
Candy enthusiasts online have reported seeing Teaberry gum at specialty stores (even in the last year), but all other signs are pointing toward the wildly popular gum’s extinction. Although it became famous in the ’60s with the “Teaberry shuffle” commercials featuring Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, the gum had been around since the turn of the century. If you’re on the hunt for nostalgic gum, though, you might be able to get your fix with Beemans, Black Jack, and Clove gums, all of which are still produced.
Fat Emma
Pendergast Candy Company, of Minneapolis, used too much egg white in its nougat recipe in the early 1900s and accidentally invented the Fat Emma bar, the first to used fluffy nougat and so-named because of its girth. Soon after, Frank Mars whipped up some of his own “Minnesota nougat” for the Milky Way and 3 Musketeers bars. Though Fat Emma is long-gone, Mars’s copycat bars are still Halloween favorites.
Squirrel Nut-Zippers
When Necco’s brands were picked over after the company’s closure last year, the poor Squirrel Nut-Zipper didn’t find a new manufacturing home. Named after a prohibition-era cocktail and originally produced by Squirrel Brand Company, the nutty-vanilla caramels were a penny candy akin to BB Bats and Tootsie Rolls. No other candy is quite the same, but the blogger Look What Mom Found made their own recipe for Squirrel Nut-Zippers that might be as good as the original.
Vegetable Sandwich Bar
During the “golden age” of candy bars (1920s and ’30s), regional candy producers around the country experimented with various ingredients and marketing strategies. Some of them went too far. The Vegetable Sandwich bar contained dehydrated vegetables covered with chocolate. Its wrapper displayed peas, carrots, celery, and cabbage along with the promise, “Will Not Constipate.” Candy taglines may have improved over the century, but the prevalence of meal replacement chocolate bars has grown. Maybe the veggie candy bar was ahead of its time.
Chiclets
Candy-coated gum from Frank H. Fleer & Co. (and later the American Chicle Company), called Chiclets, can be found in advertisements from The Saturday Evening Post going back to 1906. Chiclets were originally made with chicle, a natural gum found in several tropical American trees. The iconic candies were made right up until 2016, but only sad imitations of the brand can be found anymore. The aforementioned Beechies are a great alternative for candy-coated gum that’s stood the test of time.
Nut Tootsie Rolls
Anyone who’s been to a parade has been bombarded with flying Tootsie Rolls, but did you know they used to put peanuts in them? (The Sweets Company of America, that is.) Along with Caramel Tootsie Rolls, Nut Tootsie Rolls were a short-lived product in the teens and 1920s that were “made clean — kept clean — wrapped dustproof.” They’re lost to history, leaving behind only billboards and print advertisements as records of their nutty existence. If you’re dying to know what they were like, you could always roll the regular ones in some crushed roasted peanuts to get a taste of history.
Mary Jane
These peanut butter-molasses penny candies were originally made in Boston in a home once occupied by Paul Revere (years after he made his midnight ride). The red and yellow wrappers featuring a young girl were the iconic branding for Mary Janes for the 100 years they were made. Another Necco casualty, the candies are no more, but Bit-O-Honey, a similar chew but with almond bits and honey, could fill the Mary Jane-shaped hole in a candy lover’s heart.
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Comments
I remember eating 7-Up bars in the 1960s when I was a kid and I remember a nut being in one of them like a Brazil nut.
It may not be “Clark’s” Teaberry gum. But, I’m able to purchase Teaberry gum from 2 different locations. Along with 2lb. bags of Mary Jane’s. The best for nostalgiac candy is Bulk Candy Store. My next favorite, that’s close to me, is the Vermont Country Store. 2 great suppliers of some old time goodies and delicious treats.
Enjoyed the article. Many memories. I was at a local chain store, just today, 11/9/23 and found some Atkinson candy: Coconut Long Boys (wasn’t familiar with these), Black Cow caramel bar and SloPoke caramel bars. I do see some of these still at Cracker Barrel restaurants. My favorites were the Butternut bars and a Top Star bar (same co., Hollywood Candies, I believe) anyone remember them?
I remembered many of these things when I was a child! I am now in my sixties. Sky bar,seven up bars,Mary Jane plus about 9 more items!
To the guy today who I overheard talking about Chick O Stick candy at Yankee Candle: thanks for the recommendation. You were right, I wasn’t disappointed!
Big Wad butterscotch gum. Pickle gum.
Choco -mint as in chocolate, in case spell check corrects again.
I miss Life Savers Chico-mint flavor.
How about those charm’s suckers and even came out with one that was sweet on one side & sour on the other yum yum!
Not really candy but as a young kid you could find them at the candy store ” cinnamon tooth picks”
Do you remember. Mint Julep s. They were green in color little cube squares. Probably not good for your teeth haha. But then again nothing that good is not good for your teeth. I guess. Ahh those were the days. Doug
I remember Bit O’ Honey. I loved it when I was a kid. Who among you remembers $100,000 Bars? Or that wonderful ice-cream gum? Uh-oh, I’m getting sentimental! (-:
In the early 50s in the summer I worked in the cotton mill and at break time i would get a double cola and a powerhouse candy bar from the cafeteria.
I’m looking for “FanTan”gum it was delicious and smelled delicious too! I don’t know who made it but I remember chewing a lot of it. It had a fan on the package of gum . Can you help me find this gum? Thank you
I miss Sugar Daddy pops. They were so delicious, and lasted all day.
Does anyone remember,the little square Kits candy they were taffy? And were 4 pieces in pack
Strawberry,
Peanut,chocolate, Vanilla.
Who made it can they still be found??
I bought BB bats not long ago at the Five and Dime store in Branson MO
Does anyone remember Bike banana flavored bubblegum? I loved Caravelle; miss Powerhouse and wish Cadbury was still making their chocolate covered short bread cookies.
Wilkinson All-sorts zotz squirt-gum pop-rocks and pee-wee’s favorite for Francis was Garlic gum.Non-pariels and maple-nut goodies were great.But some P.D.Q. with Zarex if you had Tums,Aspergum,or chocolate Ex-lax or Flintstones vitamins were always a welcome treat.P.S. Vicks vaporub is back!!!!
In the 60’s we had a local store that sold :frying pan lollipops. Teaberry, butterscotch, spearmint, peanut, great flavors. Any where I can find them now? I grew up in northeastern pennsylvania.
I used to love the little orange wax candy harmonica available every Halloween season. They were made of orange colored wax filled with a sweet liquid and you could blow on it to get different sounds depending upon if you blew on the long or shorter sections… ( you could chew the flavored wax with the liquid inside it making it sweeter. But you were not supposed actually eat it and I could never determine the actual flavor or scent. But both were wonderful).
And don’t forget BB Bats and Kit Kats!
Zag Nut was not a favorite, or Chunky (what a chunk of choc-let!) – too little for the price – and Halloween bags were always heavy with MalloCups (never the more desirable ReeseCups). I loved Bonomo Turkish taffy, vanilla more than chocolate, banana or strawberry; if it wasn’t too hot you could slam them down on the sidewalk and they would crack into hundreds of pieces, good for sharing or just lasting all day.
There was a TINY one pump gas station a mile away, through a couple of neighborhoods and down the streetcar tracks, obviously owned by a guy with a sweet tooth, that had every kind of penny candy there was! A nickel could fill up a little paper sack that would last the whole way home. WAY better than one candy bar! There were Mary Janes, two pieces held together with a red cellophane ring, every flavor of licorice twists, black and red, of course, but also mint, chocolate, grape, and butterscotch. Lots of wax, too, filled bottles as well as sweetened lips and teeth – some kids would even chew them!
Now and Later squares, either three or four wrapped pieces for a penny, I liked the banana flavor. Licorice records, strips of licorice wrapped around a hard red round candy you’d unwind to eat, and Flying Saucers, two pink “communion wafer” saucers stuck together to make a bubble filled with tiny balls of sugar.
All the jellies, two for a penny, like green spearmint leaves and orange slices, and a black one, too. Strips of licorice, later paper, with pastel dits of csndy dtuck to them – and marshmallow peanuts, too!
From either Oakland or Berkeley was the Victoria Mint co with the perfect individual size mint , each flavor had a different colored shiny tinfoil like packaging. The light purple I still crave!!
I miss Ben Hur mints. The flavor was unique. Anise black mints, sen-sen. Are they available? How about a recipe?
You can buy a lot of them online at candydirect.com I don’t work there but live a lot of the old time candies, hope this helps some of you all. Always brings back memories of going to see my grandparents, makes me smile. So I hope if you get some hope it brings up some good memories for you as well!!!
How about Butternut, Skrunch and Caravelle?The original Mars bar too. All my favorites.
I wish people would stop trying to pass off Sky Bars as some sort of substitute for Seven Up bars. Less is not more. less is less.
Danish Rolls is now called Broadway Rolls
Teaberry Gum will be available next month
Imported by gerritjverburg.com
I remember the chocolate covered orange pattie like the Pearson mint pattie. I too have wanted to find if they are still made. My father owned a restaurant that used to hand them out to customers. I thought Pearson had also made them. Maybe it was Brachs, if anyone knows for certain I would love to know . This would have been in the 70s.I haven’t seen them since. Thank you.
I remember the beechnut gum frommy grand parents house!
The Vermont Country Store has some of these.
You can still get necco waffers. You can still get mary janes too, they are just called peanut butter kisses now where I’m from but still wrapped in orange and black wrappers.
Some of these are still around. We have a candy store in town that sells most of these.
What about the delicious banana,vanilla,strawberry and chocolate BB Bats taffy lolli pops?
Can’t remember the name of the candy however the candy has two different layered halves consisting of a mini cookie topped with a chocolate chunk…..can anybody help ?
Wracking my alleged brain… what to call/where to find this? It was a chocolate-y chew, like Tootsie Roll but softer. Came individually wrapped in clear cellophane, with a whole almond inside the chew. Slightly upscale. Had a cocoa taste to it. I used to be addicted!
Does anyone remember the chocolate covered orange jelly penny candy? They were small like York peppermints, but with orange jelly instead. Anyone recall the name?
Please show a picture of the old black cow on a stick…I can not find one anywhere!
I agree with Irene on the Life Savers too, although my favorite flavor is the Butter Rum. They’re just not in the stores anymore that I can see. Anyhow, it looks like you can get a 20 pack of these classic rolls for $12.50 on Amazon! Does anyone else here like the hard-to-find Red Hots? Apparently they’re available at Walmart.
I was hoping to buy the life savors this holiday. I haven’t bought them in years. I liked the yellow & green.
Who asked them to change anything!
Paydays are getting harder to find too.
Yummie’s is a store here in Kittery Maine (Route 1) going from Kittery to York that has most of these old-time candies.
I used to like Snowballs. They were a sugar coated candy with a hazelnut inside. I know of only one place to get them and then only during the holidays.
Don’t forget FULL OF ALMONDS, one of my favourites as a kid. Really, really miss it!
I remember “Chuckles” – there were 5 jelly filled squares. Thanks for mentioning “7-Up” – that was a favorite!
I chewed Teaberry all through my public school years, and made chains of the wrappers that were several feet long. I found some packages several years ago but the gum was too hard to chew, I do miss it!! Squirrel Nut Zippers always cracked me up, the name not the candy! They were pretty good and I’ll have to try the recipe. I loved Peanut Butter Logs as a kid, too, but the modern version just doesn’t as well made, and Bit’O’Honey was always good but a tooth killer if you had any loose ones. Guess that makes me officially old as I do remember penny candy in a local chain store in Oklahoma called TG&Y. And Sears had the best Cashews, they were always warmed up at their candy counters.
I found Teaberry gum at an old convenient store a few years back. I love the taste of that. T hey even had Cloves gum also and its good.
Wal Mart carried Mary Janes at Halloween till 2 years ago. My wife had to have them then.
Still have Necco Discs in Utah. I put them in the grandchildren’s stockings.
The wax pop candies that had juice in them.
Full of gold candy bars. I took one from the grocery store when I was little. Got caught. The gold wrapper made them irresistible.
I have a case of Reggie Bars in the freezer. Reggie Jackson for the younger generation who don’t know who he is.
One that now is becoming hard to find is Necco discs. It comes in various rolls or chocolate rolls.
We used to have jingle contests up at camp. And we always won. The competition was tough, everyone nervous and sweating, and we could see they were on edge. Our team put heads in a deep huddle, together after the other guys sang, “O-O-O –it’s Bonomo..Candy..” (Remember Turkish taffy?) So we shot back, “Bit-o-Honey goes a long long way. If you have one head, it lasts all day!” The campers crowd went wild. We walked away with all the prizes. Which were (what else?) candy bars!!!
Although it falls more under the mints category, another lost candy is Certs. I loved the fruit flavored Certs. I think they were discontinued 2015 or 2016. Although lifesavers have their 5 flavor rolls, two flavors, lime and lemon, are lost and replaced with awful watermelon and so so black raspberry.
I found Chicken Bones one time.
Substitutes are not the same…
You can actually still find several of these, Mary Janes, and all of the gum I have seen in Oregon.
(I meant one of those wonderful big round tubs of Red Vines.)
Great article, Nicholas. Sorry a lot of these are gone too, including the Sugar Daddy and Black Cow ‘stick’ candies. Hopefully Red Vines never go away. How many people there at the Post LOVE it whenever one of THOSE are brought in to the office? Almost everyone? I knew it!!
Powerhouse Candybar!