A candy bar named after a 1920s dance craze has outlasted the dance itself by a century, and it's mostly famous now for a trick that has nothing to do with eating it normally.
Named after a dance craze
Charleston Chew was created in 1925 by the Fox-Cross Candy Company, founded by stage actor Donley Cross and his friend Charlie Fox. The original bar was a chocolate-flavour-coated vanilla nougat, launched at the exact moment the Charleston — the fast, energetic dance that defined the Jazz Age — was sweeping American dance floors. The name stuck long after the dance itself faded.
New flavours, new owners
- 1957 — businessman Nathan Sloane bought the company; he didn't invent the bar, but in the 1970s he expanded it beyond vanilla with new chocolate and strawberry nougat flavours.
- 1980 — the brand was sold to Nabisco.
- 1988 — Warner-Lambert acquired it from RJR Nabisco.
- 1993 — Tootsie Roll Industries purchased Charleston Chew from Warner-Lambert, and still makes it today.
Why people freeze it
Charleston Chew has picked up a second life as a novelty: frozen solid, then smashed on a hard surface or with a hammer to shatter into bite-sized nougat shards — a ritual that's arguably more famous now than the bar's original dance-craze branding. It remains a fixture of American candy and snacks aisles in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called Charleston Chew?
Charleston Chew was named after the Charleston, the dance craze sweeping America when the Fox-Cross Candy Company launched the bar in 1925.
Who invented Charleston Chew?
It was created by the Fox-Cross Candy Company, founded by stage actor Donley Cross and his friend Charlie Fox, originally as a chocolate-covered vanilla nougat bar.
Who owns Charleston Chew now?
After passing through Nathan Sloane in 1957, Nabisco in 1980 and Warner-Lambert in 1988, Charleston Chew has been made by Tootsie Roll Industries since 1993.