Halloween is almost here and that means that bucket loads of candy and chocolate bars will be handed out to eager tricker or treaters. Cue the sugar high!
On a personal level, I love a good chocolate bar, especially anything with nuts. Yum!
So for oday’s blog post we are going to look back at vintage chocolate advertising from the 1920s-1950s, to get you in the Halloween spirit or maybe trigger that sweet tooth. Enjoy!
Further Reading: Vintage Halloween Candy Ads-1940s and 1950s
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Vintage Chocolate Advertising 1920s-1950s
Before we begin I wanted to share some cool Toronto, Canada chocolate industry history I recently stumbled upon. This is courtesy of the ‘City of Toronto‘ (because this is the city where I live).
Did you know that in the early decades of the 20th century, Toronto’s chocolate industry was characterized by the rise of three big players on the national stage: Neilson’s, Laura Secord, and Willards? Cool right?!
Let’s take a quick deep dive into their history.
Neilson:
William Neilson (1844-1915), who rose to prominence as an ice cream manufacturer, began producing bulk and boxed chocolate at his Gladstone Avenue plant in 1906 as a way of keeping his skilled ice cream makers employed during the slow winter months. By 1914, Neilson’s was manufacturing over 500,000 lbs of chocolate per year. When Neilson died in 1915, his son Morden took over the family business.
Under Morden’s tenure, Neilson’s would become Canada’s largest chocolate maker, famous for its Crispy Crunch (1923) and Jersey Milk (1924) chocolate bars, products that are still enjoyed today.
TTC transit advertising car card for Neilson’s 6 Centres chocolate bar. 1955 ad.
Source: City of Toronto
In 1913, Frank O’Connor (1885-1939) and his wife Mary (1878-1931) opened their first Laura Secord store at 354 Yonge Street, just north of Elm Street. Selling products manufactured in the kitchen of their upstairs apartment, O’Connor emphasized the quality, purity, and dignity of his chocolates – values that were embodied by the well-known historical figure chosen to be the name and face of the company.
By 1926, Laura Secord had grown into an international chain with 57 stores in Canada and another 19 in the U.S. under the Fanny Farmer brand.
1940s ad (candies was used for chocolate).
Source: City of Toronto
Willards was founded ca. 1914 by E.G. Robinson, a former Neilson’s employee who has been described by one historian as having “a reputation in the candy industry for price cutting and the use of sharp practices to avoid paying his bills.” Willards, which became famous for its Sweet Marie chocolate bar, was also notorious for its role in a 1920s labour dispute known as the Chocolate Case. The company was accused of multiple violations of Ontario’s Minimum Wage Act for falsifying payroll records and underpaying its female employees.
1954 Willards Sweet Marie chocolate bar advertisement.
More Vintage Chocolate Advertising…..
“Serve the Sampler after Sports”. 1920s Whitman’s Chocolates ad.
Further Reading: Vintage Tennis Outfits from the 1920s-1950s
Source: Pinterest
1923 Rowntree’s Chocolates.
Rowntree: is a British confectionery brand and a former business based in York, England. Rowntree developed the Kit Kat (introduced in 1935), Aero (introduced in 1935), Fruit Pastilles (introduced in 1881), Smarties (introduced in 1937) brands, and the Rolo and Quality Street brands when it merged with Mackintosh’s in 1969 to form Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery. Rowntree’s also launched After Eight thin mint chocolates in 1962 (Source).
Source: Pinterest
A very stylish 1920s advertisement for Milky Way Chocolate bars featuring two students in 1920s fashions enjoying a treat after class.
Source: Dying for Chocolate
“Just out! LOWNEY’S “LONGFELLO” is Canada’s Latest and Finest $0.05 Chocolate Bar.”
Lowney’s was an American company who in the 1890s opened a branch of the company and by 1905, they had a factory operating out of Montreal (Source).
Source: eBay
1930s vintage ad for Nestle’s Puffed Milk Chocolate bar.
Source: eBay
“Have you tried FRY’s Chocolate Sandwich? A 1930s vintage ad.
Source: Alamy
I had to share another Whitman’s Chocolates ad because the Easter Bonnet featured in this 1940s advertisement is just incredible (hat by John Frederics–blog post to come on this talented man).
Source Etsy – Plentifulpages
1940s Nestle’s Chocolate Bar ad talking about the energy values that eating chocolate provides a soldier in the battlefield.
Source: Etsy – AmericanCenturyShop
1940s vintage ad for BRACH’S Chocolate Mint bars. Also featured ‘Coconut Twins’ and ‘Swing Twins’ chocolate bars.
I do not like chocolate mint. Do you?
Source: Pinterest
“Share your Caley Chocolates this Christmas”.
1941 vintage ad for ‘Caley Chocolates’ featuring a very fashionable woman with an incredible 1940s hairstyle.
Source: Pinterest
“Ahhhhh, la cart!” 1955 Mars Bar “Toasted Almond” vintage advertisement featuring a maid pushing a bar cart (chocolate bar cart to be exact).
Source: eBay
One more Mars Bar ad from 1951 because this is so fun. I love the typography.
Source: eBay
I loved our models sundress, so this why I shared another ‘Chocolates by Caley of Norwich’ ad, this time from 1952.
Source: Etsy – YesteryearimagesCo
1956 ‘White Heather Chocolate Ad’. Which ones would you chose from the box?
Source: Pinterest
Question Time: What is your favourite chocolate bar? Or share any thoughts about you have about this topic in the comment section below.
Further Reading:
- Vintage Halloween 1920s-1960s (Archived blog posts)
- Vintage Advertising 1920s-1960s (Archived posts)
Thank you for dropping by!
Liz
