Chick O Stick
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Chick O Stick (History, Pictures & Commercials)

If you have ever wanted to eat a candy that is like a candy bar without the chocolate on the outside, the Chick O Stick candy is the right choice for you! This is a really unique candy style that offers you a really strange but delicious taste and texture experience. This candy has been around for many generations and you will find that it has not changed much since it was first sold.

This is an orange cylindrical candy that is sold in candy bar lengths even if the shape is not the same. This is a very durable candy that will last for a long time without going bad. This is one of the candies that is often used as a backpacking snack due to its resilience.

Please leave a review or any memories of this snack in the comments at the bottom of this page. Thank you!

Chick O Stick

History

Chick O Stick has been around since the 1950s and is still made by the Atkinson Candy Company. This is a candy that is made from peanut butter, granulated sugar and is topped with toasted coconut. This candy is also sold in a sugar-free variety.  The candy is bright orange and is a cylinder that is sold in a wax paper wrapper.

Chick O Stick is sold in varying lengths and thicknesses and the interior is made with peanut butter that is made like a honeycomb pattern. The outside has a layer of syrup and sugar mix. The candy is dry and kind of crumbly when it is eaten fresh. When the candy has been unwrapped, it can get softer and chewier.

These are vegan candies, although this was not the main reason that they were made. These candies were originally meant to be sold when it was hot out and chocolate candy bars would melt. There were many candies that were designed in almost the same way as this one but almost all of them have a layer of chocolate on the outside instead of being sold without any coating at all.

This candy was named almost by accident and the permanent name is almost no less silly than the first name. The first name was actually Chicken Bones, but it was quickly determined that this would not sound like a candy bar or even like it would be very enjoyable. However, modern candy lovers might understand this name a bit more when they realize that there were candy bars on sale in the 20s and 30s with names like, “Chicken Dinner Candy Bar”. Candy naming was more about being memorable than it was about anything to do with the candy itself.

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This candy was originally marketed in a very interesting way, and the original Chick O Stick product was sold with a cartoony chicken in a cowboy hat and a badge. The badge had the logo of the candy on it. This created some confusion when later product versions did not show the mascot any longer. The company felt that the original marketing style with the chicken conflated the candy with fried chicken brands.

The name of the candy was supposedly the result of someone just calling it that. The name stuck and the rest is history. There was no real reason for the name in particular so the marketing method with the chicken was not that off base all things considered. It was a good idea to divorce the brand from the misconception that it has something to do with chicken flavoring.

This candy reminds many people of a Zagnut Bar or a Butterfinger bar but it is slightly different. It has more coconut on the outside than either of these bars and the taste is slightly less sweet. This is an interesting candy bar because it has never had a huge advertising effort behind it but it has been successful for a long time anyway.

The candy has been given new life now that carb-conscious snacking is so common. The Chick O Stick is a great healthy snack overall and can hold up to being taken with you on a hiking trip or camping. The company even recently replaced the artificial colorings in the candy with turmeric and vegetable juice concentrate to make the candy even healthier.

Logo

Chick O Stick Logo

Buy Online

You can also buy Chick O Stick at Old Time Candy by clicking the image below.

Old time candy

Ingredients

This is a really unique candy bar and it does not contain many ingredients. This is part of why it is so healthy when compared to other candy products.

  • Cane Sugar
  • Corn Syrup
  • Peanut Butter (contains fresh ground dry roasted peanuts, salt, and preserved with vitamin E to maintain freshness)
  • Toasted coconut
  • Turmeric color
  • Vegetable juice color
  • Natural vanilla flavor
  • Palm kernel oil

This is a really healthy candy bar since it is missing the chocolate coating as well as the included added flavorings and food colorings that many candies are full of. This candy bar is gluten-free, kosher candy, and vegan, which is rare in the candy market. There are few candies that are made in this way and this is one of the only options for those with food allergies or limitations based on beliefs.

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Nutrition

Serving Size:
3 pieces (17g) % Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 23
Calories 70
Total Fat 2.5g 4%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol
0mg 0%
Sodium 60mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 8g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0%
Iron 0%
  • Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

What is the Goal of the Atkinson Candy Co in Selling Chick O Stick?

This candy is really unique and it might seem like there is no place for this kind of candy in today’s candy market. The candy company has made it clear that they want to keep selling it because the carb-conscious crowd loves these candy bars. The hiking and backpacking community also buys these candies up for their packing trips.

The company has also promised that they are still making adjustments to the recipe for further improvements. This is a really great sign since the candy bar has always had a big enough following that people would miss it if it went off the market. There is also a lot of interesting promise in having candy products that are very healthy like this on the market.

The Atkinson Candy Co knows that they sell classic candies that satisfy the taste style of many people who want to enjoy lower-carb candies and lower sugar treats. They also make all of their candies in sugar-free as well. This makes this candy company really unique when compared to other candy companies that are selling products today. The complexity of candies on the market now would have surprised people greatly in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. This candy company occupies a really unique niche since they are still making such traditional and simple candies.

If you want to try a whole variety of really unusual candies, this is the candy company to buy from. You can get most of their products on Amazon or from the company directly. There are many stores that still sell these products as well. You can even find some of these products in movie theaters if you are living in the right location.

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Marketing

This candy has not been extensively marketed beyond the early chicken on the packaging efforts that were loosely connected to the color of the candy and the texture looking like a breaded chicken. This was not a big help to the candy and after this was removed from the candy, the marketing and branding materials were changed to be very simple.

The current candy packaging is often orange like the candy bar and the lettering is styled like the 1950s. The candy wrappers currently say “break me” and “Share me” on them and the simple styling is very indicative of this candy when you see it on the shelves. The most common size that the candy bar is sold in is 20 oz, but the bar is also sold in 7 oz and 1.6 oz sizes. There are even Chick O Stick bars that are small and square with a soft cellophane wrapper on each.

The company has also recently released Chick O Stick nuggets as well as Chick O Stick barrels that are sort of like root beer barrels. This candy is often sold in bulk, even to those who enjoy them, since they are used for hiking and backpacking. Many people buy these in bulk and then use them when they head out on the trail.

The simplicity of the marketing fits well with the marketing that is used for hiking and other kinds of backpacking products.

What Other Products Does This Brand Make?

This candy company is also known for Peanut Butter Bars, classic Long Boys, Gourmet Mints, Coconut Slice candies, Mint Twisties, and a delightful Peanut Brittle. Their candies are all traditional candy types that have not changed much since they were first made. Chick O Stick fits right into this strange and unique candy lineup that would have been more familiar in the 1950s than they are today.

These classic candies are perfect for people who enjoy low-sugar and low fat candies that are actually not that bad for your teeth or your health. You will be able to eat these candies without nearly as much guilt as when you consume other candy types. These classic candies are simple and really enjoyable for people of all ages.

Pictures

Commercials

A classic ad:

A slightly newer ad for the candy:

A taste test for the candy:

Please leave a review or any memories of this snack in the comments below. Thank you!

Click here for a full A-Z list of Snacks and Candy

4 Comments

  1. I remember buying these in a larger form back in the 50’s. I think they had a sort of ‘dusty’ feel because of a coconut sprinkling on the outside. I still love them.

  2. I had my first Chick-O-Stick when I was a kid back in the 60’s. It was one of my favorites back then, and it still is today (although they are much harder to find in stores.) I buy them online now, a few pounds at a time 🙂

    Great then, and still great now!

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