Sky Bar

Sky Bar is an American candy-bar brand known for combining four distinct fillings in a single milk-chocolate-covered bar. The product was introduced in 1938 by the New England Confectionery Company, commonly known as Necco, and was developed by Necco candy maker Joseph Cangemi. Its original format was unusual for the American confectionery market: rather than offering one filling per bar, Sky Bar divided the bar into four sections, each with a different center. The product's four-part design has remained its defining feature, although the fillings changed over time. At launch, Necco described the centers as English toffee, nougat, nut-butter toffee, and fudge parfait. By the mid-1950s, the listed fillings had become English toffee, honey nougat, peanut whip, and fudge parfait. By 2001, the familiar combination was caramel, vanilla, peanut, and fudge. The peanut portion was described as a peanut-flavored caramel rather than conventional peanut butter, while the vanilla center had a soft texture distinct from ordinary nougat or marshmallow. Necco promoted the launch with a skywriting campaign and a sentence-completion contest in The Boston Globe, reportedly offering cash prizes. The bar initially sold for five cents. Its advertising history also includes an appearance in a Necco advertisement illuminated in Times Square after the Allied victory in Europe in 1945. These activities helped associate the product with New England confectionery culture and gave it a distinctive name and presentation. Sky Bar remained a Necco product for decades, but distribution became increasingly limited in the 2000s and 2010s. By 2014 it was difficult to find outside selected retailers, including Cracker Barrel locations, New England stores, online bulk sellers, and specialist candy resellers. Necco also produced temporary Sky Bar-related products in 2009 as a promotional tie-in with the DVD release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Those chocolate products used modified formats and filling combinations rather than representing a permanent change to the core bar. Necco closed in 2018 after entering bankruptcy proceedings. The Sky Bar name and recipe were sold at auction on September 27, 2018, to Louise Mawhinney, owner of the gourmet food shop Duck Soup in Sudbury, Massachusetts. The brand was subsequently operated through the Sky Bar Confectionery Company. Production was announced as having resumed in November 2019, with sales initially available online and at Duck Soup. A dedicated Sky Bar retail location next to Duck Soup began selling the product in December 2019, with manufacturing taking place behind the store. The revived brand is positioned as a nostalgic, specialty American candy rather than a mass-market confectionery line. Its appeal rests on historical continuity, the recognizable four-flavor format, and its association with New England and classic candy-shop retailing. Sky Bar has also appeared in popular culture, including the 2009 film The House of the Devil, the television program The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs, and the role-playing comedy series Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City. Its post-Necco history illustrates how a discontinued regional candy can be preserved and relaunched by an independent owner.

Sky Bar was created at the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco, and announced in March 1938. Its principal innovation was a molded candy bar containing four different centers under a common milk-chocolate coating. Joseph Cangemi, a Necco candy maker, is identified as the product's originator. The format was unusual and was reportedly comparable in concept to the earlier Seven Up bar made by Trudeau Candy of Saint Paul, Minnesota, which contained seven fillings. Necco introduced Sky Bar with a prominent promotional campaign that included skywriting and a sentence-completion contest in The Boston Globe. The original retail price was five cents. The product's early fillings were described as English toffee, nougat, nut-butter toffee, and fudge parfait. Over subsequent decades, Necco adjusted the formulation and terminology. In 1955 the centers were identified as English toffee, honey nougat, peanut whip, and fudge parfait. By 2001 the product was associated with caramel, vanilla, peanut, and fudge, the combination most closely linked with the modern brand. The bar developed a strong regional identity. In 1945, a Necco Sky Bar advertisement was among a small number of signs illuminated in New York City's Times Square following VE Day. Although the product continued to be made for many years, its retail availability narrowed. During the 2000s and early 2010s it could be found through selected retailers, including Cracker Barrel stores, New England outlets, online bulk listings, and specialty candy sellers. In 2009 Necco released limited chocolate products connected to the DVD launch of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. These products were inspired by Sky Bar but used altered shapes and filling combinations. Necco ceased operations in 2018 after its bankruptcy. The Sky Bar brand and recipe were auctioned on September 27 of that year. Louise Mawhinney, who owned the Duck Soup gourmet food store in Sudbury, Massachusetts, acquired them. The revived operation used the name Sky Bar Confectionery Company. In November 2019 the company announced that production had restarted, offering the candy online and through Duck Soup. On December 7, 2019, a dedicated Sky Bar shop opened next to Duck Soup; production was conducted at the rear of the retail premises. The relaunch shifted Sky Bar from a product within a large regional candy manufacturer to an independently operated specialty brand. Its commercial identity centers on nostalgia, local production, direct retail, and preservation of the four-section format. The bar has also maintained cultural visibility through appearances in The House of the Devil, Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City, and The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs. Public information about the current scale of production, corporate structure, distribution beyond the United States, and financial performance is limited.

• 2019

  Production and dedicated retail resume

  [1]Sky Baren.wikipedia.org

  The Sky Bar Confectionery Company brought the product back into production and opened a dedicated store beside Duck Soup in Sudbury.

• 2018

  Brand sold after Necco bankruptcy

  [1]Sky Baren.wikipedia.org

  The Sky Bar name and recipe were sold at auction to Louise Mawhinney after Necco closed.

• 2014

  Distribution becomes difficult to find

  [1]Sky Baren.wikipedia.org

  Sky Bar remained in production but was increasingly limited to selected retailers, online bulk sellers, and specialty candy outlets.

• 2009

  New Moon promotional chocolate products released

  [1]Sky Baren.wikipedia.org

  Necco issued limited chocolate products inspired by Sky Bar as a tie-in to the DVD release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

• 1945

  Sky Bar appears in post-VE Day Times Square advertising

  [1]Sky Baren.wikipedia.org

  A Necco advertisement for Sky Bar was among the signs illuminated in Times Square after the Allied victory in Europe.

• 1938

  Sky Bar introduced by Necco

  [1]Sky Baren.wikipedia.org

  Necco announced and launched a molded milk-chocolate-covered bar divided into four sections with different fillings. Joseph Cangemi is credited as its originator.

A nostalgic New England candy brand built around a distinctive four-filling chocolate bar and sold through specialty, direct, and online channels.

• Chocolate-covered candy bar · 1938

  Sky Bar

  The core Sky Bar is a milk-chocolate-covered candy bar divided into four sections. The modern formulation is associated with caramel, vanilla, peanut, and fudge centers, allowing consumers to sample multiple flavors from one bar. Historical descriptions identify earlier combinations including English toffee, nougat, nut-butter toffee, honey nougat, peanut whip, and fudge parfait. The peanut section has been described as peanut-flavored caramel rather than standard peanut butter.

• Limited promotional confectionery · 2009

  New Moon-inspired chocolate products

  For a 2009 promotional tie-in with the DVD release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Necco produced chocolate items inspired by the original Sky Bar. One version used three filling flavors, while another used a heart-shaped format with a cream center. These were promotional variations rather than the standard Sky Bar product.

• 2009New Moon promotional tie-in

  United States

  Necco linked limited chocolate products inspired by Sky Bar to the DVD release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

  Outcome. The activity created a temporary entertainment tie-in but did not replace the standard four-section bar.

  Source
• 1938Skywriting launch campaign

  United States

  Necco used skywriting to introduce Sky Bar and reinforce the product's aviation-themed name. The launch was supported by a sentence-completion contest in The Boston Globe with cash prizes.

  Outcome. The campaign gave the new bar distinctive visibility at launch and helped establish its name in the American confectionery market.

  Source

• 2019

  Reintroduction of Sky BarProduct launch

  Background

  The brand had been discontinued when Necco ceased operations in 2018.

  Action taken

  The Sky Bar Confectionery Company restarted production and made the bar available online and through Duck Soup in Sudbury.

  Aftermath

  A dedicated Sky Bar store opened next to Duck Soup in December 2019, with manufacturing conducted at the same location.

  Source

• 2018

  Acquisition of the Sky Bar brand and recipeM&A

  Background

  Necco closed after entering bankruptcy proceedings, putting its brands and related assets up for sale.

  Action taken

  At a September 27 auction, Louise Mawhinney acquired the Sky Bar name and recipe and subsequently operated the brand through the Sky Bar Confectionery Company.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition enabled production to resume in 2019 under independent ownership and shifted the brand toward specialty retail and direct sales.

  Source

1. 1Sky Baren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Iconic Sky Bar Candy For Sale Again At Sudbury Shopcbsnews.com
3. 3The best candy bar of all time? It's the Sky Barbostonglobe.com