Charleston Chew
Encyclopedia
Charleston Chew is a candy bar
consisting of flavored nougat
covered in chocolate flavor coating. It was created in 1922 by the Fox-Cross Candy Company, and the candy was named for the Charleston
, a popular dance at that time.
in 1980. Although he did not invent the Charleston Chew, he did change the candy's original blueprint, chocolate-covered vanilla taffy. In the 1970s, he introduced such new flavors as chocolate and strawberry
. Warner-Lambert purchased Charleston Chew from RJR Nabisco
in 1988; Tootsie Roll Industries
purchased the brand from Warner-Lambert in 1993.
The candy is available in vanilla
, chocolate
, and strawberry
flavors. At one time, there was a fourth flavor, banana
. "Mini Charleston Chews" are a bite-sized, similarly-shaped version of the candy bar, introduced in 1998. The original packaging for Charleston Chews was a grey box that had the brand name in small red font at the bottom of the box. Freezing results in them shattering with ease when chewed.
Candy bar
A chocolate bar is a confection in bar form comprising some or all of the following components: cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, milk. The relative presence or absence of these components form the subclasses of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. In addition to these main...
consisting of flavored nougat
Nougat
Nougat is a variety of similar traditional confectioneries made with sugar and/or honey, roasted nuts , and sometimes chopped candied fruit. The consistency of nougat can range from soft and chewy to hard and crunchy depending on its composition, and it is used in a variety of candy bars and...
covered in chocolate flavor coating. It was created in 1922 by the Fox-Cross Candy Company, and the candy was named for the Charleston
Charleston (dance)
The Charleston is a dance named for the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild and became one...
, a popular dance at that time.
History
The company was purchased in 1957 by Nathan Sloane and later sold to NabiscoNabisco
Nabisco is an American brand of cookies and snacks. Headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, the company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Kraft Foods. Nabisco's plant in Chicago, a production facility at 7300 S...
in 1980. Although he did not invent the Charleston Chew, he did change the candy's original blueprint, chocolate-covered vanilla taffy. In the 1970s, he introduced such new flavors as chocolate and strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
. Warner-Lambert purchased Charleston Chew from RJR Nabisco
RJR Nabisco
RJR Nabisco, Inc., was an American conglomerate formed in 1985 by the merger of Nabisco Brands and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. RJR Nabisco was purchased in 1988 by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co...
in 1988; Tootsie Roll Industries
Tootsie Roll Industries
Tootsie Roll Industries is a manufacturer of confectionery in the United States. Its best-known products have been Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops....
purchased the brand from Warner-Lambert in 1993.
Flavors and varieties
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
, chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
, and strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
flavors. At one time, there was a fourth flavor, banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
. "Mini Charleston Chews" are a bite-sized, similarly-shaped version of the candy bar, introduced in 1998. The original packaging for Charleston Chews was a grey box that had the brand name in small red font at the bottom of the box. Freezing results in them shattering with ease when chewed.
Film and television
- Charleston Chew is frequently referenced on FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, as either a sponsor or favored snack of Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's head. - Charleston Chew is the favorite confection of Tim on the television show The Life & Times of TimThe Life & Times of TimThe Life & Times of Tim is an HBO comedy animated television series, which premiered on September 28, 2008. The series was created by Steve Dildarian, and is about a hapless man in his mid 20s named Tim who lives in New York City with his girlfriend Amy...
. - Charleston Chew is mentioned by Bart in The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Lisa the Drama QueenLisa the Drama Queen"Lisa the Drama Queen" is the ninth episode of the twentieth season of The Simpsons. It aired January 25, 2009 and guest starred Emily Blunt as Juliet. A special version of the end credits theme was performed by Fall Out Boy, although they do not guest star in the actual episode...
". - Charleston Chew is mentioned in a 2010 State Farm InsuranceState Farm InsuranceState Farm Insurance is a group of insurance and financial services companies in the United States. The company also has operations in Canada....
television advertisement. - Charleston Chew is mentioned in the 2008 film The Promotion.
- Charleston Chew is mentioned in the PsychPsychPsych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
episode "Earth, Wind, and... Wait for It" (season 3, #12) as a candy kept in the office smoke detector. - Charleston Chew is mentioned by Dean Pelton in the CommunityCommunity (TV series)Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
episode "Celebrity Pharmacology 212". - Charleston Chew is mentioned by Dana CarveyDana CarveyDana Thomas Carvey is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for playing the role of Garth in the Wayne's World movies.-Early life:...
's fictional secret agent character Terry Suave in the movie Master of Disguise.
Music
- Dr. DreDr. DreAndre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
's album Chronic 2001 features EminemEminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
in a song titled "Forgot about Dre". At the end of the verse, Eminem says, "From here on out it's the Chronic 2, Startin today and tomorrow's the new, And I'm still locoLoco-Computers:* LocoRoco, a 2006 game for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3* LOCO-1, a near-lossless image compression algorithm used in JPEG* Loco Linux, Linux distribution* Loco team, a group of Linux and open source advocates...
enough, To choke you to death wit' a Charleston Chew." - On Prince Paul's album Psychoanalysis: What is It?Psychoanalysis: What is It?Psychoanalysis: What Is It? is the first album by hip hop producer Prince Paul. The album marks Prince Paul's first turn as a solo artist after gaining recognition for producing De La Soul, among others, as well as being a member of the hip hop super group the Gravediggaz...
, in a song titled "J.O.B. - Das What Dey Is!", at the end of the last verse, Scully B says, "Ran in the store to get me some brew, a 3-pack of condoms and a Charleston Chew."
Science and technology
- Charleston Chew candy bars have been used to demonstrate rheologyRheologyRheology is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in the liquid state, but also as 'soft solids' or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an applied force....
(the effects of temperature and strain rate on the deformation of materials) to students in university geologyGeologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
labs.