13 Discontinued Candy Bars We're Probably Never Getting Back

Nostalgic candy bars have a special place in many people's hearts. Just the thought of our favorite sweet treat can transport us back and remind us of great times and even better tastes. Heartbreaking as it is when our favorite candy bar gets discontinued, it's something that happens all the time. You only need to look at how many popular foods have been discontinued in 2024 to see how often brands yank products from shelves.

Sometimes foods are given the chop because they don't sell well, because customers don't like them, or even because they were never meant to be permanent fixtures of the product line. Sadly, unless there's a serious outcry, most discontinued candy bars don't make a comeback after being axed.

Still, we think discontinued foods deserve to be remembered. These 13 historic candy bars remain icons in their time, even if it's unlikely we'll ever see them again in stores.

Back in 2003, a slumber party wasn't complete without some spooky stories and Hershey's S'mores bars. If you couldn't get outside and toast marshmallows on a campfire, these tasty mallow-filled treats were the next best thing. They had a melty, gooey center, a thick candy coating, and a little snap from the Graham cracker base.

Despite this seemingly winning combo, Hershey's S'mores ultimately didn't stand the test of time and were discontinued in 2012. However, the candy bar still has a relatively dedicated online fanbase. One Redditor claimed that the Hershey's S'mores bar is "hands down the best candy [they'd] ever had," while some people lamented the fact that they never got to try the bar when it was on shelves.

The fact that people didn't know about the candy bar might reflect a possible reason for its decline. Some suggest the bar was likely discontinued due to low sales. Fortunately, you can still enjoy s'mores at home by combining marshmallows and chocolate squares. Making marshmallow fluff at home with just two ingredients is also a fun party activity if you want to get a bit more hands-on. 

Pioneered by Mars and released in 1989, the PB Max bar was a sweet and salty blend of smooth candy and a peanut butter filling. Although this sounds impossible to resist, the PB Max bar had a surprisingly short run and was stripped from shelves in 1994 despite raking in more than $50 million in sales.

Despite being discontinued for three decades, the peanut butter bar still has a surprisingly active presence online. One Redditor writes they "think about this candy every few months and then Google it to look longingly at the photos." Another confesses that the PB Max "was the absolute favorite candy bar of [their] youth."

Unlike the host of snack food products that were discontinued for good reason, there is also some pretty intense online speculation around why PB Max bars were taken off shelves. One Reddit thread claims that Mars did away with the product because someone in the company disliked peanut butter. Whether these rumors are true or not, after 30 years, it's very unlikely we'll see the PB Max again.

Despite the recent return of Willy Wonka in the Timothée Chalamet remake of "Wonka," Nestlé has not returned discontinued Wonka Bars to shelves. Nestlé Wonka Bars first arrived on the scene in 2005, although another version of the Wonka Bar also existed in the 1970s, when the original "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" film starring Gene Wilder was released. The 2005 Nestlé release coincided with the Tim Burton and Johnny Depp version of the childhood classic that hit cinemas the same year.

Nestlé Wonka Bars were made from milk chocolate and Graham crackers and were the same wide, rectangular shape as the Wonka Bars portrayed in the films. They stayed on shelves until 2010, by which time hype for the film had died down. However, despite the resurging interest in Willy Wonka created by the most recent movie, these discontinued candy bars have yet to make a comeback.

Among the many 1990s discontinued snacks that you probably forgot existed, the Nestlé Quik Bar is an unusual example because it was tied to a much more successful and enduring product. The Nestlé Quik Bar was a spin-off candy from the incredibly popular Nestlé powdered milkshake brand that hit shelves back in 1948 and is still available today. Chocolate was one of the brand's core shake flavors, so it made sense in 1993 when Nestlé brought out a related candy bar.

Quik bars were advertised using Quicky, the Nesquick cartoon bunny mascot, and the bars were sold as "chewy chocolate candy." However, the bars failed to mirror the milkshakes' popularity and were discontinued a few years later. The lack of nostalgia following around this product is clear on social media, with one commenter on X (formerly Twitter) stating that they only "vaaaaaguely remember" the bars, while one Redditor had a slightly more positive memory of the bars stating, "I used to love them! Wish they were still around."

Kudos bars were owned by Mars and were a super popular snack in the '80s and '90s. They were even considered a healthy option compared with other candy bars at the time.

Made from sweet, crunchy puffed Rice Krispies mixed with toasted oats and drizzled with milk chocolate, Kudos bars were a tasty lunchbox item or an energy booster at work. As they were partly made out of cereal, they weren't advertised as candy products but touted as nutritious snacks — yes, even those with M&M's inside.

However, changing perceptions of healthy foods became a major reason kudos bars were discontinued. Like many healthy alternative snacks of the '90s, kudos bars were low in calories — only 100 calories in a bar — but high in sugar, as dieticians at the time mainly focused on getting people to lower their fat intake. Since then, Nutrition has evolved, and Kudos bars could not keep up. They vanished from shelves around 2017 and haven't been seen since.

The Hershey's Raspberries 'n' Creme bar was launched in 2006 but discontinued the same year. Like the longstanding Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme bar, it was made from white chocolate with a crisp, fruity filling instead of cookie crumbs.

However, discontinued food enthusiasts on X (formerly Twitter) either don't remember this particular Hershey's flavor or seem to think that a white chocolate and raspberry combo would be "way too sweet." Others seem more open to a comeback, though, with one commenter writing, "I loved this and wish it'd make a comeback. Like as weird as it was at first it definitely was a great combination."

Hershey's also brought out a similar ice cream-inspired Strawberries 'n' Creme flavor, along with Sprinkles 'n' Creme Birthday Cake and Cookies 'n' Mint, for summer 2021. Like the Raspberries 'n' Creme bar, these products are no longer available on the Hershey's company website. You can still get a whole host of Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme products and a White Creme Popping Candy bar.

Unlike chocolate Hershey's bars, Hershey's Gold was made from a mixture of caramelized creme and a salty peanut and pretzel brittle. The bars were introduced in 2017 ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games but were pulled again in 2020. When one confused commenter took to Reddit to find out what had happened to Hershey's Gold bars, one respondent revealed that they "went to Hershey in Pennsylvania just two months ago and asked them directly at the factory — yes, it is discontinued."

While Hershey's has not explained why this candy bar was removed from shelves, X (formerly Twitter) comments on a dedicated to Hershey's Gold thread are fairly lively, with many commenters lamenting the bars' disappearance. One distraught fan writes that "this was my favorite Hershey's product ever," while another complains that "they were SO good — didn't realize they had been discontinued!" Despite the apparent popularity of this flavor, Hershey's hasn't revealed any plans to re-introduce this particular product.

Made from whipped, aerated candy, Hershey's Air Delight bars were designed to be a melt-in-the-mouth snack. The light, airy chocolate was bubbly, almost like popping candy, and tasted extra smooth. Likened to the Aero chocolate bar popular in the U.K., Hershey's Air Delight was released onto the market in 2011. You could also buy Air Delight Hershey's Kisses.

In 2012, Hershey's Chief Executive John Bilbrey reported some teething problems marketing Air Delight, with sales slightly lower than those of other products. Speaking with Confectionary News, Bilbrey commented that the texture of Air Delight was unique in the U.S., saying, "We think it's a terrific product. It's a form that does well in a number of different countries around the world. And so, we're really working through what we think the messaging is." These comments may have been harbingers of things to come, as the Air Delight range was discontinued around 2017.

Some social media users have also commented that, although the Air Delight bar was slightly bigger than other types of candy, the air bubbles meant you got less for your money. "I remember these and thought at the time, 'Cool, they figured out how to sell me less chocolate for more money,'" wrote one disgruntled commenter on X (formerly Twitter). If you still want to get your bubbly chocolate fix, Aero is still around and owned by Nestlé.

The 3 Musketeers bar by Mars is still an iconic part of the company's candy range and doesn't seem to be in danger of being discontinued. Unfortunately for some fans, the same can't be said for the 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp Bars that first landed on shelves in 2010. The Truffle Crisp was a double candy bar with two thin logs that both had a light, whipped truffle center. A crisp meringue base also gave the bars a delightfully moreish crunch.

One of the benefits of the Truffle Crisp was that it was pretty low in calories for a candy bar, with around 170 calories if you ate both sticks. However, a comment on X (formally Twitter) highlighted this as a potential problem with the candy treat too, with one user claiming that "85 calories meant you wanted to eat four of them," and that "despite [the] smaller portion, [the] price was not [lower]." Whatever the reason, the Truffle Crisp did not sell well and Mars made plans to discontinue them in late 2012.

Sometimes, products vanish for mysterious reasons, such as why Trader Joe's discontinued some of its most popular products. With others, explanations seem more obvious, even if there isn't always an official statement from the brand. The Melo candy bar was announced in 2003 and has a very specific marketing purpose attached to it. Made from milk chocolate and caramel, The Melo was named after the forward for the Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony.

This chewy snack was posted to previous season-ticket holders as part of a promotional offer, which gave them a chance to buy tickets for 2005's first NBA All-Star match. After this, the Melo bar was only in circulation until 2005. Although this may seem like a short time to get to enjoy a candy bar, these types of limited snacks have long been popular in sports, with other athletes like the Mariner's Ken Griffey Jr. and Yankee's Reggie Jackson endorsing candy bars during the '70s and '80s.

With its fun, creative name and popular predecessor, the Whatchamacallit, Hershey's likely expected the Thingamajig bar to be a resounding success. However, despite the brand's high hopes for the product, the Thingmajig never quite lived up to its original recipe. Pioneered in 1978, the Whatchamacallit was a peanut butter and caramel candy bar that gained a lot of traction in the market during the 1980s.

In 2009, the Hershey's trialed the Thingamajig. This candy bar was much the same as the Whatchamacallit but it had crispy cocoa puffs inside. Despite being similar to the previous recipe, the Thingamajig failed to capture shoppers' imaginations, and sales remained low. It was permanently removed from Hershey's line in 2012.

Although Hershey's stuck with the Whatchamacallit, something had changed, and the candy did not return to its former glory. But you you can still get your hands on a box of Whatchamacallits. 

Despite being discontinued in 2010, Reese's Whipps candy bars are still highly sought after by some online fans and vintage candy hunters. Part of the Hershey's company, the Reese's brand is most famous for the creation of Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cups. Reese's Whipps were essentially big Reese's Pieces in a bar. However, unlike the cups, that are loaded with peanut butter, Whipps had a peanut butter nougat filling that was slightly lighter and fluffier.

One account on X (formally Twitter) aptly describes them as being "kind of like a peanut buttery 3 Musketeers bar." Sounds delish. However, whipps weren't on shelves for very long and were removed from product lines only three years after release.

However, Reese's Whipps still holds a special place in many peanut butter lovers' hearts. There's even a petition on Change.org calling for its reintroduction, which has racked up almost 500 signatures.

Mars released the Marathon Bar in 1973. It was known for its red wrapper and TV adverts featuring a candy-loving cowboy. These chewy treats got their name from the fact that they took some time to munch through — they were made from a mixture of chocolate and caramel woven into an eight-inch-long bar.

Although Marathon Bars are one discontinued food well remembered on social media, they were only sold until 1981 when Mars pulled them from shelves. Still, in nostalgic candy threads on social media, the Marathon Bar usually gets a mention. One Redditor fondly remembers the Marathon Bar as "the biggest bar you could get for a quarter in the '70s," while another writes on X (formally Twitter) that they "adored Marathon Bars [and] still miss them."

Other commenters point out that Marathon Bars were extremely similar to the U.K.'s popular Curly Wurly bar. However, the Curly Wurly is a separate Cadbury product unrelated to the Marathon Bar.

To write this article, I scoured social media threads, news sources, and company product pages. There I was able to find information and quotes on once popular candy bars that are no longer in circulation. 

I also referred to other nostalgia blogs and compilations of discontinued snacks to get ideas. This helo decide which discontinued candy bars to include in the list.