Top Five Retro Sweetshop Mysteries

There was nothing like walking into a corner shop after school, pocket money jingling in your blazer, and staring at a wall of sweets that looked like they belonged in a rainbow explosion. Some were unforgettable. Others? They vanished without a trace, leaving behind half-remembered names and unanswered questions.

Here are five retro sweetshop mysteries that still puzzle us today:

5. The Secret Bar (1980s–90s)

The mystery: A Cadbury’s bar with a crunchy praline filling hidden inside a chocolate shell, launched with much fanfare in the late ’80s. It was creamy, nutty, and delicious… but almost no one remembers it.

Why it’s mysterious: Was it too similar to other bars? Was the name too vague? Or was it just too good, quietly pulled from the shelves before it developed a cult following?

Nostalgia factor: Every time a “retro chocolate” thread pops up online, someone brings up The Secret, and half the comments are just: “Wait, did I dream that?”

4. Cabana Bar (1980s)

The mystery: A Cadbury’s creation with coconut, cherries, and caramel wrapped in chocolate. Basically a tropical mash-up before coconut was cool.

Why it’s mysterious: On paper, it should have been a classic. But it quietly disappeared by the early ’90s. Some swear it was ahead of its time; others say the cherry-coconut combo was just too odd for British taste buds.

Nostalgia factor: For those who do remember it, Cabana is the holy grail of lost chocolate bars.

3. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Bar (1980s–90s)

The mystery: A mash-up of wafer, biscuit, caramel, and cereal, covered in chocolate. The ad campaign was catchy, the bar itself was a texture overload… and then it was gone.

Why it’s mysterious: Why launch such a Frankenstein bar, only to pull it within a few years? Did the mix of five layers just confuse people, or was it simply too much?

Nostalgia factor: Anyone who tried one will never forget that crunch-snap-chew combo. Everyone else is convinced you’re making it up.

2. Toffo (discontinued 2005)

The mystery: A chewy toffee sweet made by Mackintosh, available in rolls and multiple flavours — banana toffee being the stuff of playground legend.

Why it’s mysterious: It survived for decades, so why kill it off in the 2000s when chewy sweets were still thriving? Nestlé offered no real reason, leaving fans baffled.

Nostalgia factor: That rainbow roll of flavours still haunts many a sweet tooth.

1. Spangles (1950s–’80s, discontinued 1984)

The mystery: Square boiled sweets in paper tubes, beloved for their unusual flavours like Old English (liquorice and mint, anyone?). By the ’80s, they’d vanished.

Why it’s mysterious: People still debate why they went — was it changing tastes, or simply an outdated brand? Some blame fruit gums and Starburst for stealing their thunder.

Nostalgia factor: Spangles remain the number-one “bring it back” sweet in the UK. People have even signed petitions to resurrect them.