Candy of the Day - Milky Way and Snickers

Mars candy bars – well, except for the Mars Bar itself. This ad came from a 1938 issue of Boy’s Life and I’m not quite sure if it’s the photography or the scan, but this kid sure looks like the larval form of Lenny from Laverne and Shirley. Oh well, while I face the depressing fact that many of you will actually have to look that one up I’ll get to the specifics.

Frank Mars, the namesake of what would become Mars Candy (back then it was called Mar-O-Bar), created the Milky Way Bar in 1923 and by 1926 he moved his company to Chicago IL so that he could easily ship candy across the country. 1930 saw the birth of Snickers – basically a Milky Way Bar with peanuts added. Both have persisted, even though the other two candies in the ad (Milky Way Vanilla and Snickers Honey Almond) have gone by the wayside.

The ad rings of an adult trying to sound like a kid. Lots of “oh boy” and “I sure”, which probably weren’t the kid vernacular of the time. I also think it’s funny that they went to the length of mentioning that the candies don’t taste the same because they have different ingredients. Really, that’s the reason? I figured the wrapper made all the difference. Huh, the things you learn by reading the ads.