Woolworth’s Branded Chocolate Bars from Canada!

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Several times here on this site I’ve reminisced about visiting my hometown Woolworth’s store while growing up and how those are some of my most vivid childhood candy memories.  I even dedicated a post to my love of Woolworth’s and my candy past with it.  In that piece I included examples of Woolworth’s branded candy packaging for bulk, unaware that (up in Canada at least) Woolworth’s got the full-on chocolate bar treatment.

My childhood Woolworth’s would eventually disappear and sadly I’ve never been able to track down any photos from inside the store.  I do have a postcard from my hometown which featured our store prominently and that’s where I pulled the background of today’s title image from.  Here’s a better look at the storefront:

My Childhood Woolworth's - Circa 1960's

My Childhood Woolworth’s Columbus Nebraska – Circa 1960’s

Though that image is from the 1960’s, the store still looked remarkably similar when I would candy shop there as a kid and young teenager, grabbing classics like Gobstoppers and Bazooka as well as memorable one-offs like Dip-It Candy.

Beyond the postcard, I’ve also enjoyed tracking down at least one holiday candy newspaper ad for Woolworth’s.

I was excited last year to write about Woolworth’s-branded bulk cellophane candy packages and I had assumed that was all there was to be uncovered with regard to official Woolworth’s candy packaging:

Woolworth's - cellophane candy bag - old stock - 1970's

Woolworth’s – cellophane candy bag – old stock – 1970’s

As it turned out there was more to be discovered because up in Canada at least two different Woolworth’s chocolate bars were released over the years.  The earliest example in my collection coincides with the store’s 100th Anniversary in 1979:

Canada - Woolworth 100 Year Anniversary candy bar wrapper - 1979

Canada – Woolworth 100 Year Anniversary candy bar wrapper – 1979

Woolworth’s followed that Anniversary offering just a few years later with this (might this be for Woolworth’s sister store, Woolco?):

Canada - Woolworth - Chocolate and Almonds - candy bar wrapper - 1980's

Canada – Woolworth – Chocolate and Almonds – candy bar wrapper – 1980’s

[Chocolate and almonds, one of my favorite confectionery combinations!]

It’s especially fun for me to tie my current hobby of candy package collecting directly to a store that was important in creating so many of my earliest candy memories.  With that in mind, I hope you enjoyed seeing these unusual Woolworth’s branded bar wrappers.

And that’s everything I’ve got to report on the subject for now.   But who knows… there could be a whole world of Woolworth’s candy packaging out there just waiting to be found.  I’m certainly going to be keeping my eyes peeled.

See you next time!

About Jason Liebig

A New York City based writer, editor and sometimes actor. After spending much of the 1990′s in the comic book business helping tell the stories of Marvel Comics’ X-Men as series editor, he has since split his time between developing his own entertainment properties while still consulting and working on others. Having been described as “the Indiana Jones of lost and forgotten candy”, Jason is one of the country’s premier candy collectors and historians with his discoveries appearing in countless blogs, magazines, newspaper articles, and books. Always happy to share his knowledge and unique perspectives on this colorful part of our popular culture, Jason has consulted with New York’s Museum of Food and Drink and has also been a featured guest on Food Network’s Heavyweights, France’s M6 Capital, and New York’s TheActionRoom.com. My Google Profile+
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5 Responses to Woolworth’s Branded Chocolate Bars from Canada!

  1. Dave S. says:

    Just to have the Woolworth name on the package is cool! Thanks for posting these.

  2. Derek says:

    Columbus? I grew up in Stromsburg! I remember this very Woolworth store! I also remember they still had a diner counter even into the 80’s!

  3. Brandon says:

    Good memories. My list trip to a Woolworth’s was in Germany in the late ’90s.

  4. Andrew L. says:

    The last wrapper you have there is definitely for Woolco.

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