Discontinued Candy: History, Brands & Trivia

Snack History Nostalgia Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

The candy industry has developed over the years in an important way. People have invented a variety of new candies, but not all of them can stand the test of time. Whether it was the lack of ingredients or just the taste that couldn’t satisfy people, as a result, we have a bunch of discontinued candy. 

Some of these candies weren’t as famous as Skittles or Sneakers today, but that doesn’t mean we don’t wish to have them back. They may no longer be on store shelves, but they stay in our memories as sweet childhood candies.

Top 15 Discontinued Candy That We Miss The Most

There is something special about candies from our childhood, it’s like a time machine. Even one bite of the chocolate bar that we loved as a kid makes us feel like we’re back at age ten again. So if you’re ready to travel back in time, prepare yourself for nostalgia. Let’s remember some of the most popular discontinued candy. 

1. PB Max

Remember this sweet, salty, and crunchy treat? Unfortunately, now it’s on the list of discontinued candy. 

PB Max is a candy bar made by Mars, Incorporated in the 1990s. It was square-shaped milk chocolate with peanut butter and cookie filling. As soon as it was presented to a wide audience, it achieved a surprisingly large following of loyal supporters, but despite this, it was discontinued.

There are some rumors about why the Mars family made this decision. According to them, the only problem was the Mars family’s dislike of peanut butter.

2. Reese’s Peanut Butter & Banana Creme Cups

Since Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups has achieved a huge success and become everyone’s favorite candy, Reese’s decided to go even further and introduced a banana creme flavored peanut butter cup but, for a limited quantity.

The story behind this discontinued candy is very famous. In fact, Elvis Presley loved peanut butter and banana cream sandwiches, and after 30 years of his death, the candy was introduced to pay tribute to him.

The candy turned out to be such a hit that their initial limited run was extended, but in 2008, they stopped manufacturing it and it finally disappeared. Even after so many years, people still remember it, and they still have hope that it will be back one day.

3. Butterfinger BBs

Interestingly for Butterfinger bar lovers, in 1992 a new candy, Butterfinger BBs, was created. The candy was the same but with a different shape. It was a bite-sized, Malteser-like sweet, but the problem was that it had a low boiling point that made it difficult to eat. 

The candy was discontinued in 2006 since it had a messy and easy-to-melt consistency. BB’s were extremely unpleasant to eat, but some people still objected.

That’s why Butterfinger Bites were introduced in 2009, but it isn’t the same product as BB’s.

4. Slo Poke Lollipops

This candy is older than our grandparents but still has some fans. It was first introduced in 1926 by the Holloway Candy Company and it had a rectangular shape. You could simply chew its incredible caramel flavor. 

Good for us, Slo Poke has not completely disappeared, but it kind of “reincarnated” as a “Caramel Bar,” which is slightly different but still has the potential to remind you about those old times, since a caramel bar is just as good as you remember.

5. Starburst Hard Candy

You might have heard of Starburst, a colorful, fruit-flavored candy. Eating classic Starburst is fun since it sticks to your teeth, and that’s what makes the candy different from other brands, but for some time, Starburst decided to produce hard candies.

They were available in a variety of flavors, including strawberry, apple, orange, and cherry, but the candy failed to impress people, and that was enough reason for it to be discontinued.

6. Reggie! Bar

The story behind the candy makes it more nostalgic for baseball fans. Reggie! The bar is named after legendary baseball player Reggie Jackson. It was introduced to a wide audience two years after Reggie Jackson said, “If I played in New York, they’d name a candy bar after me.” And they actually did! 

Surprisingly, Reggie Bar isn’t the only candy that’s named after a baseball player. In fact, if you didn’t know before, Baby Ruth Bar is named after another famous baseball player Babe Ruth. This circular-shaped candy was a combination of peanuts, caramel, and chocolate. It was handed out to Yankees fans at the stadium, even though it had a comeback in the 90s. You won’t find it on the shelves today.

7. Cinnamon Tic Tacs

There are many flavors of Tic Tacs on the market, but have you heard about cinnamon-flavored Tic Tacs?

Everyone’s favorite breath mint once had a sweet, cinnamon flavor, but the candy was discontinued in 2009. Even though sweet cinnamon Tic Tacs disappeared, they introduced a cinnamon spice flavored one, which is available today.

8. Seven Up Candy Bar

This discontinued candy was a combination of seven different chocolate bars. Each of them is filled with a different flavor, including caramel, cherry, brazil nut, buttercream, mint, nougat, etc. This was not a common design for a candy bar at the time, so it made the candy a special treat. 

Even though the Seven Up Candy Bar was a very creative and various flavored product, it failed to succeed, mainly due to manufacturing costs and trademark issues. It finally disappeared in 1979.

9. Skittles Bubble Gum

We all know about the rainbow-flavored, colorful button-like candy, Skittles, but did you know that in the 1990s, Skittles came in the form of bubble gum? Unfortunately, Skittles Bubble Gum only lasted a couple of years before being banished from the shelves of the stores, alongside the “X-treme Fruit Skittles Gum” flavor.

10. Marathon Bar

The Marathon Bar was introduced in 1973 by the Mars corporation. The candy was chewy because of its consistency, and it took a relatively long time to eat. They used it as their tagline-“the candy bar you can’t eat quickly.”

Even though many people loved it, the Marathon bar was discontinued in 1981. People wanted it back so badly that after almost 30 years, this discontinued candy came back for a limited period and was available in some supermarkets with its original packaging.

Loyal fans of the candy found similar products – Curly Wurly, but they aren’t quite similar.

11. Wonka Bar

Have you ever heard about Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory“? The Wonka Bar is candy from this novel, and that’s what made it a special treat for many fans who were delighted when this fictional candy became reality. 

The candy was introduced in 1976. But after Nestlé bought The Willy Wonka Candy Company in 2015, the Wonka Bar vanished from the market. 

Good for us, some of Willy Wonka’s candies are still on shelves. Even though we can no longer get Wonka bars, they still live in our hearts.

12. Hershey’s Kissables

We all know about the fame of Hershey’s Kisses, but they decided to go even further and created Hershey’s Kissables, mini teardrop-shaped candies, similar to M&M’s but in a different shape. They were like Hershey’s kisses, but the difference was the fiddly foil.

The candy was very successful at the beginning, but soon after they changed the recipe and lowered the quality, and guess what? People noticed, and after a few years, the candy became one of the discontinued candies.

13. Hershey’s Swoops

In the early 2000s, there was candy in the shape of Pringles, which sounds like it must have been an exciting and fun experience for every chocolate lover. Swoops were just like Pringles but in chocolate. 

There were six slices in a box of Swoops that wasn’t enough for chocolate lovers, another problem was the fast-melting of the candy. After 3 years, in 2006, Hershey discontinued Swoops and turned them into a more traditional chocolate shape.

14. Hershey’s Bites

When the candy was introduced in the early 2000s, it was a bunch of bite-sized candies made from everyone’s favorite chocolate brands, like Kit Kat, Rolo, and Peanut Butter Cups. The candy itself was very simple and easy to pop in the mouth, like buttons, but made from your favorite chocolate brand! 

The line was discontinued in 2008. But according to Hershey’s official website, you can still purchase it in the case of some brands, like Pretzel Bites and Cookies ‘N’ Creme Cookie Bites. But unfortunately, there are no Kit Kits, Almond Joys, or Reese’s, the sweets we are all craving. 

15. Fruit String Things

No snack has to remind you of your childhood better than Fruit String Things. They were one of the favorite snacks for kids in the 90s. Who doesn’t like snacks that are both tasty and fun at the same time?

The candy was discontinued, but since many kids loved it, there are still versions of it sold on the shelves of supermarkets and grocery stores. Today’s versions of this discontinued candy are way healthier and less harmful for kids since they have less sugar and a low fructose dose. 

But who knows? You might still want to taste it the way it was in your childhood. After all, it’s not just about the taste. 

Final Thoughts On Popular Discontinued Candy

Even though these candies are no longer available to buy, for most of us, they are still associated with the good old days. All we have left to do is to hope. Maybe one day they will come back to life and we will be able to taste the sweetness of our childhood once again. Which discontinued candy do you miss the most? Let us know in the comment section.