The 100 Grand Bar

National Candy Month, day 2.

We're starting out our candy extravaganza with my favorite candy bar, the "100 Grand Bar" made by Nestle' (well that's a big fat lie, my true favorite is the Freia milk chocolate bar from Norway, but we're talking affordable and obtainable here).

The "100 Grand" candy bar, which comes two pieces to a pack, consists of a chewy hunk of caramel sprinkled with crunchy little rice cereals, which then take a dip in a tub of warm milk chocolate. (I think I like the "100 Grand" so much because I'm a big fan of caramel).

In the late 1950's, T.V. game shows were the hottest thing. One game show called "The Big Surprise" featured contestants answering ten questions which ranged in value from $100 to $100,000. It was this show that sparked the idea for the $100,000 Bar, which was introduced in 1966.

The name was changed in 1985 to "100 Grand Bar", as the term "grand" for $1000 became a popular term in the 1980's.

Shockingly, this innocent little candy bar has been used more than once in heartless radio pranks where D. J.'s  have led listeners to believe they could win $100,000 by promising them "100 Grand" for being a certain numeric caller. (Shame on them!) In 2005, a Kentucky woman sued a radio station for a prank in which a radio D.J. told her she would win $100,000 for being the tenth caller when in fact the prize was a "100 Grand" candy bar, which is a lovely prize, but no $100,000! Read all about it here at thesmokinggun.com.

The "100 Grand Bar" is a scrumptious little confection, but I'm afraid their commercials as of late have been a little less than stellar. Here is a classic commercial from 1979. (I believe the actress shown first and last in this commercial is Nancy Morgan, John Ritter's first wife. She's a cutie and didn't you just love John Ritter?!)



Sources:
wikipedia.com
thesmokinggun.com

Image: redstonefoods.com