The history of traditional sweets and chocolates in the 1930s in UK and USA including a list of 23 iconic chocolates and sweets first introduced during the 1930s, such as Kit Kat, Mars Bar, Snickers, Smarties, Rolo, Milky Way or Terry’s Orange Chocolate.
The UK, like much of the world, was deeply affected by the Great Depression, which began with the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The depression led to widespread unemployment, poverty, and economic hardship throughout the country.
The unemployment rate soared during the early 1930s, reaching its peak in 1932. Many industries, including mining, manufacturing, and shipbuilding, experienced significant declines, leading to mass layoffs and hardship for working-class families.
All of this had an impact on the confectionary industry, but despite the political situation, there were many new sweets and chocolates introduced first in the 1930s. Most of these become even more popular confectionery in the 1950s when the sugar rationing finished in 1953 in the UK after the second world war.
Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp, an earlier forerunner of the Kit Kat, was sold as a meal substitute in the 1930s for busy working people, with advertising actively promoting the 320 calories in each bar of 4 big wafers. It was advertised as “The Biggest Little Meal in London!”
Many sweets and chocolates invented in Victorian times continued to be produced as well as confectionery from the 1920s and the manufacturing of chocolate has gone from strength to strength.
Throughout the 1930s, British chocolate companies like Cadbury, Rowntree’s and Mackintosh competed with each other to keep pace with a wave of international confectionery innovation.
Many of our favourite traditional sweets and chocolate snack bars that we know and love today, were first introduced in the 1930s.
MORE SWEETS HISTORY
- Wartime Sweets & Confectionery History >>
- History of Traditional Sweets & Chocolates in 1940s >>
- Traditional Sweets in 1970s >>
- History of sweets & chocolates in 1980s >>
Chocolate & sweets were a special treat in 1930s
By the early to mid 1930’s a box of Black Magic was more affordable as a romantic gift; while ‘eat more milk’ was the chocolate advertising slogan of Milky Way. If you wanted to say ‘thank you’ then Rowntree’s Dairy Box was guaranteed to melt even the hardest of hearts.
1930s the golden age of confectionery
The 1930s, in particular, is often thought of as the golden age of confectionery manufacturing – when many of our most popular products originated: Aero, Smarties, Terry’s Chocolate Orange, Black Magic, Dairy Box, Rolo, Fox’s glacier mints, Milky Way (1935 in Britain), Snickers and Freddo (1930), Mars Bar (1932), Whole Nut (1933), Aero and Kit Kat (1935), Maltesers and Blue Riband (1936) and Smarties, Rolo and Milky Bar (1937).
Roald Dahl, author of Charile and the Chocolate Factory, wrote eloquently that the 1930s was the height of chocolate development: “In music, the equivalent would be the golden age of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. In painting, it was the equivalent of the Italian Renaissance and the advent of the Impressionism at the end of the 19th Century; in literature, Tolstoy, Balzac and Dickens.
23 Chocolate Bars & Sweets first introduced during 1930s
1. KitKat (1935 – UK)
The name “Kit Kat” is believed to have originated from the Kit-Cat Club, an 18th-century political and literary club in London.
In Japan, Kit Kat has achieved cult status, with a wide variety of flavors and limited-edition releases exclusive to the country, such as green tea, wasabi, sake or ruby chocolate filling. The name “Kit Kat” sounds similar to the Japanese phrase “kitto katsu,” which roughly translates to “surely win,” making it a popular gift for students before exams or competitions.
The Kit Kat bar is famous for its unique “breakable” design, consisting of four fingers that can be easily snapped apart. This feature was introduced in 1937 to encourage sharing and make it convenient for consumers to enjoy one portion at a time.
In addition to the classic four-finger bar, Kit Kat Chunky was introduced in 1999, featuring a thicker, chunkier version of the original bar. In 2013, Kit Kat ran a unique marketing campaign in the UK, temporarily replacing its logo on the packaging with the phrase “Have a break” to celebrate its association with breaks and relaxation.
2. Rolo (1935 – UK)
Rolo is a chocolate bar filled with caramel. The Rolo chocolate bar was originally developed by Mackintosh’s, a confectionery company based in England, which was later named Rowntree-Mackintosh. Rolo was launched in the United Kingdom in 1937.
3. Aero & Aero Mint (1935 – UK)
Aero Mint Chocolate is a chocolate bar with light, bubbly texture and refreshing mint flavour. It is now manufactured by Nestle and is a variation of the original Aero chocolate bar, which was first introduced in 1935, when it was made by Rowntrees of York in the UK.
Bite into a bar and you’ll see thousands of tiny air bubbles which then gently collapse and melt as you eat the chocolate. As far as I understand it, the ingenious technique involves allowing air pressure into the heated chocolate and then releasing it from the firm chocolate shells, creating pockets of chocolate bubbles inside.
4. Terry’s Chocolate Orange (1932 – UK)
Terry’s Chocolate Orange was first introduced in the UK in 1932 by Terry’s Chocolate, now owned by Mondelēz International. It’s basically orange-flavored milk chocolate shaped into a ball, divided into segments like a real orange. The chocolate is infused with natural orange oil and it’s very popular at Christmas, when children usually find it in their Christmas stocking.
5. Snickers (1930)
The name “Snickers” was inspired by the Mars family’s favorite horse, which was named “Snickers.” Snickers was first introduced by Mars, Incorporated in 1930. It was created by Frank Mars and originally sold under the name “Marathon” in the UK and Ireland (until 1990, when it was re-named to Snickers).
Snickers is consistently ranked as one of the best-selling candy bars in the world. The advertising slogan is “You’re not you when you’re hungry”.
6. Mars Bar (1932)
The Mars Bar was created by Forrest Mars Sr., inspired by his experience drinking a malted milkshake. He wanted to replicate the taste and texture of the milkshake in a convenient chocolate bar format, leading to the creation of the Mars Bar in 1932. The Mars Bar is one of the best-selling chocolate bars in the world, with widespread recognition and availability in over 78 countries.
The recipe for the Mars Bar is closely guarded by Mars, Incorporated, the company that produces it. The exact combination of ingredients and the process for making the nougat, caramel, and chocolate coating are kept confidential, adding to the mystique and allure of the chocolate bar.
7. Maltesers (1936)
Maltesers were first introduced by the Mars company in the UK in 1936. They were originally inspired by a similar American candy called “Whoppers.” Maltesers are made with a crispy, light malted milk centre that is coated in smooth milk chocolate.
Maltesers were one of the first confections to use malted milk as a key ingredient. Malted milk is made from malted barley, wheat flour, and evaporated whole milk, which is what gives Maltesers their amazing flavour and lightness.
Maltesers are sold in over 30 countries around the world and are particularly popular in the UK, Australia, and Canada.
8. Blue Riband (1936)
Blue Riband was first introduced by Rowntree’s in the United Kingdom in 1936 and it’s easily one of my favourite snacks because I like the crispy wafer and sweet milk chocolate covering.
9. Smarties (1937)
Smarties were first introduced by Rowntree’s of York, now owned by Nestlé, in the United Kingdom in 1937. They were originally called “Chocolate Beans” and then briefly ” Milk Chocolate in a Crisp Sugar Shell” when trading standards felt that calling them ”beans” was deceptive.
Smarties come in a variety of vibrant colours, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Some of these colours, like orange also originally represented the flavours, but that didn’t last long. These colourful sweets are great for sharing and perfect for decorating cakes and desserts.
10. Three Musketeers (1932)
Also introduced by Mars, Incorporated in 1932, the Three Musketeers bar originally contained three separate pieces, each with a different flavor (chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla). Today, the chocolate bar only has one flavour a chocolate nougat covered in milk chocolate.
11. Eat-More (1930 – USA)
This candy bar is made by Hershey and is made with dark caramelised toffee, peanuts and chocolate. Its slogan is “Dive into the unique taste of chewy dark toffee, peanut, and chocolate.” To get the name, the chocolate company held a naming competition and the winner got a clock as a prize!
The Eat-More bar was created in Canada in 1930 by the Lowney company and was acquired by Hershey Canada in 1987. It has since become a popular candy bar in Canada and is also available in some parts of the United States.
While the Eat-More bar may not be as well-known as some other candy bars, it has a loyal fan base. If you’re a fan of dark chocolate and toffee, this might be the candy bar for you!
12. PayDay (1932 – USA)
The PayDay candy bar was first introduced in 1932 by the Hollywood Candy Company, which was later acquired by the Hershey Company in 1996. The bar was created as a response to the Great Depression, when many Americans were struggling financially and needed an affordable, but filling snack.
The original PayDay bar was made with salted peanuts rolled over a nougat-like sweet caramel center and it didn’t include any chocolate! In the 1970s, the company introduced a new version of the bar that included a milk chocolate coating and in the 1980s there was another version that included a crunchy peanut butter center.
More chocolates and sweets were introduced during the 1930s in UK and USA including:
- Milky Bar (1937)
- Black Magic Box
- Dairy Box – Selection chocolates
- Milky Way (1935 in Britain)
- Big Hunk Bar (1930)
- 5th Avenue Bar (1936)
- Ritter Sport (1932)
- Whole Nut (1933)
- Sugar Babies (1935)
- Red Hots Cinnamon Candy (1930)
- Chick-O-Stick (1938)
- Boston Baked Beans (1930)
- Candy Buttons (1930)
This blog post was originally written on 22 February 2024 and last updated on 22 February 2024
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