The 100 Year Old Candy Bars You Never Knew About

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in Candy Blog

100 years…

10 decades…

1 century…

No matter how you phrase it, 100 years is a long period of time—and a lot can happen during those 100 years.

For people of our day,  it’s been the development of the internet, adaption of cell phones, multiple world wars, a global pandemic, even the birth of at home food delivery is something most people wouldn’t have guessed to be a reality 10 years ago. (Thanks Postmates!)

When you think about 100 years, what comes to mind? The first word that rings in my head is vintage. Today, vintage can be found all over the place—from the clothes people garnish themselves in, to the art they collect, all the way down to the tools handed down from family member to family member. 

Vintage is something that cannot be replicated, but rather is renovated. It’s taking the best of what is already there and doubling down on it.

Yes, retro band tees, and old school vinyl records fit the “vintage” stereotype, but I’d like you to consider one vintage good that you probably use and consume more often than that pair of Levi’s you’ve had in your closet since junior high school.

It’s a candy bar. 

I’m not talking about just any candy bar, I’m talking about 100 year old candy bars.

At OldTimeCandy, we’ve always been on the mission to turn back time. Though we haven’t mastered the whole “time traveling” aspect of this mission, we have figured out a way to take your tastebuds back in time. 

Picture it like Marty McFly meets Willy Wonka if you will. 

In honor of June being National Candy Month, and because we here at OldTimeCandy want everyone to get a sweet taste of vintage in their life, we figured why not share our favorite 100 year old candy bars with you. 

Without further ado, here are 10 candy bars you probably didn’t know are 100 years old, and still taste as good as they did nearly a century ago. 

1. Abba Zabba

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The Abba Zabba Bar was developed in Los Angeles, CA in the 1920’s and was one of the first taffy peanut butter bars on the market. It’s iconic taxi-cab casing and stick-to-your-mouth texture was and still is a favorite for west coast candy fans.

Grab yourself a few of them by clicking right here. 

2. Baby Ruth 

When you hear the name, you automatically think baseball. Most would consider the Baby Ruth to be the child of the legendary Babe Ruth, but that’s where you are wrong. Matter of fact, the Baby Ruth was actually named after President Grover Cleveland's daughter, Ruth Cleveland.

This classic candy once sold for 5 cents and was featured in army rations for multiple wars including WWII. Today, it still reigns supreme on most grocery store shelves and gas stations with its peanut, caramel, and nougat combo.

Get yourself some right here.

 3. Charleston Chew

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There are a lot of different candy bars out there that have nougat, but there’s something about a Charleston Chew that is just different. Maybe it’s the chocolate coating, or maybe it’s the variety of nougat flavors that include vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Whatever it is, they’ve been doing it right for nearly 100 years!

The name itself comes from a famous dance from the ‘20s known as the Charleston, which you can check out for yourself right here, and today they even use the candy bar to explain rheology—the study of the flow of matter from liquid states to soft solids.

Whether you want to get your science study on, or simply enjoy a candy classic, do yourself a favor and grab a few right here.

 4. Goldenberg's Peanut Chew

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First introduced to the world via the military in 1917, the Goldenberg Peanut Chew was a favorite amongst army members and regular civilians. Taking a classic combination of dark chocolate and peanuts, it was one of the first candy bars to feature the beloved roasted peanut. 

After 10 years on the market, they decided to change it up and turn it into the miniature size that is what we all know and love today. 

If your peanut and chocolate craving is overwhelming, may I suggest grabbing yourself a few of these for your next movie night.

 5. Milky Way 

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Again, one might think that the name of this candy bar came from some obsession over space and the solar system—wrong. Instead, this candy bar was named Milky Way after creator Frank Mars’ love for chocolate milkshakes.

The Milky Way is one of the most unique candy bars in the world in that it varies based on where you live. In the United States you’ll find the traditional nougat, caramel, and chocolate, but in Europe you’ll stumble upon a different recipe that cuts out the caramel and lightens up the nougat—in the U.S. they call this the Three Musketeers.

Wherever you are, the Milky Way is bound to be found on a store shelf and if you can’t get it there, don’t worry we have plenty of them waiting for you right here

6. Mounds 

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The Mounds Bar might be one of the most unique confectionary tales of all time. Originally, the coconut that went inside the bar was sourced from the Philippines, but when WWII broke out the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing company was forced to hire their own fleet of boats to go down to the Carribean to bring back their beloved coconut. This group was known as the Mounds Flea Fleet and was attributed with keeping the candy brand alive during those war years.

Then in 1946, they added the classic Almond Joy into their offerings, securing them as the top coconut candy on the market.

If you’re thinking, “I haven’t had a Mounds bar in a minute” go ahead, snatch a few from us and fill that belly with the sweet taste of dark chocolate and coconut. 

7. Mr. Goodbar 

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I can remember the days of going to my great-grandmother’s house and grabbing a few mini Mr. Goodbars from her stash of sweets on the counter. She never failed to have her favorite candy bar on deck ready for her grandkids at all times.

And the story is the same for Mr. Goodbar—since its inception in the 1920’s, it has endured Hershey’s ups and downs, cementing itself as one of their most popular products. Today, you’ll find it in all shapes and sizes in your local store, but nothing can beat the classic, full-size candy bar filled with creamy milk chocolate and perfectly roasted peanuts.

Take your tastebuds back to better days by getting yourself some of these right here.

8. U-No 

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The U-No bar is one of those candy bars you tend to forget about, especially if you’ve never tasted one before. But when you do, trust me, it’s hard to forget.

Created in the mid-1920’s, it was Annabelle Candy Company’s effort to inject themselves into the chocolate candy bar conversation. The rather simple recipe is packed full of flavor from the truffle-like chocolate that fills the inside of an even thicker chocolate coating on the outside.

Like I said, this is one of the most underrated and tasty candy bars around and you can get yourself some of them by simply clicking right here

9. Slo Poke 

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Usually you would reserve this term for your friend who can’t keep up with the rest of the group, but this is entirely different. The Slo-Poke caramel bar, or as most would call it caramel lollipop, was first developed in 1926 as a long-lasting confection you could enjoy for a while.

Though most people may not consider it a traditional “candy bar” the company made the switch from using sticks attached to the caramel, to full bars and bite-sized bars during the mid 40’s, making it a classic caramel candy bar you could enjoy now and later if your tastebuds desired.

You can find a bunch of them right here

10. Zero 

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Created by Hollywood Brands in Minneapolis Minnesota, the Zero Bar, originally named the Double Zero Bar, was the first white chocolate bar on the candy market. It combined caramel, peanut, almond, nougat, and white chocolate, to create a totally new flavor of candy bar most people had never tried.

Known as the “white chocolate Snickers” the Zero Bar is for those who want to change it up and try something a little out of the ordinary, without missing those classic candy bar flavors that we all know and love.

Snatch up a few Zero Bars for you and the family by clicking this button right here.

Now that your sweet tooth is tingling for a few candy bars, I’ll leave it to you to decide which ones you want to get. For now, remember—just because something is 100 years old, doesn’t mean it can’t taste amazing, you just need to try it out. 

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