The long-forgotten chocolate bars they need to bring back

Gone too soon

It's always disappointing when you find out your favourite sweet treat has been discontinued, and we still have rectangular holes in our lives left by the likes of Pearson’s Seven Up and Cadbury’s Time Out.

From retro classics to much-loved limited-editions and amazing bars other countries got to eat, read on to see the discontinued bars we think deserve a comeback.

1920s: Denver Sandwich

Neither from Denver nor a sandwich, this chocolate and peanut wafer bar was first produced by Wisconsin-based Sperry Company in the 1920s. Described as a chocolate-covered salted nut roll, it only cost 7p (10c) back in the day. However, soon after Pearson Candy Company bought Sperry Company in 1962, the misnamed bar was dropped from production.

1920s: Chicken Dinner

Launched in the US in 1923, Sperry Company’s Chicken Dinner was a bar that grabbed people's attention. It featured fudge, caramel and peanuts and was likened to a hearty, nutritious dinner. Though it was discontinued in the 1960s, it remains one of the most influential chocolate bars of all time for its health-giving claims.

1930s: Marathon

Everyone’s favourite nougat, peanut and caramel chocolate bar was invented in the US in the 1930s. It was named after the Mars family's favourite horse. Soon it was globally rebranded as Snickers, except for here in the UK where it continued to be called Marathon until 1990. The nutty bar was rebranded back to Marathon for a limited time in 2019 much to the delight of nostalgic UK chocolate lovers.

1940s: Malted Milk

This malted milk nougat, caramel and chocolate bar was produced by Canadian manufacturer Neilson during the wartime rationing years of the 1940s. When Neilson was bought by Cadbury in the 1990s it was discontinued – but not before Cadbury put out its own version, which didn't stick around for long.

1940s: Milk Tray

Launched in England in the 1940s, this bar featured eight Milk Tray chocolates from the brand's famous selection box moulded together on a single chocolate block. These included fudge, caramel, strawberry creme, orange creme, nut, coffee, coconut ice and lime cordial. It was a hit all the way up to the 1980s.

1940s: Old Nick

From the same producers as beloved candy bar Bit-O-Honey, Old Nick was made by the Schutter-Johnson Company of Chicago. It was a compact bar featuring fudge, caramel and peanuts coated in milk chocolate, but sadly it was discontinued in the 1960s. Miraculously, Bit-O-Honey, which launched in the 1920s is still available but now sold by Pearson’s Candy.

1950s: Coconut Grove

Coconut lovers certainly miss this creamy tropical confectionery bar that was covered in bittersweet dark chocolate. Manufactured by Curtiss Candy Company (who also made Baby Ruth bars and Saf-T-Pops), it was a popular treat in America in the 1950s. Until it makes a comeback, Mars' Bounty bar is your best replacement.

1950s: Seven Up

In 1951 Pearson’s Candy inherited Seven Up from Trudeau Candy. Sold in the US, it was a chocolate bar with seven squares containing seven fillings – at one point it was mint, nougat, butterscotch, fudge, coconut, butter cream and caramel. However, it was a difficult bar to produce and eventually discontinued.

1960s: Aztec

A real throwback to Britain in the 1960s, the Aztec bar was Cadbury’s answer to the Mars bar. However, the chocolate, caramel and nougat bar didn’t quite win people over in the same way as Mars. It clung on for just over a decade before coming off shelves in 1978.

1960s: Tosca

If you’ve spent any time in Australia, chances are you're familiar with Rowntree’s Tosca – a popular chocolate bar featuring layers of cream, caramel and wafer, covered in milk chocolate. It was around for a number of decades but production stopped at some point in the 1990s.

1960s: Space Food Sticks

These small sticks have a big story. They were developed by Pillsbury and NASA as energy bars and sent to the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. A commercial version was also made available in the US which came in flavours such as chocolate, caramel and peanut butter.

1970s: amazin’ raisin bar

A beloved 1970s British chocolate treat, the amazin’ raisin bar contained caramel, nougat, two types of chocolate and raisins. It was marketed as healthy-ish and its adverts featured a fictional King Charles I who conquered the Roundheads in a fight while his companion declared: “It’s amazing what raisins can do”. More amazingly, it cost only 5p (7c).

1970s: Bar Six

Another 1970s favourite made by Cadbury, Bar Six consisted of six chocolate fingers and was ideal for sharing. It was a dreamy combination of hazelnut cream, wafer and milk chocolate. With a bright orange wrapper, the bar was available in the UK, but sadly vanished from the shelves at some point in the 1980s.

1970s: WigWag

Sold by Mackintosh's in Canada in the 1970s, WigWag featured chocolate-covered caramel intertwined like a long, thin pretzel. The retro treat is no longer available but the Curly Wurly, sold by Cadbury, is a close replacement today.

1970s: Rally

A 1970s American classic, the Rally bar, was made by The Hershey Company and sold for 11p (15c). The delicious milk-chocolate-covered caramel, fudge and peanut bar made a brief comeback in 2013 but we want it back permanently, preferably with the original price tag.

1970s: Reggie!

Although this American candy bar was only sold for a short amount of time, between 1978 and 1981, Reggie! made a big name for itself. It was named after the New York Yankee player Reggie Jackson and featured rich caramel, roasted peanuts and chocolate. Sometimes old bars of it still resurface on eBay.

1980s: Spira

Anyone raised in Britain in the 1980s will have fond memories of sipping milk through these ingenious spiral-shaped chocolate straws. Sadly, Cadbury's Spira was discontinued in 2005 and nothing on the market has been able to fill its place.

1990s: Time Out

A classic British chocolate bar, Time Out was launched in the UK and Ireland in 1992 and landed in Canada a decade later. However, in 2016 Cadbury announced the dual chocolate wafer snack was to take time out due to poor sales. Its replacement? The Time Out Wafer – a single bar with less chocolate.

1990s: Wispa Mint

This bubbly, mint-flavoured bar was almost exactly the same as Nestlé’s Aero Peppermint. Cadbury launched Wispa Mint in the UK in 1995, but pulled it in 2003 due to poor sales. However, the brand brought back its plain chocolate Wispa in 2008 much to delight of its fans, so there’s still hope for its minty counterpart.

1990s: Fuse

A sorely-missed 1990s classic, Fuse was a dense chocolate block containing raisins, peanuts, crispy cereal and fudge. Available in the UK, it sold 40 million in its first week, yet disappointingly Cadbury took it off the shelves for good in 2006.

1990s: Flyte

"Taste the chocolate... skip some fat!" was a slogan that got the attention of dieters when this light bar landed in the UK in the late 1990s. Sales took off with 50 million bars sold in less than a year. Similar to a Milky Way (or a 3 Musketeers in the US), it had a fluffy nougat centre and chocolate coating.

2000s: Snow Flake

Essentially a white chocolate Flake covered in milk chocolate, the Snow Flake launched in the UK in 2000 and quickly gained a loyal following. In 2008, it was suddenly pulled from the shelves – the same year as Cadbury’s also halted production of its white chocolate Dream bar. A petition calling for its return has been running for a few years and has nearly 7,000 signatures, we’re rooting for it to meet its target of 7,500.

2000s: Dream

A white chocolate version of Dairy Milk, but sweeter and creamier, Cadbury’s Dream was sold in Britain in the 2000s. Discontinued after just a few years, the UK public was outraged. If you really need a white chocolate fix, Nestlé’s Milkybar is a good replacement.

2000s: Mars Delight

This light and crunchy version of the Mars bar was introduced to the UK in 2004 and  gained a fiercely loyal following. The chocolate-covered, caramel and cream-filled wafer sticks came in a pack of two, which were inevitably eaten in one sitting. The bar disappeared a couple of years later, causing irate fans to launch a petition in protest.

2000s: KitKat Caramac

When Nestlé's KitKat and Caramac (a caramel-flavoured bar) teamed up in 2005, fans thought the buttery caramel-covered four-finger wafer was the best thing ever. However, the super-sweet treat, which was available in the UK, only hung around for a short time, much to the public’s dismay.

2000s: KitKat Senses

Similar to a Kinder Bueno, KitKat Senses was a thin, crispy, praline-filled bar that landed on UK supermarket shelves in 2008. The exciting new bar was promoted by British pop group Girls Aloud and continues to be one of the country's most missed chocolate bars.

2000s: Butterfinger Buzz

You may recall the iconic American candy bar Butterfinger receiving an unexpected update in 2009. Nestlé's limited-edition Butterfinger Buzz had a bright orange core and contained as much caffeine as an energy drink. It wasn’t the most delicious candy, but it certainly gave you an energy boost.

2010s: Marble

A deliciously decadent bar that combined white chocolate, milk chocolate and praline, Cadbury’s Marble won the hearts of people in both the UK and Australia with its sophisticated swirl effect. So you can imagine the upset when it was discontinued – one fan even sent a letter to the Australian prime minister in outrage.

2010s: Wonka

Inspired by the classic Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Nestlé launched Wonka bars in the UK in 2013. They were available in Millionaire’s Shortbread, Crème Brûlée and Chocolate Nice Cream flavours. In the first three months sales rocketed at £3 million ($4.1m) a month, but less than a year later it was taken off shelves after sales took a nosedive.

Now check out the greatest American candy bars of all time