Nowhere in the galaxy is there a treat as sugary-smooth as the Milky Way. Made by the Mars Candy Company, this chocolaty-malty-nougat-caramel confection topped with sweet milk chocolate came onto the candy scene in 1923.  While it may seem pretty simple by today's sweet-tooth standards, the Milky Way bar was a leap forward in candy-making technology as it was one of the first "filled" candy bars to be produced. 

The inspired by the delicious treats coming from soda fountains and ice cream shops during the 1920s, according to the Milky Way website, the idea was to put "a chocolate malted milk inside of a candy bar."  The idea was a hit with the public, and after being available across the U.S. for a couple of years, the Mars Candy Company introduced Vanilla Milky Way, which was the same as a regular milky way with the exception of vanilla nougat in place of chocolate, and was coated in dark chocolate as opposed to milk.  A decade later, the name of the bar was changed to Forever Yours.  In 1976, the vanilla version was discontinued, to the dismay of both vanilla and dark chocolate fans everywhere.  In 1989, Mars resurrected the vanilla version due to popular demand, renaming it Milky Way Dark.  In 2000, it got a name change once more and is now known as Milky Way Midnight.

Of course, as much as anyone might have loved Milky Way Midnight, sometimes a candy craving calls for the original.  But be careful - if you're in Europe or Australia and want a Milky Way, ask for a Mars Bar.  Abroad, Milky Way is the name for 3 Musketeers, surprising many an American tourist for decades.  If you're in North America, however, you can get your Milky Way just about any size your sweet tooth desires; from mini to KING size, there's always room and always just enough to satisfy any creamy, chocolaty caramel desire.