If products are unpopular, then they’re discontinued- right? Well, that’s not always the case.
Numerous fan-favorite candies have been discontinued over the years due to production issues, management changes, and other extenuating circ*mstances.
From unique flavors of well-known brands or super-niche retro candy, this post will cover sixteen of the best-discontinued candies of all time.
Read on to learn why these candies are a thing of the past.
Discontinued Candy We Miss
Take a walk down memory lane and see how many of these candies you remember eating while they were still in circulation.
Marathon Bar
The Marathon Bar from candy giant MARS was only around for a relatively short time.
Introduced in 1973, this candy bar was discontinued eight years later in 1981.
This chocolate bar consisted of a braided caramel core covered in milk chocolate.
Butterfinger BB’s
Butterfinger BB was a bite-sized version of the famous crisp peanut butter and chocolate Butterfinger bar from Ferrero.
The Butterfinger BBs were small, round candies that you could eat by the handful.
The Butterfinger BBs were introduced in 1992 and discontinued in 2006.
Life Savers Holes
Ever had a doughnut hole? Life Savers Holes took the idea of a doughnut hole and applied it to the Life Savers hard candy.
The Holes carried the same fruit and mint flavors of the candy but took the form of small pellets in a tube.
The product didn’t last long, introduced in 1990 and discontinued in 1991.
PB Max
The PB Max was a MARS company innovation that consisted of peanut butter on top of a whole-grain crisp cookie, then covered in a layer of milk chocolate.
Despite the PB Max’s popularity after its introduction in 1989, the candy was discontinued in the early 1990s because the MARS company’s founding family weren’t fans of peanut butter.
Reggie! Bar
The Reggie! Bar was a candy bar named after and linked with professional Major League baseball player Reggie Jackson.
The candy bar was a circular cake of peanut pieces dipped in caramel and then covered in a layer of milk chocolate.
The Reggie! Bar was introduced in 1978 and discontinued in 1981 as Jackson’s time with the New York Yankees ended.
Seven Up Bar
No, this candy bar doesn’t taste like the popular soda with a similar name.
This candy bar was wholly unique, made up of seven chocolate pieces, each with a different flavor filling.
The concept is similar to a sampler chocolate box, and the flavors were mint, nougat, butterscotch, fudge, coconut, buttercream, and caramel. The candy was discontinued in 1979.
Altoid Sours
Altoids, creator of the “Curiously Strong Mints,” had a sour and fruity variation on their mints available from 2001 to 2010.
These mints were discontinued due to poor sales, but most people who tried them remember them fondly.
The sour mints were available in raspberry, citrus, apple, mango, tangerine, and limited-edition passion fruit flavors.
Wonka Bar
Most people know Wonka Bar as the delicious candy bar that granted Charlie Bucket a golden ticket in the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but a couple of real-life versions existed.
Quaker Oats’ version of the candy bar in 1971 was pulled from shelves due to recipe issues, and the Nestle version was discontinued in 2010.
Hershey’s Swoops
Hershey’s Swoops were shaped and packaged like Pringles potato chips, slim, identical cuts in a stack.
The chocolate chips came in different flavors: Reese’s peanut butter, Hershey’s milk chocolate, Reese’s white chocolate, York Peppermint Pattie, and Almond Joy.
The candy was introduced in 2003 and discontinued in 2006.
Summit Bar
The Summit Bar from MARS was advertised as a “cookie bar” on the packaging but referred to as a candy bar in commercials and advertising, leading to a bit of confusion.
The bar itself consisted of two crisp wafers topped with peanuts, then coated in a layer of milk chocolate.
The cookie bar was discontinued in 2006.
Cinnamon Tic Tacs
Tic Tacs are a famous breath mint brand because of their unique lidded container.
The cinnamon flavor was introduced in the 1970s and discontinued in 2009, causing an uproar among fans of the taste.
Tic Tac stated the discontinuation was so they could come up with new flavors.
Due to popular demand, the cinnamon flavor has returned several times as a “limited-edition” flavor but not as a permanent flavor.
Space Dust/Cosmic Candy
Space Dust, whose name later changed to Cosmic Candy, was General Food’s follow-up to their original popular sour candy, Pop Rocks.
Pop Rocks came out in 1976, and Space Dust in 1979. The recipe is essentially the same, but Space Dust is a fine powder as opposed to the small pebble-like shape of Pop Rocks.
Space Dust was discontinued because concerned parents thought it looked too similar to illicit drugs.
Hershey’s S’mores Bar
Hershey’s chocolate bars are considered a necessity for any childhood s’mores session, so much so that Hershey’s creates their own S’mores kits with everything in one box.
So it’s no surprise the chocolate giant decided to make a S’mores-flavored chocolate bar in 2003.
The bar was later discontinued for undisclosed reasons.
Chicken Dinner Bar
The famous 1920s Chicken Dinner Bar was the brainchild of the Sperry Candy Company.
The packaging and advertising featured pictures of a whole roasted chicken dinner, which, along with the candy bar’s name, helped this bar stand out amongst competitors.
The bar was pretty typical and consisted of nuts covered in milk chocolate (no chicken flavor) and was discontinued in 1962 after Sperry’s was sold.
Bubble Beepers
Bubble Beepers was a classic bubble gum candy that came in an exciting and unique container.
The packaging was all neon colors and resembled an electronic beeper, a staple of the 1990s you’ll rarely find outside of hospitals nowadays.
Bubble Beepers were discontinued as beepers began to be phased out of the technological circles.
Bonkers
Bonkers was a chewy candy that Nabisco introduced in the 1980s then discontinued in the late 1990s.
The candy was similar to Starbursts as they came in a paper sleeve and were rectangular-shaped chewy cubes.
However, the Bonkers candy was a bit chewy and had a tangy filling.
Discontinued Candy
- Marathon Bar
- Butterfinger BB’s
- Life Savers Holes
- PB Max
- Reggie! Bar
- Seven Up Bar
- Altoid Sours
- Wonka Bar
- Hershey’s Swoops
- Summit Bar
- Cinnamon Tic Tacs
- Space Dust/Cosmic Candy
- Hershey’s S’mores Bar
- Chicken Dinner Bar
- Bubble Beepers
- Bonkers
Final Thoughts
Are you sad you missed out on any of these discontinued candies? Luckily the world of candy is so vast that you can likely find a copycat out there somewhere.
No matter what, I’m glad I was able to try some of my favorites at the time, like the Hershey’s S’mores bar and Altoid Sours, and I hope for their return!
Check out other discontinued favorites, like these discontinued Pop-Tarts or Doritos flavors you can’t find anymore.
If you like gummies, check out our list of the best gummy candies!
