Whatever Happened To Hershey's Swoops?
If just hearing the word "Swoops" makes you want to break out with a "shakalaka, shakalaka," then you probably lived through the period of the early aughts when Hershey's catchy commercials aired advertising their newest product. The playful ads featured people holding the chocolates and dancing to a jingle that swapped the "Swoops" for the "Whoomp" in Tag Team's hit "Whoomp! (There It Is)" But unfortunately for Hershey, Swoops (there it went).
Swoops were Pringle-shaped chocolates that launched in 2003. The thinly sliced confections were curved and designed to offer — in Hershey's words — an "indulgent, mouth-melting experience" (via SixthSeal). A Swoops box contained three separate plastic cups with peel-back, foil lids. (We're getting a little misty-eyed just thinking about it.) According to Fast Company, there were a variety of options in addition to the standard Hershey's Milk Chocolate, including Reese's, York Peppermint Pattie, Almond Joy, White Chocolate Reese's, and toffee and almond. There were even limited-edition Swoops, like white chocolate peppermint, special dark with almonds, and strawberries & creme. But sadly, Swoops were discontinued in August of 2006 — so, why can't we have nice things?
Swoops didn't have what it takes to survive
In the end, Swoops turned out to be just another scrumptiously failed fad. There may be a few reasons the chocolate treats didn't survive the long-haul. Fast Company suggested it could be that the name just wasn't good enough or that with only six Swoops to a container, consumers weren't getting the popping-chips-in-your-mouth-like-there's-no-tomorrow satisfaction that the Pringles shape evoked.
Another failing point may have been the excess packaging. Each of the three sealed cups that came in a Swoops box only held 1.26 oz. of chocolate. The boxes weighed a total of 3.78 oz. and sold for around $1.79, about the same price as three chocolate bars. Eco-conscious consumers may have opted for less packaging and gone for the candy bars. Whatever the cause for Swoops getting swept under the mat, we wish all our failures tasted this sweet. And maybe there is still a (very) small chance that someone will swoop in and save the day. After all, as NPR reported, Pittsburgh did get their Clark bars back.