Every time we visit our desert daughter in Phoenix we make sure to bring along a few Twin Bing candy bars. Bing bars, made in Sioux City, were a favorite of Christy’s as a kid but she can’t find them for sale anywhere in Arizona..which makes her crave them all the more.
I’ve never cared much for Bings. The texture seems odd to me and they’re about as appetizing to look at as the floating Baby Ruth which cleared out the country club swimming pool in Caddyshack.
Visiting with friends the other night, the conversation somehow got around to candy bars that we used to love but can no longer find.
Topping all our lists was Walnut Crush…which disappeared after the Fenns Brothers company in Sioux Falls sold out to Heath candy in the 70’s. My first job in town was right across the street from the Fenns plant and I was greeted at work each morning with the intoxicating aroma of those sweet confections being created just a few yards away.
Walnut Crush, distinctive by its orange wrapper, was made from fluffy marshmallow nougat and slivered walnuts dipped in chocolate. Fenns also made the less popular Nougat bar which was pretty much the same thing with a different balance of ingredients and a very bland wrapper. And, who remembers the Butter Brickle toffee bar? It was a Fenns’ creation that turned into the Heath bar following the sell out.
All of them are gone now or have been morphed into something totally unrecognizable.
Linda’s all time favorite was the Mars bar. She noticed a few years ago that stores stopped selling them. Well, that’s because Mars Candy decided to discontinue them in 2002. The company must have felt the heat from Mars bar fans ,though, because they’re making a comeback and will be reintroduced to the market this year.
I used to love a candy bar called “Big Boogie.” I don’t know the manufacturer but it was billed as the biggest bar you could buy for a nickel. Hardly anyone remembers them..but Big Boogies were made from white taffy and nuts. On a hot day it was soft, chewy and was quite capable of sucking out your fillings.
On a cold day Big Boogies would turn as hard as 8th grade algebra..requiring lengthy stays in the mouth in order to become pliable enough to chew. A situation that could get you in big trouble if you tried eating one during class in school.
Bit-O-Honey taffy pieces are very similar. I love them too but they’re also getting hard to find.
Another favorite; Munch bars.They managed to stave off that craving I get for peanut brittle which is year round..not just at Christmas. I haven’t seen a Snickers Munch bar in years..nor the much inferior version from Planters for that matter.
I also used to be a sucker for Chuckles; those little trays of fruit flavored jelly chunks with a sprinkle of sugar on top to provide a bit of a sand-like grittiness and promote cavities. I didn’t like the black liquorish flavored piece, though. I have no idea why the makers had to throw that one into the mix; perhaps as penance for our enjoying the other globs of goodness so much.
Some of these candies are being manufactured again..on a limited basis.
In fact, there are lots of places on the web where you can now buy the sweet treats we remember from our youth.
But they certainly don’t cost a nickel anymore and, so far, nobody has revived the Walnut Crush. Darn!
