Remember the days when you'd save up your allowance to spend on candy after school? Some of our most vivid childhood memories are attached to the sweet treats we fell in love with growing up. To spark your nostalgia, we've rounded up 31 of the 20th century's most beloved candies – from discontinued favorites like Old Nick and Coconut Grove to big-name brands that are still going strong today. How many do you remember?
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover our ranking of the most beloved candies from the last 100 or so years – counting down to the most nostalgic treat of all.
Our ranking takes into account sales, longevity and the reaction to each product at the time of its release. This list is unavoidably subjective.
Creamy, chewy, and made with real honey and almonds, this sweet treat was one of the most popular candies of the 20th century – and there’s not much else out there like it. Bit-O Honey was introduced by the Schutter-Johnson Company of Chicago in 1924, sold in six segments divided by wax paper. Although it's now produced by The Spangler Candy Company and its packaging has changed (now featuring a friendly bee), it's still available to buy, and it tastes just as good as ever.
Remember Saf-T-Pops, introduced by the Curtiss Candy Company in the 1940s? They were designed with a cord loop instead of a stick, which, the brand asserted, made them much safer for children to eat. The candy was trademarked in 1942 – and to this day, it's still the only lollipop that features this novel stick alternative. This Saf-T-Pops advert from 1952 demonstrates the product's safety-boosting qualities.
When Pop Rocks went on sale in 1975, they became a huge hit among kids, who went crazy for the crackling and tingling sensation they cause when eaten. However, the product was taken off the market in 1983 – and unfounded rumors spread that they had caused a boy’s stomach to explode. The product returned in 1985 under the name of Action Candy, but it's now known as Pop Rocks once more.
If you were lucky enough to try the Whatchamacallit in the late 1970s when it was first produced, you’ll remember that back then, it was a simple creation of peanut-flavored crisped rice, covered in chocolate. In 1987, Hershey’s added a layer of caramel – and, in 2009, the company introduced the Thingamajig, which swapped the puffed rice for cocoa crisps.
Named after the sound babies make, the Goo Goo Cluster was created in Nashville in 1912. It was the first combination candy ever sold, featuring a delicious blend of marshmallow nougat, caramel, roasted peanuts, and chocolate. In the 1920s and 1930s, the treat was marketed as 'a nourishing lunch for a nickel' – and, though it sadly no longer costs a nickel, it's still incredibly popular. Standard Candy produces up to 20,000 Goo Goo Clusters every hour.
Not only did the Schutter-Johnson Company of Chicago bring the Bit-O-Honey into the world, it also gave us Old Nick, launched in the 1940s. A bit like a Clark Bar, it featured a fudgy, nutty center, coated in milk chocolate – and it came with the boastful tagline, ‘American’s Favorite Candy Bar.' Sadly for those who loved it, it was discontinued in the 1960s.
American snackers have been turning to York Peppermint Patties for a minty chocolate fix since 1940. These circular treats are known for their soft mint centers, coated in slightly sweet dark chocolate. They were originally produced by the York Cone Company of Pennsylvania, but these days, they're manufactured by The Hershey Company – and 1.5 billion of them fly out of the factory every year.
This eye-wateringly sour candy was first introduced to the US by the Foreign Candy Company in 1993. Warheads are highly acidic – and they even come with a warning that eating multiple sweets can cause irritation to sensitive tongues. Nonetheless, kids loved them and would show off their ability to withstand their sourness at school. By 1999, they were a $40 million brand.
Introduced by the Goldenberg Candy Company in 1917, Peanut Chews were a popular addition to soldiers' rations during World War II, all thanks to their high protein content. In the late 1940s, when the war was over, the company ditched its other products to focus solely on producing the nutty candy (the post-war packaging is pictured here). Available with a dark chocolate or milk chocolate coating, these bite-sized candy pieces are still on sale today, with that same nostalgic peanut and molasses center we've loved for generations.
When the 100 Grand bar first came out in the 1960s, it was called the $100,000 Bar – and radio DJs played pranks on listeners, offering '100 grand' for answering a question correctly. However, after one upset listener found out she was actually receiving the puffed rice and caramel chocolate bar, a Kentucky radio station was sued in 2005. Its first slogan was 'tastes so good it's almost illegal,' but today it has the tagline 'that's rich.'
When confectionery company Perfetti Van Melle launched AirHeads in 1986, America quickly fell in love with them. Sugar-coated, garishly colored, incredibly chewy, and available in a multitude of extreme flavors – including cherry, blue raspberry, mango-chili, maple, mint and limited-edition birthday cake – it’s easy to see their appeal. Today, AirHeads Xtremes (sour fruit rolls) and AirHeads Pops lollipops are also available.
In the late 1930s, Atlanta's Sophie Mae Candy Co. began producing peanut brittle, and the sweet, nutty candy quickly became one of its bestselling products. The brittle was made of peanuts blended with sugar-corn syrup – and at its peak, the factory produced 3,000 cases per eight-hour shift. Passersby on the street would look in through the glass window and watch as the candy was made. Sadly, the factory has now closed. This Sophie Mae advert from 1953 proclaims that the candy never got sticky, even in summer.
With its bittersweet dark chocolate coating, this creamy coconut bar was a lot like the Bounty bar that's produced by Mars today. It was manufactured by Curtiss Candy Company, which also made Butterfinger bars and Saf-T-Pops. However, sadly for coconut lovers, it's no longer available – so these days, you'll have to stick with a Bounty to get your fix. This Coconut Grove advert from 1953 depicts the bar as a luscious, exotic treat.
Oreo’s lesser spotted cousin, the Hydrox cookie was created in 1908 by Sunshine Biscuits. A dark sandwich cookie with a white creme filling, it was a game-changer at the time. However, when Nabisco released the Oreo four years later, it took over the market. Nevertheless, some people stayed loyal to Hydrox as they preferred its bitter taste (and the fact that it’s kosher). This Hydrox advert from 1957 describes the cookie's vanilla filling as 'thrilling.'
Launched by the Curtiss Candy Company in 1923, Butterfinger – a candy bar with a honeycomb, peanut, and caramel center and a chocolatey coating – is an all-American favorite that's been loved for over a century. Its marketing campaigns have featured a few famous faces over the years; it was promoted by child actor Shirley Temple in the 1934 film Baby Take a Bow, and advertised by characters from The Simpsons from 1988 until 2001. These days, Butterfinger is made by the Ferrara Candy Company, part of the Ferrero brand.
Filled with crispy rice, this flat milk chocolate bar was first introduced by Nestlé in 1938. The tagline was 'more fun to munch,' but behind the packaging, it’s almost identical to the Krackel bar introduced by Hershey’s the same year. Nevertheless, Crunch is Nestlé's third largest confectionery brand today, sold in around 40 markets across the globe – so it must be doing something right.
Beech-Nut’s Fruit Stripe came out in the early 1960s, and it quickly became popular thanks to its eye-catching wrappers and free temporary tattoos. Its five fruity flavors originally included cherry, grape, lemon, orange, and mixed fruit, and they were notoriously quick to fade. Yipes, the brand's zebra mascot, didn't appear until 1971 – but happily, he's still around today, along with that nostalgic striped packaging.
The Jelly Belly jellybeans we know and love today were first sold in 1976, having evolved from a 1960s recipe for mini jellybeans. The first flavors included grape, green apple, root beer, and cherry – however, these days, there are now more than 100 flavors, with official Jelly Belly 'recipes' to enhance the tasting experience. For example, eating two green apple beans and one cinnamon bean at the same time is said to result in a candy apple taste sensation.
A popular treat introduced in 1979, Ring Pops jewel-shaped candy rings from Topps were so big that they made your hand ache. However, they lasted for ages – and they came in amazing flavors such as cherry, grape, and watermelon. They were invented by Frank Richards, a product engineer at the Topps Company, to cure his daughter's habit of sucking her thumb. Happily, they’re still available to buy today.
Millions will remember eating Fruit Roll-Ups as a kid in the 1980s – not to mention the jingle 'real fruit and fun, rolled up in one.' However, in truth, these supposedly healthy snacks were nothing but fruit-flavored candy, with little to no nutritional value; for example, strawberry flavor Roll-Ups were found to contain no strawberries at all. In 2011, General Mills faced a class action lawsuit regarding the issue. Nonetheless, Fruit Roll-Ups are still available today, distributed under the Betty Crocker brand.
First introduced in 1907, Hershey's Kisses were supposedly named after the machine that produced them; it was said to make a kissing noise as it dispensed chocolate onto the conveyor belt. Back then, the little candies were wrapped in metal foil by hand. By the 1980s, they'd become the fifth most popular chocolate brand in the US. Today, more than 60 million are produced every day.
When Starburst first launched in the UK in 1960, the chewy fruit-flavored candies were called Opal Fruits. When the brand came to the USA in 1967, they were initially called M&M's Fruit Chewies; however, in 1968, they were renamed Starburst, inspired by the hype around the Space Race. The original flavors were strawberry, lemon, orange, and cherry, but lots of new varieties have been introduced over the years – including taste bud–twisting sour green apple and mango melon.
Twix was originally launched in 1967 in the UK – and, even though it feels like it's been around forever, it didn’t make it to American shores until 1979. Covered with soft caramel and milk chocolate, the twin biscuits (hence the name Twix) are still hugely popular. These days, you can even get your hands on Twix products outside of the candy aisle. Twix ice cream or Twix spread, anyone?
This iconic candy brand was founded in Spain in 1958, when inventor Enric Bernat hit upon a way for children to eat candy without getting their hands dirty. The original flavors were strawberry, orange, lemon, strawberry and cream, chocolate and vanilla, coffee and cream, and mint. By the 1990s, Chupa Chups was on the verge of world domination, on sale in 164 countries around the globe.
Peanut M&M's were introduced to the American public in 1954, 13 years after their chocolate counterparts made their debut. At the time, all peanut M&M's had a tan-colored shell; however, red, yellow, and green shells arrived in 1960, livening up the look of these classic nutty candies. They may have been the first variation of M&M's to be released, but they certainly weren't the last; over the years, the likes of almond, caramel, peanut butter, and pretzel M&M's have also appeared on grocery store shelves.
Launched by Mars in 1923, the Milky Way was touted as having 'more malted milk content than a soda fountain double malted milk!' Back then, the bars were huge, weighing 3oz; as a point of reference, today’s Milky Way bars weigh 1.8oz each. This Milky Way advert from the 1950s declares that it's the 'best liked chocolate-covered candy bar in all the world.' These days, the Milky Way generates more than $100 million in annual sales.
Launched in 1978, Reese’s Pieces are peanut-flavored candies in an orange, brown, or yellow crispy coating. A great example of successful product placement, the candy had a starring role in 1982 sci-fi film E.T. – and they went on to become incredibly popular. These days, lots of Pieces flavors are available, including York Peppermint Pattie Pieces, Hershey's Special Dark Pieces, and Almond Joy Pieces, plus you can buy mini Reese's Pieces for baking.
The Kit Kat was launched in the UK in 1935, but (thankfully) it made its way across the Atlantic in the 1970s. In its simplest form, the Kit Kat is a chocolate-covered wafer bar that traditionally comes with either two or four fingers; however, these days, there are all sorts of varieties – not to mention weird and wonderful flavors – on offer, including birthday cake and cappuccino. It's produced by Nestlé everywhere except the US, where it’s licensed by Hershey’s.
Everyone’s favorite nougat, peanut, and caramel candy bar was invented in the US in the 1930s, named after the favorite horse of the Mars family. Thanks to its luxurious ingredients, Snickers was more expensive than other candy bars of the time; back then, it was priced at 20 cents a bar, though other brands cost around 5 cents each. Today, Snickers is still as popular as ever – more than two billion bars are sold globally every year.
These colorful candies first appeared in the UK in 1963 and in the US in 1974. Made in shades of green, purple, red, yellow, and orange, Skittles' tagline was 'taste the rainbow' – and it's become one of the longest running advertising campaigns in history. To the surprise of candy fans around the globe, it was recently revealed that Skittles all taste the same, although their colors and scents are different. Nonetheless, they consistently rank as one of America's favorite candies.
Forrest Mars Sr., the man behind the Mars candy empire, was inspired to invent M&M's to solve the problem of chocolate sales falling in summer; his other products, the Milky Way and the Snickers bar, would quickly melt on hot days. His all-new candy-coated M&M's were originally supplied exclusively to US soldiers during World War II. Following the war, M&M's also became available to the public – and soon, everyone was hooked.
Now discover the greatest American candy bars of all time
Last updated by Jessica Morris.