The
Oh Henry Bar is a straightforward, delicious candy bar with a somewhat complicated history. As opposed to Snickers that was named after Forrest Mars' beloved racehorse, no one is 100% certain where the name for Oh Henry came from.
Theories abound but one thing that almost everyone agrees upon is that this is a delicious candy bar and has been for close to 100 years. And no, this candy bar is not named after the baseball great Hank Aaron.
Spark your curiosity? Read on…
Lore has it that the name was derived from that of a randy young man who made frequents visits to the original manufacturers – the Williamson company – less for sugary sweets and more to flirt with the eye candy who worked on the assembly line. This leaves us to assume that the young man’s name was -- you guessed it -- Henry. But certain proof eludes us.
Perhaps a more credible theory is that the candy bar was named after the owner of the now defunct Peerless Candy company. The owner's name was Tom Henry and in a vainglorious move, created the Tom Henry Bar. It was a short-lived venture as he sold the rights to the candy bar in 1920 to the Williamson Candy who changed the name to Oh Henry.
Oh Henry was also one of the first examples of “guerilla marketing” as an employee of Williamson Candy Company was determined to make the Oh Henry Bar famous. Lacking the funds to launch a full frontal Madison Avenue advertising campaign, this wily salesman had bumper stickers printed with only two words – Oh Henry. Curiousity didn’t kill the cat and this candy bar quickly made a name for itself.
The candy bar is also sold in Canada but distributed by Hershey with the difference being a "chocolately" coating as opposed to milk chocolate.
Things remained much the same for close to 65 years until 1984, when
Nestle acquired the rights to distribute Oh Henry in the United States but, alas, not everything lasts forever.
In 2018, Nestle sold the rights to Ferrara Pan and the candy bar has curiously disappared from the shelves. As of October 2019, it has not been confirmed that these beloved candy icon has been discontinued. Stay tuned...
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The O Henery bar may have origins with the Incas! Reading a a copy of Hiram Bingham Book called Last City of The Incas published 1911 he mentions a native made him and his group a emergency ration of which was Crude Cane sugar poured into an oblong moulds cut in a big log of hard wood In witch his Son place handfuls of nicely roasted peanuts! He says they greatly enjoyed on return journey. Page 140 of the book. The book is of the Machu Picchu and its Builders. This time line co insides with being invented late 1910. This bar is also mentioned in a Tom Swift novel of 1915 mentioning it being a energy ration in The Great War.-
Can’t believe the erroneous information out there regarding Oh Henry etc. associated with Walter M. Lowney Chocolate Co. in Montreal. My grandfather was Vice President, also American as was Walter
I have documented evidence, photographs and wonderful memories of a legacy that seemingly is gone. But, each and every time I pass “an impulse section with chocolates in the cash area of a store” I stare and almost cry. It’s still there!
Was there not a candy bar kind of like this called the Aaron Bar?
You can still buy a Hershey bar anywhere you find a chocolate bar in Canada. I ate one last night that was purchased this week in Calgary, Alberta!