The Retro Chocolate Bar That You Can No Longer Buy

From easy-to-bake forgotten cookies to a layered 1950s cake, there are plenty of nostalgic sweets ready to make a comeback. However, there's at least one beloved, retro chocolate bar that's no longer available: Caravelle. Introduced in 1965 by candy-maker Peter Paul, the commercial for the now-defunct snack advertised its chocolate crispies, caramel, and chocolate coating, with a lilting tune stating that it "make[s] my mouth so happy" (per YouTube).

Indeed, the Caravelle chocolate bar did appear to make people's mouths happy, with commenters on the YouTube post of the commercial reflecting on enjoying the bars as a child, with one stating, "It was one of my favorite chocolate bars," while other posters echoed the love of the treat. However, despite some people's adoration, the bar wasn't around long. By 1978, Caravelle became a challenge to find and eventually became entirely extinct. Many point to the merger between Peter Paul and Cadbury Schweppes as the reason for the discontinuation, but others have postulated that Peter Paul was experiencing issues with the length of time the bars could be stored.

While enthusiasts — or the Caravelle-curious among us — may not be able to experience the original, some of those familiar with it suggest biting into a 100 Grand bar, instead. With chocolate, crisped rice, and caramel, it boasts a similar flavor profile. However, devotees of Caravelle may find this substitute to be sweeter and a little less soft than the candy bar produced by Peter Paul.

Armenian immigrant Peter Paul Halijian spent about 20 years selling his confections (among other treats like ice cream) as a part-time gig. With growing success and a group of five others interested in building a candy-making business, he launched Peter Paul in New Haven, Connecticut, around 1919. From there, they began producing a candy known as Konabar, which mixed together nuts and fruit with coconut and chocolate. But several years later, the company began selling a chocolate-wrapped coconutty bar that remains well-known today: Mounds. In fact, it was even briefly introduced in ice cream form, too, though it's among several other frozen desserts that have been discontinued.

Halijian passed away shortly after the introduction of Mounds in the late 1920s, but the company went on to produce a number of other confections. It also acquired a couple of other candy businesses, which landed it in gum manufacturing for a while, as well. Later, Peter Paul would build on the success of Mounds with the Almond Joy candy bar. Created in the mid-20th century, it can also still be found on store shelves. While the company created other candies, it also acquired the business producing York Peppermint Patties in the 1970s. Despite merging with Cadbury Schweppes, and ultimately being bought by Hershey in 1988, those three sweets (and the nostalgia of Caravelle) are among Peter Paul's legacies.