Chunky (candy bar)

A Chunky broken in half

Chunky is a candy bar with milk chocolate, raisins, and roasted peanuts — using a sectioned and truncated pyramid shape. Chunky is produced by Ferrara Candy Company, a division of Ferrero SpA.[1]

History

The Chunky candy bar was introduced in the late 1930s by New York City candy maker Philip Silvershein, at the time made with milk chocolate, raisins, cashews and Brazil nuts. Silvershein, a friend of William Wrigley Jr., distributed the bar via the Wrigley Gum Company. When Nestlé assumed rights to the brand in 1984, it changed the ingredients to milk chocolate, raisins and peanuts.[2] In 2018, Ferrero SpA purchased Nestlé's U.S. candy line, which included Chunky.

In the 1950s, a Chunky could be purchased for five cents (as could most candy bars), with a smaller version, the Chunky Cutie, available for two cents.^[citation needed] The average price of a Chunky in 2024 was $1.50 USD.

Advertising

"Chunky Square", a pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair, featured a glass-walled automated factory, where visitors could watch the manufacturing of Chunky candy bars.[3]

An early 1970s TV commercial for Chunky showed a young boy watching TV with his father. The boy amused viewers by claiming that Chunky was "THICKER-ER". The candy bar used the "Thicker-er" campaign into the 1980s.[4]

Other Chunky advertising slogans included "Chunky, What a Chunk o' Chocolate", intoned by the nasal voice of Arnold Stang, and "Open Wide for Chunky".[5]

Varieties

• Original – milk chocolate, peanuts and raisins – silver wrapper
• Pecan Chunky (discontinued) – milk chocolate, pecans only – gold wrapper
• Dark Chunky (discontinued) – dark chocolate, peanuts and raisins – gold wrapper
• Deluxe Nut (discontinued) – milk chocolate, peanuts, almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts – gold wrapper
• Solid Milk Chocolate (discontinued) – milk chocolate only – brown wrapper
• Miniatures ("Cuties") (discontinued) – same as originals but 1"x 1"x 3/4" thick (individually wrapped), in a poly-bag

References

1. "Nestlé Agrees to Sell U.S. Confectionery Business to Ferrero" (Press release). Nestlé USA. 16 January 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
2. "Retroland". Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
3. Cotter, Bill (18 April 2020). "Chunky Candy". World's Fair Photos. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
4. "Tina Louise Chunky candy commercial 1980". YouTube. 14 September 2015. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
5. "Nestlé – Chunky – Stang Get's A Partner – Vintage Commercial –1955–1960". YouTube. 10 September 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.