The history of sweets and chocolates in 1920s in UK and USA is really fascinating with more than 17 new sweets and chocolate bars invented during the decade. The new sweets, most of which can be bought in the shops today, include Cadbury’s Flake, Fruit & Nut, Crunchie, Reeses’ Cups, rhubarb and custard, gummi bears, PEZ sweets, Sherbet Fountain and many more.
The 1920s was an era of extremes. The great wealth and borderline poverty. First, there was the swinging jazz scene of decadence and excess of a generation who survived the first world war and were determined to enjoy themselves. Many sweets and chocolates invented in Victorian times continued to be produced and the manufacturing of chocolate has gone from strength to strength.
But it wasn’t to last and the stock market crash of 1929 led to a great depression and worldwide economic crisis. Soon the frenetic whirl of the Charleston was replaced by the slow shuffle of hobnail boots in the dole queue. The Lindy Hop for some and the Jarrow March for others.
So, you can see, that despite the hard political situation at the beginning of the 1920s, the shortage of sugar and other ingredients, the sweets and chocolate industry was positively booming. With so many different types of chocolate bars introduced, it’s would have been certainly great to live during that time.
A lot of the sweets and chocolates introduced first in the 1920s become even more popular confectionery in the 1950s when the sugar rationing finished in 1953.
MORE SWEETS HISTORY
- History of chocolates & sweets in 1930s >>
- Wartime Sweets History in UK and USA >>
- History of Traditional Sweets & Chocolates in 1940s in UK & USA >>
Shortage of sugar and sweets in 1920s during a difficult political situation
In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, political leaders in Britain were worried that returning soldiers, disaffected by the horrors of war, might be encouraged to bring about a revolution all of their own. In fact, the interwar period, between golden guineas and threadbare handouts, saw a revolution of a very different kind.
The revolution I’m talking about was in the production not of unrest, but of chocolate and sweets. There may have been widespread disaffection but there was also pioneering developments in the field of confection. After only a few new chocolate bars were introduced in the 1910s, there was a huge uptake of new confectionery in this decade.
Throughout the 1920s, British chocolate companies like Cadbury, Rowntree’s and Mackintosh competed with each other to keep pace with a wave of international confectionery innovation.
Chocolate & sweets were a special treat
In the 1920’s chocolate was still expensive and chocolate boxes were given as a special gift often in aluminium gold cigarette cases. Many of our favourite traditional sweets and chocolate snack bars that we know and love today, were first introduced in the 1920s.
17 chocolate bars and sweets invented in the 1920s
1. Cadbury Flake (1920 – UK)
Cadbury Flake was first made in 1920 and it’s one of the chocolate bars you can still find in the shops today. It has delicious, flakey and crumbly texture and as we all know, it’s perfect with a cone of vanilla ice-cream. It is produced by the British chocolate company Cadbury, which is owned by Mondelez International.
The process for making Cadbury Flake is a closely guarded secret, which no other chocolate manufacturer has ever managed to recreate. The bar is made of thinly folded milk chocolate and has a unique texture that softens but does not melt when heated. Cadbury Flake is available in a variety of formats, including standard size bars and multipacks.
2. Fruit and Nut (1921 -UK)
The fruit and nut chocolate bar was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1921 by the Cadbury company and you can still buy it in the shops today. The classic fruit and nut chocolate bar typically contains a blend of raisins, almonds, and Cadbury’s signature milk chocolate.
3. Milky Way (1923 in the USA 1935 in Britain)
Milky Way is manufactured and marketed by Mars, Incorporated, an American multinational confectionery company. The bar has a light, fluffy nougat centre that is topped with a layer of caramel and covered in a layer of milk chocolate.
There are two varieties of Milky Way bars: the US Milky Way bar, which is sold as the Mars bar worldwide, including Canada, and the global Milky Way bar, which is sold as the 3 Musketeers in the US and Canada.
The global version of Milky Way has a slightly different recipe than the US version and does not contain caramel. Milky Way bars were first introduced in the United States in 1923 by the Mars company, but were not introduced to the UK until the1935.
The Milky Way bar was named after a popular malted milk drink of the time, not the Milky Way galaxy. The bar was originally marketed as a “chocolate malted milk in a candy bar” and was sold for five cents.
4. Crunchie (1929 – UK)
What day of the week are you reading this blog? There’s a one in seven chance it will be a Friday. In which case ‘Get that Friday Feeling’ and have a Crunchie Bar. First mentioned in the 1935 children’s book ‘National Velvet’, Crunchie came out in 1929, manufactured by Frys.
Crunchie chocolate bar has a honeycomb centre, which is made by combining sugar, golden syrup, and bicarbonate of soda. This sugar and golden syrup is heated and when the bicarbonate soda is added the melted sugar froths up. When it’s cooled down it creates the almost vulcanic looking honeycomb texture.
The honeycomb toffee centre is cut up using jet of oil which create sharp, jagged edges which are then covered in milk chocolate and cooled.In the UK, Cadburys, the current maker and Britvic, combined to make a limited edition Crunchie Tango.
Have you tasted Mint, White Chocolate or Champagne flavoured Crunchie? Or perhaps Crunchie Blast with it’s popping candy filling? I’ve always found the honeycomb toffee to really stick in my teeth, no matter how much chocolate it’s coated in. So, I guess I’ll have to get my Friday Feeling some other way.
5. Baby Ruth (1921 – USA)
The Baby Ruth chocolate bar was first introduced in 1921 by the Curtiss Candy Company and you can still buy it in the shops today (including specialist confectionery shops in the UK).
The original Baby Ruth bar was made with a nougat center that was flavoured with peanuts and covered in caramel and milk chocolate. It’s totally one of my favourite chocolate bars because it has a peanuts and it’s not as sweet as others – like Mars Bar.
The bar was named after the daughter of President Grover Cleveland, Ruth Cleveland. Despite the company’s claims that the bar was named after Ruth Cleveland, many people believed that it was actually named after the famous baseball player Babe Ruth. The company denied this, stating that the name was purely coincidental.
6. Butterfinger (1923 – USA)
The Butterfinger bar was first introduced in 1923 by the Curtiss Candy Company. The bar was created by Otto Schnering, who was also responsible for inventing the Baby Ruth candy bar.
The original Butterfinger bar had a flaky, peanut butter-flavored center that was coated in milk chocolate. The bar was marketed as a “crispety, crunchety, peanut-buttery” candy bar and became popular in the United States, but can be also bought here in the UK. I find it quite sweet, but it doe have a very unusual texture, so I keep happily buying it!
7. Reese’s Cups (1928 – USA & UK)
Reese’s Cups has the most amazing peanut butter filling that is surrounded by milk chocolate.
The Reese’s Cups were first introduced in 1928 by H.B. Reese Candy Company, which was later acquired by Hershey in 1963. The candy was originally marketed as a penny candy and became quickly popular with both children and adults. It’s one of the most recognised chocolates from USA from the 1920s period still selling in many UK supermarkets and confectionery shops.
MORE CHOCOLATE HISTORY
8. Mr Goodbar (1925 – USA)
Mr. Goodbar is made with peanuts that are covered in milk chocolate and was invented by Milton S. Hershey, the founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company, in 1925.
The candy bar was named after a company executive who reportedly said “That’s a good bar” when he tasted the prototype. Mr. Hershey, who was hard of hearing, misunderstood the comment as “Mr. Goodbar” and decided to use the name for the candy bar.
Mr. Goodbar was one of the first candy bars to be marketed as a source of protein. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the candy bar was marketed as a “Tasty Lunch” because the peanuts gave it added nutritional value, and you could eat it instead of lunch. The candy bar was also marketed with the slogan “Quick Energy in Every Bar!” and was a popular snack among soldiers during World War II.
9. Charleston Chew (1925 – USA)
Charleston Chew is a candy bar that was first introduced in 1925 by the Fox-Cross Candy Company, which was founded by a stage actor named Donley Cross and a friend of his named Charlie Fox. The candy bar was named after the Charleston dance, which was very popular at the time.
The original Charleston Chew bar consisted of a vanilla-flavored nougat center that was covered in a layer of milk chocolate.
10. Oh Henry! (1920 – USA)
This candy bar is made by The Hershey Company and consists of a chewy mixture of peanuts, caramel, and fudge, all covered in milk chocolate.
The Oh Henry! bar was first introduced in 1920 by the Williamson Candy Company in Chicago, Illinois. The bar was named after a young man named Henry who was a frequent customer at the company’s candy store. The employees would always say “Oh Henry!” when they saw him, and the name stuck.
11. Milk duds (1926 – USA)
Milk Duds don’t come as a chocolate bar shape, but instead, they are chewy caramel balls that are coated in milk chocolate. Milk Duds were first introduced in the United States in 1926 by the F. Hoffman & Company, which was later acquired by the Hershey Company.
12. Mounds (1920 – USA)
Mounds is a fun chocolate candy bar made with sweetened coconut that is covered in dark chocolate and it looks and tastes fairly similar to a Bounty Chocolate Bar.
Mounds was first introduced in the United States in 1920 by the Curtiss Candy Company.
MORE SWEETS HISTORY
- History of chocolate bars in the 1960 >>
- Traditional Sweets & Chocolates in 1970s >>
- History of chocolates and sweets in 1980s >>
New novelty sweets introduced
Novelty also continued in the development of penny sweets, as the medicinal coltsfoot rock and fisherman’s friends gave way to brilliantly coloured rhubarb and custard, gummi bears and jelly babies.
13. Jujyfruits (1920 – USA)
Jujyfruits are a chewy, gumdrop-like candy that are made from starch and come in different shapes like fruits and vegetables, including bananas, grapes, pea pods, asparagus, pineapples, raspberries, and tomatoes. They were first introduced in 1920 by the Heide Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrara Candy Company.
In addition to the original fruit flavours, Jujyfruits are also available in other flavours such as liquorice and spice. They have a soft and chewy texture and are known for sticking to your teeth. The name “Jujyfruits” is a combination of the words “jujube” (a type of fruit) and “fruits”.
14. Sherbet Fountain (1925 – UK)
The Sherbet Fountain was first introduced in 1925 by Barratt, a British confectionery company known for its innovative sweets. The packaging is filled with fizzy lemon sherbet in which you dip a licorice stick. It’s super fun to eat as it fizzes in your mouth and the best thing is, you can still buy it in the shops today.
15. PEZ sweets (1920)
PEZ was invented in Austria in the 1920s as a breath mint called “PEZ” derived from the German word “Pfefferminz,” meaning peppermint. It was initially marketed as an alternative to smoking.
In the 1950s, PEZ rebranded itself as a candy company, introducing the iconic PEZ dispenser that we know today. The first dispenser, designed to resemble a cigarette lighter, dispensed rectangular PEZ candies. Some of the earliest dispensers featured characters such as Santa Claus, Mickey Mouse, and Popeye. PEZ dispensers have become highly collectable items, with enthusiasts worldwide seeking out rare and limited-edition dispensers to add to their collections.
PEZ has grown into an international brand, with its candy and dispensers sold in over 80 countries around the world.
16. Haribo Gummy Bears (1922)
Haribo was founded in 1920 by Hans Riegel in Bonn, Germany. The name “Haribo” is derived from the founder’s name and the city where it was founded: “HAns RIegel BOnn.”
The concept of gummy bears was developed in the 1920s by Hans Riegel Sr., who was inspired by the dancing bears that were popular at festivals and markets in Europe at the time. He created the first gummy bear candy in 1922.
Initially, Haribo gummy bears were available in five flavours: raspberry (red), orange (orange), strawberry (green), pineapple (colourless), and lemon (yellow).
17. Dubble Bubble Bubble Gum (1928 – USA)
Dubble Bubble was created in 1928 by Walter Diemer, an accountant for the Fleer Chewing Gum Company. Diemer experimented with different formulations until he achieved the perfect recipe for a stretchy, chewy bubble gum. The original Dubble Bubble gum was pink because that was the only food colouring available to Diemer at the time.
During World War II, production of Dubble Bubble gum was temporarily halted due to sugar rationing. However, soldiers received it as part of their rations, contributing to its popularity and making it a symbol of American culture. In 1998, Tootsie Roll Industries acquired the Dubble Bubble brand and continue with the production.
In 1996, Susan Montgomery Williams set the Guinness World Record for the largest bubble blown with bubble gum, using Dubble Bubble gum. Her bubble measured 23 inches in diameter, showcasing the gum’s bubble-blowing potential.
This blog post was originally written on 12 June 2016 and last updated on 20 February 2024
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