The 1980s gave British sweet shelves some serious new competition, Cadbury alone launched two bars that are still around today, and a small Scottish toffee maker created one of the decade's most divisive chews. Here's what genuinely launched in this decade, with the dates to prove it.
1981/1983: Wispa arrives to take on Aero
Cadbury trialled Wispa regionally in North East England in 1981, using aerated chocolate, chocolate whipped full of tiny bubbles for a lighter, softer bite, as a direct answer to Rowntree's long-running Aero bar. The regional trial sold well enough that Cadbury rolled Wispa out nationally in 1983, and it quickly became one of the decade's best-selling bars. It's also famous for a second act: discontinued in 2003, a persistent fan campaign, including a stage invasion at Glastonbury in 2007 demanding its return, pushed Cadbury into a trial relaunch that sold 20 million bars in seven weeks, and Wispa was made permanent again in 2008.
Early 1980s: the Wham Bar
Away from the big manufacturers, McCowan's, a confectioner based in Stenhousemuir, Scotland, launched the Wham Bar in the early 1980s: a chewy, tangy, faintly fizzy raspberry-flavoured bar in its now-iconic orange wrapper. It became a genuine phenomenon, selling around 30 million bars a year at its peak, and is still produced today, now under the Barratt name via Tangerine Confectionery.
1985: Boost
Cadbury followed Wispa with Boost in 1985, a denser, chewier bar built around a coconut and caramel centre under milk chocolate, aimed at a snackier, more filling end of the market than Wispa's aerated lightness. Peanut and biscuit versions joined the range in 1989, though the original coconut version, along with the short-lived peanut variant, was discontinued in 1994, leaving the biscuit-based Boost most familiar today.
Mid-1980s: M&M's cross the Atlantic
Mars brought M&M's to the UK during the 1980s, part of a wider international rollout of the American candy-coated chocolate button that also reached Australia, Canada and Japan around the same period. They arrived into a market that already had Smarties and Rowntree's Toffo well established, and had to fight for shelf space against homegrown bars in our chocolate range that had been around for decades already.
Frequently asked questions
When did Cadbury's Wispa launch?
Wispa was trialled regionally in North East England in 1981 and, after strong local sales, was rolled out nationally in 1983. Its aerated chocolate was Cadbury's direct answer to Rowntree's Aero.
When did the Wham Bar launch?
The Wham Bar was launched in the early 1980s by McCowan's, a confectionery manufacturer based in Stenhousemuir, Scotland. At its peak it was selling around 30 million bars a year.
When did Cadbury's Boost launch?
Boost launched in 1985 as a chewy coconut and caramel bar coated in milk chocolate. Peanut and biscuit variants followed in 1989, though both the original coconut and the peanut version were discontinued in 1994.