For this thread, I’m defining ‘popular’ as meaning, if a store has a reasonably expansive display of candy bars near the register, what are the most recently introduced candy bars that you would expect to be included?
I was waiting in line at the grocery store this morning, casually looking at the magazines and gadgets and candy that they had displayed for impulse purchases, and realized that almost every one one of the candy bars was something that I could, and probably did, beg Mommy to buy me when I was a child…and that was decades ago. Snickers bars, Hershey bars, Nestle crunch, Rollos, on and on.
The only one I noticed that wasn’t a childhood friend was a Take 5 bar. I can think of a few others that were introduced in my adult years, existed for awhile, and then vanished. Like Marathon bars (three braided strands of caramel coated in chocolate), the 100 Million bar (or some name close to that, it had crunchy bits of puffed rice in it), and the Triple Decker Bar (three layers of chocolate – dark, white, and milk.)
So, what other ‘recently’ introduced candy bars have earned those precious near-the-cash-register slots?
Believe you mean the 100 Grand Bar-it’s still out there and as popular as ever. A favorite of mine.
100 Grand (formerly known as $100,000 Bar, spoken as “hundred thousand dollar bar” until 1985 or 1986) is a candy bar produced by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero. The candy bar was created in 1964. It weighs 1.5 ounces (43 g) and includes chocolate, caramel and crisped rice. [Wikipedia]
It seems that only variations on the old favorites get a coveted spot near the cashier. So the Reese’s peanut butter cups with Reese’s pieces, for example. Or whatever the newest M&M flavor is. The whole thing about the candy selection is to get people to buy candy as a impulse buy, so something which is not well-known will not be flying off the shelves.
Skittles came out in the early 80’s when I was in college. Twix is another newer one. Twix was introduced in the US in 1979.
Starburst seems fairly new to me. I don’t remember seeing it advertised until the early to mid 70’s (my junior high/high school years). But Wikipedia says it was sold in the early 60’s.
I still remember the TV commercial from the 1970s. The song is a real earworm:
Chewy chewy caramel
Hundred thousand dollar bar
Chewy chewy caramel
Hundred thousand dollar bar
Extra rich in caramel
Nestle’s Hundred thousand dollar bar
The issue is that it’s much easier to market brand extensions (especially for food) than something new. So companies find ways to vary the existing brand by adding new flavors. I don’t think there’s been a successful new candy bar since Take5 in 2004.
The question is whether Take5 is considered popular.
Here’s a list from last year of the most popular candy bar brands in the U.S. The newest brand on the list (not counting the Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme line extension) is Twix (introduced in the U.S in 1979).
Necco Wafers (RIP) were really some kind of awesome. Unfortunately I discovered this too late! Clove, cinnamon, lemon, lime, and wintergreen in one package? Yes, please!
I see that Spangler claims to be bringing them back, but I haven’t seen any in a store yet. Then again, I haven’t been in many stores this year for some reason!
