The 8 Best Vintage Candy Ads (We Could Find)

These 8 vintage candy ads hark back to the days when sweets were considered healthy, fashionable, and formal.

October 31, 2013

Does your every bite of chocolate come with a sugary glaze of nostalgia? Do you long for the sweets of yesteryear, for an era when no one knew how unhealthy it was to consume gram after gram of sugar? These vintage candy ads capture a bygone era when candy was marketed as nutritious—when women were encouraged to eat Life Savers between meals and workers could depend on a guilt-free nougat fix to get them through the day. Samira Kawash, the founder of CandyProfessor.com, unearths these ads in her delightful new history of sweets, Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure, out just in time for Halloween—and Throwback Thursday, of course. Eat up, kids.

1/8
Candy: Food for Work
This 1944 ad, intended to bolster consumption during World War II, avows that "Candy Is a Delicious Food"—and that it helps you work harder. "Add easy-to-eat, good-to-eat, fatigue-fighting candy as your food for extra energy." Well, if the experts insist...
2/8
Necco Wafers—for the Children
Invented in 1847, Necco Wafers were sold as an anytime treat; this early ad says they're great for afternoon tea, children's parties, or "the more formal occasions." Bring a pack to the next wedding you attend and see how that works out.

3/8
Baby Ruth: As Good as Fruit?
Who needs fruit when there's candy? "Juicy ripe apples are rich in dextrose sugar," says this 1940 ad, "and so is delicious Baby Ruth."
4/8
Dubble Bubble Gum
If kids today are anything like their 1954 forebears, they can't wait to get a pillowcase full of Dubble Bubble.

5/8
A Snickers for Mother and Son
In 1984, there was only one way to satisfy the gnawing, persistent hunger of the nation's youth: Snickers.
6/8
Right for Taste, Right for Nutrition
"Hi-Mac" is not to be found, alas, in the candy shoppes of today, but in 1947 it was promoted as a healthy choice. "Contains needed vitamins and minerals," this ad reports.

7/8
Eat Candy, Look Great
"Figurines" were touted as the perfect candy for dieters; this 1979 ad boasts, "Now you can satisfy your sweet tooth. And keep your sweet shape." Would that it were so.
8/8
Between-Meal Snacking: Get on It!
In 1957, Life Savers wanted nothing more than to capture the between-meal snacking market. Their pitch? "Slim Sally Hayes stays light on her feet / She makes Life Savers her 'tween meal treat." Sold!