Do you remember a candy bar called Butternut? Paul, an actor and radio host who posts as @PaulVanScott, does, and he opens his latest countdown with the old commercial for it: a pig and an elephant trying to sell you buttery peanut candy. He says it was discontinued in 1996, and that is only the beginning. He has ten more vanished candy bars, complete with their original commercials and the dates they disappeared.

If you grew up checking the candy aisle at the corner store, this list is a trip back in time. Some of these bars you will recognize right away. Others will make you say, “I never heard of that one.” Either way, here is what he found.

The Countdown, From Ten to One

Number ten is the Peanut Butter Oh Henry. Paul shows a commercial from 1995 and says the bar lasted from 1988 until about 2005. Number nine is the Nestle Alpine White Bar, which arrived in 1986 and was discontinued in 1993.

Number eight is the Hershey Grand Slam from 1986, and it comes with the funniest story of the bunch. The ad shows guys sitting around trying to come up with a better name, tossing out football terms like linebacker, nose tackle and pulling guard after hearing that some football players did not like a baseball name. Paul says the bar was quietly pulled from shelves in 1990.

Number seven is the Cadbury Whisper, with a 1984 ad promoting it as chocolate lightened up with thousands of tiny chocolate bubbles. Paul says it continued until 2003. Number six is Bonkers, the fruit candy, with a 1983 ad that playfully insisted it was candy and not gum. It was pulled in 1988.

Number five is Summit from 1977. Its ad showed a kid fed up with homework and reaching for a “delicious break anytime,” with crunchy roasted peanuts, rich chocolate and a crispy center. The recipe was overhauled in 1983, but that did not help, and Paul says it was gone by 1985.

Number four might be the most unusual. The No Jelly Bar from 1972 was named for what was not in it. Its commercial features Vincent Price explaining that the Peter Paul candy company had found an alternative to peanut butter and jelly: peanut butter with no jelly, dotted with crisps and covered in milk chocolate. The name confused shoppers. In 1977 it was renamed the Peanut Butter Bar, which did not save it, and it ended in 1979.

Number three is a personal pick. Paul says he and his wife were at King’s Dominion in Virginia in 2009 when they saw the Wazoo Bar in a candy shop. They bought it expecting to hate it, and loved it. They went back for more, but it did not last. He shares a photo of the two of them the day they bought it.

Number two is the Wigwam bar, shown in a 1977 commercial that touts McIntosh caramel covered in milk chocolate. It came out in 1972 and was gone by 1982. Number one is the Peter Paul Caravelle. Its ad jokes that you might forget what you are doing if you bite into one, thanks to its crisp chocolate and soft caramel. The candy came out in 1965 and was gone by 1981.

Why Do Candy Bars Disappear?

Paul does not dig into the reasons, but the pattern in his list is easy to see. A few themes show up again and again:

• Confusing names. The No Jelly Bar is the classic example. A name that tells you what a candy is not does not help a kid pick it at the register.
• Limited runs. Some bars, like the Wazoo Bar in the story, only stick around a short time before the maker moves on.
• Recipe changes. Summit was overhauled and still did not catch on. Once shoppers lose interest, even a new formula can fail to bring them back.
• Brand shake-ups. Candy companies merge, change owners and trim product lines. Bars that sell modestly are often the first to go.

How to Track Down a Lost Favorite

If a bar from your childhood is on the missing list, you have a few options. Some old candies come back for a short time as nostalgia releases, so keep an eye on the news from the big candy makers. Specialty retro candy shops often carry similar treats and sometimes stock the real thing from small manufacturers. Online communities and collectors are also a goldmine. Old wrappers and boxes from discontinued candy show up at flea markets and estate sales, and they make a fun, inexpensive display. Just be careful: do not eat decades-old candy, however tempting it is.

You can also do what Paul does and look up the old commercials. Seeing a 1970s ad for a candy bar you forgot you loved is sometimes better than the candy itself.

Your Turn

Paul ends by asking his audience which of the ten they liked and which they never heard of, and whether anyone else got to try a Wazoo. It is a great question to ask around the dinner table or the next time you see an old friend. Which candy bar do you miss the most? You may be surprised by how many different answers come back, and by how fast everyone starts humming the jingles.

More Stories You May Like

• Woman Born In 1951 Recalls A Childhood With No Seat Belts No Helmets And Water From The Garden Hose And Says Her Bike Beep Horn Was Pretty Cool
• Record Collector Blind Buys Boxes Of Records And Finds A Rare Derek And The Dominos Layla Test Pressing Hidden In The Pile
• She Plugged In A Vintage Elvis Animatronic Expecting It To Be Dead And It Greeted Her With Hello Ladies And Gentlemen Before Scaring Her Senseless