Today we’re looking back at a bar first released in 1971 under the Heath brand and whose initial marketing push became intimately tied to fierce linebacker and NFL legend, Dick Butkus. Let’s take a look at the Heath Super Crunch!
Heath’s Super Crunch bar first launched in 1971 with a straightforward marketing push highlighting just how super it was:
Heath – Super Crunch – That about says it all – candy trade magazine advertisement – September 1971
At the time, Super Crunch was the first new bar launched under the Heath name in 39 years.
Someone in the Heath marketing department must have taken note that Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus was being referred to by the nickname “Super Crunch” and acted fast to sign him on to endorse their fledgling bar because by January of 1972 he was appearing in trade ads promoting it:
Heath – Super Crunch – Is Here – Dick Butkus – candy trade magazine advertisement – January 1972
Here’s an early trade clipping featuring Butkus with Heath’s then-director of marketing Edward Core:
Heath Super Crunch – Heath Signs Butkus – candy magazine trade clipping – April 1972
I don’t have an example of that first standard-size Super Crunch bar wrapper in my collection, though I do have an early 1970’s 6-ounce version with a t-shirt mail-away offer that also features spokesman Dick Butkus!:
Heath Super Crunch – Dick Butkus – t-shirt offer – 6 1/4 oz chocolate candy bar wrapper – 1970’s
The reverse of that wrapper features Butkus wearing the “Crunch in the Mouth” t-shirt along with two lucky kids – here’s a better look [Note Butkus’ trademark jersey #51]:
Heath Super Crunch – Dick Butkus t-shirt offer photo – 1970’s
The next two wrapper examples I have to show are both of the fund raising variety. My suspicion is that after a few years, Heath’s Super Crunch bar was discontinued from standard distribution, but was kept in production as a fund raising offering.
Heath – Super Crunch – fund raising – 2 oz chocolate candy bar wrapper – 1977
The fund raising Super Crunch wrapper remained nearly identical in 1982, though the size changed, as seen here:
Heath – Super Crunch – fund raising – 1.7 oz chocolate candy bar wrapper – 1982
The Heath company would be acquired by Leaf in 1989 and then Hershey in 1996, but those acquisitions don’t explain the nature of this next Super Crunch wrapper:
Caldwell Farms – Super Crunch – fund raising – 2.25 oz chocolate candy bar wrapper – 1980’s
The Heath name appears nowhere on this Caldwell Farms version of Super Crunch. My best guess is that, perhaps Heath sold off their fund raising division to a third party – in this case Caldwell Farms. Whatever the case, it’s interesting to note that the brand changed hands before it disappeared entirely.
And that’s everything for today’s post and our coverage of Heath’s 1970’s Super Crunch bar and it’s famous spokesman, the legendary NFL linebacker, Dick Butkus!
See you next time!
Surprising that they added crisped rice to the bar without any kind of new & improved tag line there. Unless they did, but the wrapper is still MIA…
Bill,
My guess is that there was a break in time between the period when the bar was sold to standard retailer and when it returned as a fund raising product. So the change in formulation could have happened in that down period. Though I’m entirely guessing.
Hello, I am the kid in the photo with Dick Butkus (the boy). Now 56 and still remember taking this picture and meeting Dick. I was ten then, he was the nicest guy. Had a trip to Chicago, went to a game (later that year) and had a blast.
I remember all of the kids gathering at the front door of the Heath plant in Robinson, Il. Mr. Butkus seemed like a real world giant. I remember Craig Core being in some of the promotional material and being quite the local celebrity.