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Kapatsos remembers...Growing up I would have taken the 100 Grand over any other candy bar at one point More »
Posted on 03/17/08
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“One Hundred Thousand Dollars” just has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? It connotes images of a new car, a fancy wardrobe, a vacation to Monte Carlo, a…candy bar? Well, if a merger of crispy rice, caramel and chocolate is your idea of elegance, this candy bar is an investment you can feel proud of.
Nestlé introduced the $100,000 Bar in 1966. Inspired by television quiz shows like The Big Surprise, whose top prize was one hundred thousand dollars, the new candy bar was so named to encourage associations with luxury and indulgence, a deluxe prize that could be claimed by anyone with fifteen cents to spend.
The $100,000 Bar was a single slab of chocolate, crisped rice, and a generous layer of caramel. (In 1984, the bar was divided into two smaller, sharable segments.) TV ads often featured eager young people taking a bite and then stretching the caramel away from their mouths in a goopy ribbon. An early 70s campaign featured a song which lured consumers with the promise of:
Caramel, chewy chewy caramel
Extra rich in ca-ra-mel (aaah!)
Nestlé’s Hundred Thousand Dollar Bar
By 1985, the name of the candy bar itself seemed like a mouthful. The term "grand" (meaning "thousand") was in common usage and widely understood, so Nestlé re-introduced the product as 100 Grand. It was easier to say, and just as easy to enjoy.
Several radio stations took advantage of this name change, holding contests in which they promised listeners who came to the station that they would win "a Hundred Grand!" Excited contestants showed up and got a candy bar, instead of the riches they were expecting. One woman in Kentucky brought a lawsuit in response to such a contest, and the trend died out, to nobody's regret.
And yet, to its loyal fans, winning a 100 Grand bar wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Sure, it won’t put the kids through college or a Mercedes in the driveway, but it will ensure that you get to sink your teeth into some sublime caramel decadence. That’s got to be worth something.
