Discontinued Wonka Candy That Needs To Make A Comeback

Is it just our pure imagination, or was it a lot easier to find Willy Wonka candy on store shelves back in the day? The Willy Wonka Candy Company was one of those fiction-meets-reality moments in pop culture; the success of the 1964 Roald Dahl children's novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and the subsequent 1971 Gene Wilder film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" inspired an entire real-life collection of chocolates, gummies, and sweets galore.

By the time the 2005 movie adaptation "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" hit theaters, the candy company's best days were seemingly in the past. Unfortunately, fans of the fictional-turned-reality candy empire had been watching supplies dwindle over the decades, and the vast majority of Wonka candies have been discontinued as of 2022. In fact, the Wonka brand itself was eventually retired after being acquired by Nestlé in 1988, according to The Christian Science Monitor. The Wonka brand was sold off in 2018, and the remaining candies found a new home with Ferrero (via The Motley Fool).

While the vast majority of Wonka candy no longer exists, there are a select few sweets we would gladly bring back if given the chance. Let's stroll down memory lane and revisit some discontinued Willy Wonka brands we think deserve to be resurrected back to store shelves.

If you grew up watching "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," you can likely recall many of the film's features with ease: the lollipop trees, the glass elevator, and of course, the candy. But you cannot have a chocolate factory without workers, and the Oompa Loompas are perhaps as recognizable as the Wonka Bar itself. They did, after all, have their own song (and we apologize if said song is now stuck in your head).

The Oompa Loompas were more than just loyal chocolate factory staff; they were also the face of an entire lineup of Willy Wonka Candy Company candies. Slightly larger than M&M's, Peanut Butter Oompas offered up the iconic peanut butter and chocolate pairing (via USA Today). The candy also had special flavors like chocolate and strawberry. Though they seemed to be popular upon introduction, Oompas were eventually discontinued.

One Redditor noted, "It's too bad they're gone," while another reminisced about how it was one of their favorite candies. Though you can find a similar flavor today with Reese's Pieces or peanut butter M&M's, the nostalgia factor will still be sorely missing for many fans.

While the Willy Wonka Candy Company dates back to the 1970s, not all of its candy was launched around that time. As the brand began reaching a new audience with the release of the 2005 Tim Burton adaptation of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the challenge was on to promote new candies that coincided with the film. Enter Wonka Donutz.

The milk chocolate treat was shaped like a small donut with a creamy chocolate truffle filling on the inside and covered in colorful nonpareils (via Candy Blog). They were first released in 2005 (via USA Today) and were heavily promoted prior to the release of the movie, and even featured in one of the ads (via YouTube).

The movie itself had a generally positive release, earning over $56 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo) and receiving an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer. Consequently, you might assume that the success of the film would help boost candy sales. While it did indeed remain on store shelves for several years, waning sales could not keep Wonka Donutz around forever. In 2013, Ferrero confirmed via Twitter that the brand had been discontinued due to sales volume.

Another candy from the Willy Wonka Candy Company that has stood the test of time and survived wide-sweeping discontinuations is Runts. The colorful, fruit-shaped candies are perhaps most recognizable from your childhood, sold in coin-operated dispensers at shopping malls across America. Runts were first introduced in 1982 (via Candy Blog), and the original flavor lineup included banana, orange, strawberry, lime, and cherry — each flavor shaped like the corresponding fruit. 

The original runts had a hard-shell and crunchy texture, making for a potentially harrowing experience for teeth worldwide. Over the years, more varieties were introduced, including Chewy Runts to offer an easier chew as the name implies. Chewy Runts came in the same flavors as original Runts, but that similarity would not yield the same longevity. 

While you can still purchase the original Runts in stores today, Chewy Runts were discontinued in 2014 due to low sales (via Twitter). This change did not sit well with fans, many of whom preferred the chewy variety to its original counterpart as one Redditor pointed out. Another Redditor even claims to have reached out to Ferrero, urging them to reconsider bringing Chewy Runts back. Unfortunately, the company explained that the decision had been made following extensive consideration.

For the origins of this now-discontinued Willy Wonka creation, we are hopping across the pond. According to Collecting Candy, Wonka's Xploder candy was first launched in the United Kingdom in 1998, and its quick success brought the treat internationally to the United States and Australia. Xploder bars were the perfect marriage between the iconic Wonka Bar and Pop Rocks candy, as it consisted of both a classic chocolate bar and carbonated popping candy.

Somewhere along the way, Xploder was re-released in Australia and New Zealand as K-Boom. After the candy was ultimately discontinued, a new chocolate-popping candy hybrid would find its way to the United States some years later called Wonka Tinglerz. Tinglerz were different in design but similar in function: small candies you could easily pop (pun intended) into your mouth — think chocolate-covered Pop Rocks. As one Redditor pointed out, Tinglerz were similar to Buncha Crunch candies.

And now for something completely different: ice cream! That's right, Willy Wonka also dabbled in the ice cream business for a spell. The Willy Wonka Candy Company did not just produce candy, though that was clearly its core business model at its peak. While most of the items sold under the Wonka brand were found in the candy aisle (or in the fictional Wonka factory), this next item would have been located in the freezer section of your local grocery store. According to Nestlé, Peel-A-Pops was a frozen snack that contained vanilla ice cream wrapped in an edible banana or grape gummy peel.

Over the years, American Peel-A-Pops fans noticed that the frozen snack had vanished off store shelves, leaving them with a now all-too-familiar sense of dread that the treat had been discontinued like so many other Wonka creations. While some people on Reddit point out that Peel-A-Pops have been spotted internationally including in Canada, it is all but impossible to find them stateside.

Tart N Tinys was another vintage candy from the earliest lineup of Wonka brands in the 1970s. As you can guess by the name, these were small candies that came in a resealable box, though Candy Blog notes that they never caught the same buzz as Wonka Bars or Everlasting Gobstoppers. As for the candies themselves, they came in a variety pack of flavors (including cherry, lemon, lime, grape, and orange) with a tart taste similar to SweeTARTS. Redundancy and low popularity were among the reasons Tart N Tinys were eventually discontinued in 2007.

However, the story of Tart N Tinys does not end there. While the original Wonka brand was discontinued, it has seemingly taken on a new life under the Leaf brand. Back in 2018, Chicago candy store Amy's Candy Bar announced via Twitter that Leaf had recreated Tart N Tinys. So, while you may not find the original Wonka product, coming across a package from Leaf may give you a similar sense of nostalgia.