Some candies never really die — they just go on a long hiatus. From a chocolate taffy you smack against the table to a rocket-shaped lollipop dreamed up by actual rocket scientists, here are seven beloved treats that vanished from shelves… and then came roaring back.
Quick answer: Yes — plenty of “discontinued forever” candies have been revived by new owners who bought the brand and rebuilt the recipe. Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy (back in 2010), Necco Wafers (back in 2020), and Clove, Beemans & Teaberry gums (back in 2018) are all being made and sold again right now. Others, like the Reggie! Bar (2023) and the Astro Pop (2010), have had headline-grabbing returns too. If a nostalgic candy disappeared, there’s a real chance a fan-run company brought it back.
The comeback candies at a glance
| Candy | Debuted | Discontinued | Came back | Brought back by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy | 1912 | 1989 | 2010 | Warrell Corporation |
| Necco Wafers | 1847 | 2018 | 2020 | Spangler Candy Company |
| Clove Gum | 1914 | Off & on since the 1970s | 2018 | Gerrit J. Verburg Co. |
| Beemans Gum | 1898 | Off & on since the 1970s | 2018 | Gerrit J. Verburg Co. |
| Teaberry Gum | 1900s | Faded from shelves | 2018+ | Gerrit J. Verburg Co. |
| Reggie! Bar | 1978 | 1981 | 2023 | American Candy Nostalgia |
| Astro Pop | 1963 | 2004 | 2010 | Leaf Brands |
Smack It, Crack It! — Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy
If any candy earned its comeback, it’s Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy. The recipe dates back to 1912, when Austrian immigrant Herman Herer first cooked it up in New Jersey. The Bonomo family — who had emigrated from Turkey — took over in 1936 and turned it into a national sensation, thanks in part to sponsoring TV’s The Magic Clown in 1949. Generations grew up on the famous instruction: freeze the bar, then “smack it, crack it” against a hard surface to shatter it into bite-sized shards.
Tootsie Roll Industries bought the brand in 1980 and then discontinued it in 1989, and for two decades the taffy was a fond memory. Then the Warrell Corporation orchestrated an official comeback, relaunching it on July 2, 2010. Today you can smack and crack all the classics — vanilla, chocolate, banana, and strawberry — exactly like you remember.
Back From Bankruptcy — Necco Wafers
Few candy comebacks were as nail-biting as Necco Wafers. Those chalky, pastel discs trace back to 1847, making them one of the oldest continuously produced candies in America — a favorite of Civil War soldiers and even Arctic explorers. Then, in 2018, the New England Confectionery Company went bankrupt and abruptly shut its factory doors that July. Just like that, a 170-year-old candy vanished, and panicked fans paid stunning prices for the last surviving rolls on the internet.
The story had a happy ending. The Spangler Candy Company (the folks behind Dum-Dums) acquired the brand and brought Necco Wafers back into production in May 2020, after roughly a two-year absence. Prefer the cocoa version? The chocolate Necco Wafers are back too.
The Gums That Refused to Quit — Clove, Beemans & Teaberry
Three of the most missed nostalgic gums in America all share the same rescuer. Clove gum (with its spicy, warm flavor said to have masked the smell of alcohol during Prohibition) dates to 1914. Beemans goes back to 1898, when it was sold as a digestive aid and later became a good-luck chew for early aviators. All of these classic Adams-era gums went through decades of stops and starts — discontinued, revived as nostalgia items, then discontinued again.
The rescue came in 2018, when the Gerrit J. Verburg Company acquired the vintage gum brands from Mondelez International and put Clove, Beemans, and Black Jack back into production. The wintergreen-and-berry flavored Teaberry gum — a Pennsylvania regional icon — joined the revived lineup as well. If you grew up on any of these, they’re no longer a memory.
The Candy Bar Named for a Superstar — The Reggie! Bar
In 1978, Curtiss Candy rebranded an old caramel-and-chocolate disc as the Reggie! Bar, honoring Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson — who had famously predicted someone would name a candy bar after him. On opening day, every fan entering Yankee Stadium got one, and when Jackson homered, the crowd showered the field with the discs. It was a phenomenon … that fizzled by 1981 after Jackson left the Yankees, with a brief 1990s revival by Clark that didn’t stick.
Then came the twist ending: in 2023, a Canadian couple’s company, American Candy Nostalgia, resurrected the Reggie! Bar — with Jackson’s blessing and his one request for “more peanuts.” It’s now sold in thousands of shops, and yes — we’ve got it back in stock too. A great reminder that even a candy tied to one magic season can swing for the fences again.
Rocket Science, Literally — The Astro Pop
The three-tiered, rocket-shaped Astro Pop wasn’t designed by candy makers — it was created in 1963 by two aerospace engineers who left the space program to make a lollipop shaped like a three-stage rocket, riding the wave of Space Race fever. After a redesign flopped, it was discontinued in 2004. In 2010, Leaf Brands acquired the trademark, rebuilt the original manufacturing machines from scratch, and blasted the Astro Pop back onto shelves for a new generation.
Why nostalgic candy is having a moment
These comebacks aren’t random. Nostalgia is one of the strongest forces in the candy business right now — social media has fueled a huge wave of retro-candy rediscovery, with shoppers hunting for the exact treats they loved as kids and introducing them to their own children. Small, passionate companies now specialize in buying up orphaned brands and reviving them, betting (correctly) that a candy with an emotional backstory sells better than a brand-new one. For a bulk candy lover, it means the “they don’t make it anymore” list keeps getting shorter every year.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous discontinued candy that came back?
Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy and Necco Wafers are two of the best-known. Necco Wafers, in particular, made national headlines when they returned in 2020 after their factory shut down in 2018.
Are Necco Wafers really being made again?
Yes. The Spangler Candy Company bought the brand and resumed production in May 2020. Both the original assorted wafers and the chocolate wafers are available again.
Is Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy still sold?
Yes. After being discontinued in 1989, it was relaunched in 2010 and is sold today in vanilla, chocolate, banana, and strawberry — still meant to be frozen and cracked into pieces.
Who brought back Clove, Beemans, and Teaberry gum?
The Gerrit J. Verburg Company acquired the classic gum brands from Mondelez International in 2018 and put them back into production. All three are available again.
Can you still buy the Reggie! Bar?
Yes. A company called American Candy Nostalgia revived the Reggie! Bar in 2023 with Reggie Jackson’s involvement, it’s now stocked in thousands of retail locations, and you can buy the Reggie! Chocolate Bar here.
Why do so many discontinued candies come back?
Nostalgia sells. When a beloved brand is discontinued, fan demand often stays strong for years, and specialty candy companies buy the rights, rebuild the recipe, and relaunch to a built-in audience.
Craving a taste of the good old days?
Half the fun of these comebacks is getting to taste them again. We stock a whole shelf of revived classics — grab a bar of Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy to smack and crack, a roll of Necco Wafers, a Reggie! Chocolate Bar, or a pack of Clove, Beemans, or Teaberry gum. Browse all our nostalgic candy and rediscover a favorite you thought was gone for good!
