{"id":711,"date":"2012-02-15T14:57:43","date_gmt":"2012-02-15T19:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/?p=711"},"modified":"2012-12-10T01:11:15","modified_gmt":"2012-12-10T06:11:15","slug":"mad-about-marathon-the-bar-that-lasts-a-good-long-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/?p=711","title":{"rendered":"Mad about Marathon – The bar that lasts a good long time…"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mad about Marathon – The bar that lasts a good long time…<\/p><\/div>\n

The name of this website is CollectingCandy and no single candy wrapper has been as responsible for my starting to collect candy than the Marathon’s.<\/p>\n

My love of Marathon is reflected throughout the site.\u00a0 The current Collecting Candy logo is an homage to the typeface on the Marathon wrapper.\u00a0 A Marathon is also featured prominently in the collage background of our masthead banner.\u00a0 Check out our About page and you will see me gleefully holding a Marathon.\u00a0 In short – I’m mad about Marathon.<\/p>\n

An early favorite of mine, the Marathon bar’s lifespan was paired almost perfectly with my own pre-teen childhood.\u00a0 Introduced in 1973, it was last seen on shelves in 1981 or 1982.\u00a0 So this bar was a part of my candy life from kindergarten into Junior High, years when candy typically makes a big impression.<\/p>\n

I didn’t notice when Marathon disappeared.\u00a0 I expect that I looked for it a few times and wondered why it wasn’t in stock, eventually realizing it wasn’t around anymore.\u00a0 As the years ticked forward, Marathon’s striking red-orange wrapper and wave-filled logo remained a powerful memory, long into adulthood.\u00a0 Those memories would eventually guide me back to Marathon, and be the seed that grew into my passion for vintage candy.<\/p>\n

For those that don’t know or are too young to remember, the Marathon was a flat braid of chocolate-covered caramel.\u00a0 It was delicious, and the wrapper was a thing of beauty and disputable subtext.\u00a0 On the back of the wrapper was an 8-inch ruler – a fact I will move past without comment.<\/p>\n

The television commercials also remained ingrained in my noggin.\u00a0 When I began to look online to find those humorous spots, I learned that the spots’ star, Marathon John, was played by a young Patrick Wayne.\u00a0 A perfect fit, considering that Patrick Wayne was the son of Hollywood legend, John Wayne.<\/p>\n

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1974 Marathon trade ad featuring Patrick Wayne as Marathon John. Courtesy Dan Goodsell.<\/p><\/div>\n

When I began looking for Marathon-related items online, the first things I found were the classic commercials.\u00a0 They were also the first places I glimpsed the Marathon’s wrapper again.\u00a0 But I wanted more – so I searched online for a photo of the wrapper.\u00a0 I eventually did find one.. though it was painfully tiny.<\/p>\n

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Little tiny internet Marathon wrapper image – source unknown.<\/p><\/div>\n

So that was it, my glorious internet that seemed to have all the answers – all of recorded history available at my fingertips – and it provided me with that… a Marathon bar wrapper image for a Barbie doll.\u00a0 I was not satisfied.<\/p>\n

This thumbnail was simply not enough, I wanted to see my Marathon up-close, to perhaps relive that rush of salivation that came at the moment-before-opening.\u00a0 This postage stamp Marathon was akin to the elevator muzak version of your favorite song.<\/p>\n

I did not know about collecting candy wrappers at the time, only that I wanted this one.\u00a0 So I did what anyone might do, in the post-eBay world – I set up a saved search for Marathon bar on eBay, and waited… and waited.\u00a0 And waited some more.<\/p>\n

I waited quite a while.\u00a0 In the ensuing time, I started to learn more about candy, driven by my similar quest to find a Hot Tamales box.\u00a0 I found one of those along the way, and I also realized that I was becoming more and more of a collector.<\/p>\n

Not satisfied with a thumbnail image of a Marathon, I took a black-and-white illustration of a wrapper and worked up my own clean version for my computer desktop.\u00a0 It was a digital placeholder that would have to suffice.<\/p>\n

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My Marathon wrapper digital Photoshop recreation<\/p><\/div>\n

Two years later, I found a seller that was offering a few candy items on eBay.\u00a0 I inquired if he might have a Marathon bar wrapper and he answered back that he did.\u00a0 Not only that, but he explained that that it was unopened.<\/p>\n

The following day, he sent along photos. I was amazed and delighted at what I saw:<\/p>\n

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Unopened 1977 Marathon bar photos<\/p><\/div>\n

I couldn’t believe it – I’d found my Marathon!\u00a0 The seller and I worked out a price for the treasure, and I paid.\u00a0 I even paid extra for insurance and signature required service – I wasn’t going to take any chances with this one.<\/p>\n

The following week I eagerly anticipated the arrival of my Marathon bar in the mailbox.\u00a0 So I waited… and waited.\u00a0\u00a0 And waited some more.<\/p>\n

After three weeks with no Marathon, I contacted the seller, who assured me that he had sent it out the very next day.\u00a0 Uh-oh…<\/p>\n

With that disturbing information in hand, I took the tracking number to my post office… and from there weeks of frustration would follow.\u00a0\u00a0 Initially told the package never arrived\u00a0 at that post office branch, I was later given conflicting information; they now explained that it had been delivered and signed for – by me.\u00a0 Huh?<\/p>\n

I was presented with a digital copy of the signature sheet – and there it was – my name signed.<\/p>\n

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Hey, that’s not my signature!<\/p><\/div>\n

After an appropriate amount of confusion and outrage, I accepted my Marathon-less fate.\u00a0 I never did figure out where it ended up, but a happier chapter in this quest comes next.<\/p>\n

The following Spring, many months after the case of the missing Marathon bar, a friend and fellow collector traded this wrapper to me.<\/p>\n

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Marathon bar wrapper – M&M Mars – 1976<\/p><\/div>\n

I was thrilled – I finally had an actual Marathon bar wrapper in hand.\u00a0 It was a bit tattered and torn, but I didn’t care – it was awesome.<\/p>\n

A month later, my candy karma kicked it up another notch when a flawless, year-one, printed-on-price, pre-UPC Marathon wrapper would turn up on Ebay.<\/p>\n

This is the only pre-UPC Marathon wrapper I’ve ever come across and the only example with a printed-on price I’ve ever seen, before or since.\u00a0 This wrapper is the favorite piece in my collection, and it resides framed on the wall, in view, as I write this.\u00a0 And here it is:<\/p>\n

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Marathon bar 15-cent wrapper – M&M Mars – 1973-1974<\/p><\/div>\n

To note about this one:\u00a0 This could be the earliest style of Marathon bar wrapper – the “Best By” of June 1974 would place the initial on-sale date for this one in late 1973 – the year of Marathon’s launch.\u00a0 Experience tells me that somewhere out there might be a Marathon with “New!” printed on it – as companies would typically include an indicator on the wrappers of any new launch.\u00a0 I’ve yet to learn of one being found.\u00a0 But with candy, never having seen one doesn’t mean it wasn’t produced.<\/p>\n

Those two wrappers nicely represent the earliest style as well as one indicative of the main run of the bar.\u00a0 Near the end of Marathon’s life, Marathon did get one more refresh, with tweaks to the design and logo.\u00a0 My pal Jon has one of these wrappers in his collection from late 1979.\u00a0 Chances are, this is what Marathon bar wrappers looked like until production ceased in 1982.<\/p>\n

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Marathon wrapper 1979-1980. Courtesy Jon Mankuta.<\/p><\/div>\n

This wrapper retains the fundamental look of that earliest wrapper from a decade earlier.\u00a0 The biggest change is the loss of the cool 70’s color-wave that ran through the type, and the “M” in the name getting highlighted and over-sized next to the rest of the logo.<\/p>\n

On the reverse:\u00a0 The UPC code narrowed, and the M&M-Mars logo updated to the then-current M&M-Mars Snack-Masters sub-branding.<\/p>\n

[Note: I’d sure like to add one of these late run Marathon wrappers to my collection – and this is one I get to keep hunting for.\u00a0 Thanks to Jon Mankuta for allowing me to include his example here today.]<\/p>\n

Though I don’t have any additional variety of Marathon wrappers in\u00a0 my collection, I do have a great newspaper clipping for a coupon:<\/p>\n

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Marathon – color newspaper ad-coupon – 1979<\/p><\/div>\n

I have an image of an earlier version that was good for a free Marathon, or 15-cents off a Marathon 6-bar-pack:<\/p>\n

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Marathon newspaper ad – free bar or 15-cents off – 1973-1975<\/p><\/div>\n

I’ve also sought out any other M&M\/Mars packaging that cross-promotes Marathon:<\/p>\n

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M&M-Mars – 3-Musketeers Fun Size – also try Marathon bar – one-pound bag – 1975<\/p><\/div>\n

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Mars Chocolate Almond six pack – Marathon bar promo – candy package – 1970’s<\/p><\/div>\n

That’s the scope of the actual Marathon items in my collection.\u00a0 You might wonder what else is out here – I certainly did.<\/p>\n

I know that Marathon received the Fun Size treatment, as you can see in this newspaper archival image:<\/p>\n

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Marathon Fun Size newspaper ad – December 11 1974<\/p><\/div>\n

There’s also a singular rumor that is included in the Wikipedia entry for Marathon<\/a>, that states:\u00a0 “Note: There was also a 15″ version of The Marathon Bar sold in Southern California at local 7\/11 stores. These had the 15″ ruler on the back of the red wrapper.”<\/p>\n

I’m skeptical of the existence of this mythical Southern-California 7-Eleven 15″ Marathon.\u00a0 I’ve investigated and thus far, I have found nothing to corroborate the Wikipedia mention.\u00a0 As I’ve said before, Wikipedia’s knowledge of candy should be taken with a grain of salt.\u00a0\u00a0 If a 15″ Marathon did exist, finding a wrapper for one would be amazing.<\/p>\n

Here’s one last piece of visual fun – a newspaper ad featuring an illustration of Marathon John and a few of his commercial adversaries.\u00a0 If anyone has an original clipping, I’d love to see it.<\/p>\n

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Marathon Fun Size newspaper ad – 1976<\/p><\/div>\n

That’s everything I have on Marathon proper.\u00a0 I’m going to continue this thread tomorrow with more on M&M-Mars confusing use of Marathon, Snickers and 3-Musketeers.\u00a0 They’re more connected than you might guess.<\/p>\n

Then, on Friday I’ll be covering the Marathon-bar like offerings from around the world – most notably with Cadbury’s Curly Wurly.\u00a0 You won’t want to miss it.<\/p>\n

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Oops… almost forgot!\u00a0\u00a0 Last year, as part of Topps’ Wacky Packages “Old School” Series Two, Marathon got the Wacky Package treatment in the form of Meltathon [painted by my pal and Wacky Package painter extraordinaire, Dave Gross]:<\/p>\n

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Topps Wacky Packages Old School Series 2 – Meltathon<\/p><\/div>\n

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The name of this website is CollectingCandy and no single candy wrapper has been as responsible for my starting to collect candy than the Marathon’s. My love of Marathon is reflected throughout the site.\u00a0 The current Collecting Candy logo is … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1970s","category-chocolate-2"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2aFGk-bt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=711"}],"version-history":[{"count":106,"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11178,"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711\/revisions\/11178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/collectingcandy.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}