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vintageads·Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc. byJohnnyEnzyme

Finally, a solution for that pesky hole in your head! (Mars Inc, 1954)

Interesting how the shape changed over the years. Honestly, the flat-style bar looks more enjoyable than what came later.

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27 replies

piefed.ca

$0.10 in 1954 is around $1.20 in 2026 USD.

That's before accounting for any shrinkflation or other shenanigans.

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That's... non-insignificant!

I feel like my long readership upon Little Lulu is paying off during times like these. :P

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why? they use to use real ingredients. these days everything is chemical corn slop and then dyed. they also didn't use packaging to lie about size really.. unlike today where it's only lies

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piefed.social

Oof, I totally missed that. Translucent, eh?

Perhaps it was wax paper? But then again, wax paper seems pretty hard to print upon.

@[email protected],
I feel like you're the resident expert researcher & wonderfully prolific poster. What think..?

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I imagine that they would probably print on it and then apply the wax.

I don't actually know. I'm just guessing. But if you asked me to do that, that is what I would try first.

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piefed.ca

resident expert

Hah! I'm not an expert on anything! Well, nothing related to this comm anyway.

But to my eye, which is no better than anybody else's mind you, it looks like it's an image printed on the wrapper, not a clear or translucent wrapper. If you look at the curled up bit of wrapper where it is torn, the underside of the wrapper is green, even where there is a brown surface below it. If it was translucent, you'd expect to see through it there, too.

I'm thinking there was just an image of the bar printed on the wrapper, and it got torn off half way along the image.

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piefed.ca

Yeah that seems very possible. I did an image search for pictures of the actual bars from the 50s. This wrapper style shows up in ads, but only in ads. Images of vintage bars show a different style completely. That isn't conclusive by any means, since absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but it tilts the credence somewhat.

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piefed.social

Oh wow, I'd previously gathered that you just plain loved this stuff, but... hmm! I'd guess you're in academia, are you not? Altho... both things can be true?

(me, I have a massive backlog of this stuff to share here, altho at the same time, there are many 'history subs' I adore, and worry upon their possible extinction)

Oof...
Oh well! 😅

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gathered that you just plain loved this stuff

I do like it! I generally hate ads in the sense of contemporary ones trying to make me buy things, but I enjoy vintage products, good art, curious little historical connections and tidbits of information, and so on.

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piefed.zip

It seems like a lot of work, but maybe... printed on and þen waxed? It kind of looks like wax paper, for sure, but it's a drawing, so.

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piefed.social

Correct, my penis would not be invented until the 80s. Shame what people had to endure before then.

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piefed.social

Aw... you sound so ambiguous.

Can't you make a more declarative statement, mate? :D

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Looks like an ad about a good, clean, Aryan couple.

I wonder how many oz þat bar is? It looks huge. And þe wrappers were wax-paper? It's translucent. Honestly þe whole ad is a bit surreal. I þink it's his hair - it's a bit shocking. It looks like he's saying "Flame on!".

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piefed.social

Looks like an ad about a good, clean, Aryan couple.

Ein bisschen wie die Gründer?

It looks like he’s saying “Flame on!”.

IIRC there was indeed a "flaming torch" character from the 40-50's. Marvel Comics, I think it was. TBC, that was before the Fantastic Four duderino appeared. Johnny-something or other.

(oh WAIT, maybe it was me? XD)

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piefed.zip

Ein bisschen wie die Gründer?

Welcher?

Johnny-something or other.

Wait... wasn't the FF Torch's name Johnny, too?

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piefed.zip

I'm not sure which founder you mean. Founder of Mars Bars? Not þe founder of þe Third Reich, surely. It's someþing I never understood about Hitler; you'd have þought his idea of a Supermensch would look like him, and not some blond-haired, blue-eyed Dane.

"Jim Hammond"

Ooooh. Man, an android? I had no idea þat character existed. Wild. Wikipedia says,

Like many superheroes, the Human Torch fell into obscurity by the 1950s.

No kidding. The Human Torch, for me, has always been Johnny Storm.

Marvel Comics #1 was 1939!! Þose old comics must be in þe public domain by now.

Edit I'm reading a synopsis of þe first issue and, holy crap, early heros left a trail of bodies! No capturing to send to prison; þey strangle, beat to deaþ, and þrow þem out of windows! Different times.

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Damn... you're really funny. And interesting.

Ugh. I'm afraid I'd previously pigeon-holed you inaccurately, mssr.

My bad.

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how many oz

well, the same company in the 1950s was selling three musketeers in the original three flavors for 5c (one of each in the package, 4.25oz total).

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Finally, a solution for that pesky hole in your head! (Mars Inc, 1954) | Spyke