The classic Wham Bar built its entire reputation on one sensation: a fizzing, tongue-tingling sourness delivered through little pieces of sherbet packed inside a chewy bar. Astro Belt takes that same sensation and puts it in a completely different shape — a long, sour-sugar-dusted gummy belt — and the route it took to get there involves a Scottish sweet factory going into administration.
Where the sourness actually comes from: the Wham Bar
The Wham Bar itself was introduced in the early 1980s by McCowan's, a confectionery manufacturer based in Stenhousemuir, Scotland. It's a thin chew bar with small pieces of fizzing sherbet mixed through it, delivering a sour, tingling sensation that made it one of the standout novelty chews of the decade — at its peak, McCowan's was reportedly selling around 30 million Wham Bars a year.
That run under McCowan's didn't last forever. On 21 September 2011, New McCowans Ltd went into administration, and within a few weeks — on 14 October 2011 — the Wham Bar and Highland Toffee brands were bought by Tangerine Confectionery, the same group behind Barratt, Trebor and Jameson's. Wham Bar production, and everything built on the Wham name since, has belonged to Tangerine ever since.
From chew bar to gummy belt
Astro Belt — usually sold as Wham Astrobelt — is Tangerine's reworking of that sour Wham concept for the gummy-belt format that took over pick 'n' mix counters in the 2000s and 2010s. Instead of sherbet pieces mixed through a chew bar, Astrobelt is a long gummy strip coated in sour sugar, most commonly found in raspberry and blueberry flavours. The tongue-tingling sourness is the same idea the Wham Bar built its name on; only the shape and chew texture have changed to match modern sweet-counter tastes.
It's sold under the Barratt name today, which makes sense once you know the ownership: Barratt and the Wham brand both now sit inside Tangerine Confectionery, so a Wham-flavoured product wearing Barratt branding is really just two of the same company's labels meeting on one wrapper.
Where it fits among sour sweets today
Astro Belt arrived at a point when sour sugar-coated sweets had become one of the biggest growth categories in British confectionery, sitting alongside belts, laces and rolled sweets from other manufacturers. You'll find it in our Sour Sweets collection and among the rest of the Barratt range in our Barratt collection, or browse the wider era of penny-sweet and tuck-shop classics it descends from in our Retro Sweets collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is an Astro Belt?
A sour-sugar-coated gummy candy belt, built as a modern reinvention of the classic Wham Bar's tongue-tingling sourness.
Who makes Astro Belts?
Tangerine Confectionery, sold under the Barratt name, after acquiring the Wham Bar brand from McCowan's in October 2011.
Is an Astro Belt the same as a Wham Bar?
No — it's a spin-off. The Wham Bar is a chew bar with sherbet pieces inside; Astrobelt is a sour-sugar-dusted gummy belt.
What flavours do Astro Belts come in?
Most commonly raspberry and blueberry, both with a sour sugar coating.