Depending on your age, you may well remember some of the previous names that some UK sweets had in the past.
We’ve all picked up iconic sweets after school with pocket money at some point or another, but how much attention do you pay to their names?
In this blog, we dive into some of the sweet name transformations that have taken place over the years. How many of these UK British sweets name changes can you recognise?
The UK Sweets Market
Since the 18th Century, sweets have been available to buy in the UK. Though historically, sweets have changed a lot, the nation’s love for sugary treats remains the same.
By the 19th Century, industrialisation had led to great advances in the manufacturing of food products, including sweets.
It was during this time that many of our favourite sweets were born. From Jelly Babies to Fruit Pastilles and the Cadbury milk chocolate bar, there was a huge boom in confectionery across the UK.
Over the years, many sweets have rebranded, so let’s look at some of them now!
Snickers and Marathon
Everyone in the UK knows about the Snickers bar. Chewy nougat, topped with caramel and nuts, finished with a thick coating of chocolate – perfection!
As one of the most famous and most loved chocolate bars in the UK, it’s one of those sweets that just hits the spot.
It wasn’t until 1990 that the Snickers bar was rebranded. Before this time, it was named the Marathon bar by Mars. In 2024, Mars decided to honour the former name with a limited edition of ‘Marathon’ bars available across Morrisons.
Starburst and Opal Fruits
In the year 1960, one of the best sweets was brought to the UK, Opal Fruits. Available in a range of flavours, the individually wrapped chewy sweets sold by Mars changed names to Starburst in the late 90s.
Some of you may remember the limited edition of Starburst lemon and lime, nodding to Opal Fruits, that were released in 2020.
Today, there are all types of Starburst flavours available, including sour sweets that carry the same fruity flavours just with a tantalising twist.
Star Bars and Peanut Boost
Star Bars are a lesser-known chocolate bar, but one that many people love. The retro chocolate bar is packed with peanuts, and because of this, it was actually called the Peanut Boost in the 70s.
Nestlé changed the name to Star Bar in 1989 as a bold rebrand and indeed, their marketing worked. The Star Bar’s spacey-sounding name replaced the Peanut Boost, though the bar itself didn’t change.
This delicious chocolate bar contains a combination of nougat, peanuts, caramel and chocolate.
You can still see old Peanut Boost wrappers floating around online if you look hard enough, usually on nostalgia forums or old packaging archives like Pinterest.
Smarties and Chocolate Beans
Before Smarties became Smarties, they were known as Chocolate Beans. The literal description of the chocolate treats wasn’t ‘fun’ enough for the UK market, so Nestlé rebranded them to Smarties.
These multicoloured chocolate sweets are sold in tubes and larger packets today, but carry much of their original charm.
Over the years, the Smarties recipe has changed, with a focus on using only natural colours and no artificial ingredients. Moreish, striking, and yummy, Smarties are without a doubt one of the most popular chocolates in the UK.
Candy Sticks and Candy Cigarettes
If you’ve grown up in the UK, there’s a high chance that you remember ‘Candy Cigarettes’. Brought to shelves in 1930, the retro sweet was designed to look like a real cigarette, as a long white candy.
Some Candy Cigarettes even used sweet, edible paper, filled with solid chocolate. By the early 1990s, the Candy Cigarette became the Candy Stick. This was in relation to concerns surrounding public health and the fact that children would pretend to smoke the sweets.
Lokum and Turkish Delight
The fragrant sweet from Turkey that we know as Turkish Delight today was once called Lokum. By the 19th Century, Lokum had made its way to the UK and was a hit with the public after being introduced by a British explorer.
Originally, Turkish Delight was a sweet for Christmas time, though it evolved into a treat to indulge in year-round.
Today, there is a wide variety of Turkish Delights available in the UK. Even Cadbury has their own version, coated in their milk chocolate recipe.
Why Do Sweet Names Matter So Much?
Confectionery names, like other products, are important because they carry a brand and create a customer relationship. We all have our favourite sweets and know their names inside and out.
A name isn’t just a name when it’s the thing you asked for every Friday after school, or the bar your dad always grabbed from the petrol station, or the sweet you saved for last in a pick and mix.
Sweet names also reflect the time they came from.
Candy Cigarettes made total sense in the 1930s. Chocolate Beans sounded practical before marketing leaned heavily into fun and personality. Lokum became Turkish Delight because it felt exotic and romantic to a British audience at the time.
The Future of Sweet Names
Some sweet names will likely continue to change in the future. This is because brands are constantly shifting, and marketing approaches can result in new names.
So, the next time you pick up a chocolate bar or your favourite sweets, ask yourself: would you love them the same if there was a name change? And what does the name actually mean to you?
At Sweets Direct, we sell a wide range of retro and nostalgic sweets. Be sure to check out our amazing selection for your favourites!