# Are there any truly unique snacks/candy/chocolates? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2012, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288 "2012-11-17T06:38:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/1 "2012-11-17T06:38:42Z")
The Twinkie extinction got me thinking: there are hardly any unique snacks. Maybe because if a food is popular, other companies will copy it. So for M&Ms there are Smarties. For Crunchie there’s Violet Crumble. For Cornetto there’s Drumstick. And for Twinkies, there are [http://www.lockergnome.com/news/2012/11/16/twinkie-alternatives/](http://www.lockergnome.com/news/2012/11/16/twinkie-alternatives/) So, are there any snacks that haven’t been copied? These would be great to introduce to others. How many times have you told someone to “try x, it’s great!” Only to hear “it tastes just like y”? ---
**Author:** ![Rahne\_McCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rahne\_McCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rahne_McCloud)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/2 "2012-11-17T07:27:27Z")
Necco Wafers. I haven’t seen anyone copy this, also Drake’s Cakes and Devil Dogs which will also become extinct :eek: since they were brought out by Hostess.☹ :smack: I must ask my sister in Ct. to buy up as much as she can, we will gladly take them as Christmas presents.😃 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/3 "2012-11-17T07:28:36Z")
In whose Bizarro world universe are M&Ms and Smarties remotely the same? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/4 "2012-11-17T07:39:59Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > In whose Bizarro world universe are M&Ms and Smarties remotely the same? The UK. The Smarties there are not the same candy as the Smarties in America. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/5 "2012-11-17T07:43:40Z")
How about [Chick-O-Sticks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick-O-Stick)? It’s a pretty odd candy, and I don’t know of any imitators. Claey’s is the only company I know of that makes a [horehound-flavored candy](http://www.amazon.com/Claeys-Natural-Horehound-6-Ounce-Packages/dp/B000NPZUBG). I tasted some once, and I think I know why. Is Almond Joy unique? There are other coconut-and-chocolate candies, but do any of them have almonds? How about [Bit-O-Honey](http://www.oldtimecandy.com/bit-o-honey-bulk-2lb.htm)? Oddly, there aren’t many honey-flavored candies. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/6 "2012-11-17T11:16:35Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > The Twinkie extinction got me thinking: there are hardly any unique snacks. Maybe because if a food is popular, other companies will copy it. So for M&Ms there are Smarties. For Crunchie there’s Violet Crumble. For Cornetto there’s Drumstick. And for Twinkies, there are [http://www.lockergnome.com/news/2012/11/16/twinkie-alternatives/](http://www.lockergnome.com/news/2012/11/16/twinkie-alternatives/) > > So, are there any snacks that haven’t been copied? These would be great to introduce to others. How many times have you told someone to “try x, it’s great!” Only to hear “it tastes just like y”? I have to defend Smarties. They date back to 1937 (in their current form, their genesis can be dated back to 1882), whereas M&M’s date back to 1941, so if anyone copied anybody M&M’s would be the perpetrator. > **[Smarties](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties)** > > Smarties are dragée chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé. > Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of about 5 mm (0.2 in) and a major axis of about 12 mm (0.5 in). They come in eight colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, mauve, pink and brown, although the blue variety was temporarily replaced by a white variety in some countries, whilst an alternative natural colouring dye o... > **[M&M's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%26M%27s)** > > M&M's are color-varied sugar-coated dragée chocolate confectionery by the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars Inc.. > The candy consists of a candy shell surrounding a filling which determines the specific type of M&M's. Each piece has the letter "m" printed in lower case in white on one side. They are produced in different colors, some of which have changed over the years. > The original candy has a semi-sweet chocolate filling which, upon introduction of other variations, was branded as... ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/7 "2012-11-17T11:43:22Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I have to defend Smarties. They date back to 1937 (in their current form, their genesis can be dated back to 1882), whereas M&M’s date back to 1941, so if anyone copied anybody M&M’s would be the perpetrator. > > [Smarties - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties) > [M&M's - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%26M%27s) Quite right. > [@](#): > > Forrest Mars, Sr., son of the founder of the Mars Company, invented the idea for the candy in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating chocolate pellets with a hard shell of tempered chocolate surrounding the inside, preventing the candies from melting. And he’d never noticed that one of his major rivals in the UK confectionary market had been selling an identical product for decades? Pull the other one, Forrest. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/8 "2012-11-17T14:50:48Z")
> [@Rahne\_McCloud](#): > > Necco Wafers. I haven’t seen anyone copy this, I don’t know if they taste different, but they look like the US version of Smarties to me? (I didn’t know Smarties meant a different thing in the US either.) > [@amanset](#): > > I have to defend Smarties. They date back to 1937 (in their current form, their genesis can be dated back to 1882), whereas M&M’s date back to 1941, so if anyone copied anybody M&M’s would be the perpetrator. > > [Smarties - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties) > [M&M's - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%26M%27s) Having tried both, I have to say I prefer M&M’s. M&M’s also tries harder with many more flavours, while Smarties stuck to one. Did M&M’s copy their peanut butter flavour from Reese’s pieces, or was it the other way around? Hmm. I noticed Ding Dongs look a bit like [Choco Pie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choco_pie), a Korean snack. I’ve never tried a Ding Dong, but Choco Pies are great! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/9 "2012-11-17T15:04:37Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > How about [Chick-O-Sticks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick-O-Stick)? It’s a pretty odd candy, and I don’t know of any imitators. I am flabbergasted that someone beat me to mentioning Chick-O-Sticks. Most people I know have never even heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/10 "2012-11-17T15:07:52Z")
Only Hershey’s sell baby puke flavoured chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/11 "2012-11-17T15:13:49Z")
You should really check out some of the treats available at your local Chinese, Indian, Japanese, or Thai groceries. Some of them are very, very different from what you’ve listed in this thread so far. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/12 "2012-11-17T15:54:49Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > How about [Chick-O-Sticks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick-O-Stick)? It’s a pretty odd candy, and I don’t know of any imitators. Good pick - I love those sticks! > [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Claey’s is the only company I know of that makes a [horehound-flavored candy](http://www.amazon.com/Claeys-Natural-Horehound-6-Ounce-Packages/dp/B000NPZUBG). I tasted some once, and I think I know why. A candy store near where I used to live, near Sequoia National Park, made some. Never tasted it, but I’m sure other small candy companies or stores make some. > [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Is Almond Joy unique? There are other coconut-and-chocolate candies, but do any of them have almonds? > > How about [Bit-O-Honey](http://www.oldtimecandy.com/bit-o-honey-bulk-2lb.htm)? Oddly, there aren’t many honey-flavored candies. Bit-O-Honey is another good pick. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Mary Janes, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/13 "2012-11-17T15:57:36Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > I don’t know if they taste different, but they look like the US version of Smarties to me? (I didn’t know Smarties meant a different thing in the US either.) No, US Smarties are sour, non-chocolate, and have concave curves as opposed to the convex curves of an M&M. Completely different concepts, except for the general “candy pill” format. > [@AaronX](#): > > I noticed Ding Dongs look a bit like [Choco Pie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choco_pie), a Korean snack. I’ve never tried a Ding Dong, but Choco Pies are great! No, that looks like a Moon Pie. Ding Dongs are just chocolate cake filled with cream and dipped in chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/14 "2012-11-17T16:23:34Z")
Circus peanuts. I guess they could be regarded as a generic candy (there are multiple manufacturers), but they are definitely unique. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/15 "2012-11-17T16:25:29Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Only Hershey’s sell baby puke flavoured chocolate. Actually, that’s a good one. Hershey’s has a peculiar spoiled/sour milk taste to it that I’ve never encountered in another chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/16 "2012-11-17T16:37:16Z")
I think [Zero bars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZERO_bar)are pretty unique. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/17 "2012-11-17T16:45:12Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > I think [Zero bars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZERO_bar)are pretty unique. Polar bars are very similar. (Or perhaps were similar - don’t know if they’re still being produced.) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/18 "2012-11-17T16:46:13Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > Bit-O-Honey is another good pick. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Bit-O-Peanut Butter. (Which, of course, was made by the same company…) ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/19 "2012-11-17T16:54:44Z")
Pez and the dispenser. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288/20 "2012-11-17T16:56:05Z")
What about those old Ice Cubes chocolates? I used to love those, but haven’t been able to find anything else resembling them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-truly-unique-snacks-candy-chocolates/641288.md?page=2)