Remember when a trip to the corner store meant staring at rows of colorful candy wrappers, trying to decide which chocolate bar deserved your allowance? For anyone who grew up in the 1960s or 1970s, those candy aisles probably hold some pretty sweet memories.
Back then, candy makers weren’t afraid to experiment. Chocolate bars came in braided shapes, peanut butter treats had unusual names, and some candies offered several flavors in one package.
But not every childhood favorite survived changing tastes and the competitive candy market.
Some disappeared quietly, while others were renamed before vanishing altogether. Here are nine old-school candies that once brightened American store shelves but are no longer produced in their original forms.
Marathon Bar
If you remember the Marathon Bar, chances are you remember its unusual shape. Introduced by Mars in 1973, this chocolate-covered caramel bar looked nothing like the ordinary rectangular candy bars sitting beside it.
Its long, braided caramel design made it instantly recognizable. Even better, the wrapper featured a ruler that emphasized just how long the candy was.
According to candy historian Jason Liebig’s packaging research, a November 1973 trade announcement introduced the Marathon as a new M&M/Mars product.
The original American Marathon disappeared around 1981 or 1982, leaving behind plenty of nostalgic memories.
Although Cadbury’s Curly Wurly offers a somewhat similar braided caramel experience, it isn’t a revival of the original American Marathon. For longtime fans, that distinctive ruler wrapper remains almost as memorable as the candy itself.
Nestlé Choco’Lite
Some candy bars were memorable because of their flavor. Others stood out because of their unusual texture. Nestlé’s Choco’Lite managed to do both.
Introduced to American shoppers in the early 1970s, Choco’Lite featured aerated milk chocolate combined with crispy pieces.
Those tiny air pockets gave the chocolate a distinctive texture, while the crunchy additions made it different from a conventional solid chocolate bar.
CollectingCandy’s historical wrapper research documents Choco’Lite packaging from the 1970s and places its early marketing around late 1971.
The original candy disappeared sometime during the 1980s, although surviving records don’t establish a universally agreed-upon final production date.
Modern aerated chocolate products may remind some shoppers of Choco’Lite, but they aren’t the same original treat.
Seven Up Candy Bar
No, this wasn’t a candy bar flavored like the famous lemon-lime soda. The Seven Up candy bar offered something far more unusual: seven individually filled chocolate sections in one package.
Each section contained a different center, making the bar feel almost like a miniature box of assorted chocolates.
A preserved wrapper featured by the Candy Wrapper Museum lists fillings including cherry, coconut, caramel, fudge, jelly, maple, and Brazil nut.
Different versions existed over the years, so the exact assortment wasn’t necessarily identical throughout its history.
The candy was available during the 1960s and 1970s before eventually disappearing, with many historical accounts placing its discontinuation around 1979.
For shoppers who enjoyed variety, Seven Up offered a clever alternative to eating an entire bar with just one filling.
Peter Paul Caravelle
Before today’s crowded selection of caramel-and-crispy chocolate bars, there was the Peter Paul Caravelle. Introduced in the 1960s, this candy combined caramel and crisped rice beneath a milk-chocolate coating.
It delivered a mixture of chewy and crunchy textures that made it stand out from simpler chocolate bars. Historical accounts place its introduction around 1965, making it a genuine candy from the era.
According to Chowhound’s look at the discontinued Caravelle, the bar eventually disappeared from production.
However, sources disagree about precisely when it was discontinued and whether later revival attempts occurred. What remains clear is that the original Caravelle is no longer part of the ordinary American candy lineup.
For anyone who remembers its combination of caramel and crisped rice, it’s another example of a once-familiar sweet treat that quietly faded away.
Original Peanut Butter Oompas
Long before the Wonka name became associated with various colorful candies, there were Peanut Butter Oompas.
Introduced in 1971, these candy-coated pieces combined chocolate and peanut butter. They were among the original products associated with the Willy Wonka candy brand.
Surviving sales catalogs and trade materials documented by CollectingCandy confirm their presence in the early 1970s.
The original Peanut Butter Oompas appear to have disappeared around the early 1980s, although the exact final production year remains uncertain.
Later candies used the Oompas name, but those fruit-flavored versions were different from the original peanut-butter treats.
That’s an important distinction for nostalgic candy fans. The name may have returned in another form, but the original chocolate-and-peanut-butter experience did not.
Willy Wonka’s Super Skrunch
If you loved peanut butter and crispy candy bars, Super Skrunch probably sounds like something worth bringing back.
Introduced in 1971, this Willy Wonka creation combined peanut butter, crisped rice, and a chocolate coating. The name alone practically advertised the candy’s crunchy personality.
Historical wrappers and sales materials preserved by candy collector Jason Liebig show how the product evolved over time.
By around 1980, Super Skrunch had become Skrunch. A revised version appeared in 1981, followed by another identity as Willy Wonka’s Peanut Butter Bar in 1982. That means the original name disappeared before the product line itself finally faded away.
The exact final manufacturing date remains uncertain, but Super Skrunch’s changing identity makes it one of the more interesting forgotten candies of the era.
Peter Paul’s No Jelly Bar
With a name like No Jelly, this candy was practically begging shoppers to take a closer look. Introduced in 1972, Peter Paul’s No Jelly combined peanut butter, crisped rice, and chocolate.
Its unusual name emphasized what was missing rather than what was inside. According to CollectingCandy’s historical research, surviving advertisements and wrappers document the candy’s introduction and subsequent packaging changes.
By 1977, the No Jelly name had been replaced with Peter Paul Peanut Butter Bar. The successor remained available through at least 1979, based on surviving packaging. So while No Jelly disappeared as a brand name, the candy didn’t vanish immediately.
For shoppers who remember seeing those wrappers in neighborhood stores, it’s another example of how candy companies sometimes changed familiar products before retiring them completely.
Hollywood Milk Shake Bar
The Hollywood Milk Shake Bar had a name that sounded more like something ordered at a diner than purchased from a candy counter.
But it was a real chocolate bar, combining nougat and caramel beneath a chocolate coating. The Candy Wrapper Museum preserves packaging that documents this old-fashioned treat.
Unlike some candies introduced during the 1970s, Milk Shake belonged to an older generation of candy brands that remained part of nostalgic candy culture.
Its combination of nougat, caramel, and chocolate reflected the kind of familiar flavors that helped define traditional American candy bars. The specialty retailer Candy Favorites includes Milk Shake among its discontinued candies.
Although its exact final production date isn’t firmly established by the available records, the original Hollywood bar has disappeared from regular production.
For those who remember it, even seeing the old wrapper may bring back memories of neighborhood candy counters.
Hollywood Big Time Bar
Sometimes, a candy’s name was enough to make it sound like a serious treat. Hollywood’s Big Time was one of those products.
This old-fashioned candy bar combined nougat, peanuts, and caramel, offering a mixture of chewy and crunchy textures.
The Candy Wrapper Museum preserves wrappers and display material showing how the product was presented to shoppers.
Big Time belonged to an earlier generation of Hollywood candy brands remembered by collectors and longtime candy enthusiasts.
The original bar is now listed among discontinued products by specialty candy retailer Candy Favorites. Its precise discontinuation date and the circumstances surrounding its disappearance remain unclear.
Still, Big Time deserves a place in candy history as one of the vintage chocolate bars that no longer occupies its former spot on store shelves.
Why Did So Many Old-Fashioned Candies Disappear?
It’s tempting to assume that every discontinued candy failed because customers stopped buying it. But the history isn’t always that simple.
Candy brands can change names, undergo reformulations, or disappear following shifts in manufacturing and business priorities.
Sometimes, the reasons are well documented. Other times, all that’s left are surviving advertisements, wrappers, and the memories of shoppers who enjoyed the products.
That uncertainty is especially common with older candies. For Marathon, Choco’Lite, and several early Wonka products, surviving promotional materials provide valuable clues about when they appeared.
However, their exact reasons for disappearing aren’t always clear.
What makes these candies interesting isn’t simply that they’re gone. It’s how different they were from many of the sweets shoppers encounter today.
The Sweet Memories That Never Really Disappear
For many Americans who grew up during the 1960s and 1970s, candy was more than a quick treat.
It was part of childhood routines, whether that meant stopping at the corner store after school, spending birthday money at the candy counter, or sharing a favorite chocolate bar with friends.
These nine candies represent different pieces of that history. Some were introduced during those decades, while others were older favorites still remembered from the era. Several changed names before eventually disappearing.
Today, old wrappers and vintage advertisements provide a fascinating glimpse into what American candy aisles once looked like.
The candy bars may be gone, but the memories of choosing a favorite treat with a few coins in your pocket can last a lifetime.
And who knows? With nostalgic candy making occasional comebacks, perhaps another forgotten favorite will eventually find its way back onto store shelves. Which of these nine candies do you remember buying, and which one would you love to see return?
