Pangburn’s Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Packs – The MAD Fold-In of Candy Packaging!

CC_Trog-Lo-Dytes TITLE PLATEIn the 1970’s, the Pangburn Company of Fort Worth Texas created a novel bit of pop art paper craft when they came up with the cardboard packaging for their Trog-Lo-Dytes chocolates.   There’s never been anything quite like it in the world of candy packaging before or since, so make the jump to see Pangburn’s unique and unusually-named Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Packs!

Before I begin today’s showcase, I want to share my personal history with Trog-Lo-Dytes and how they played a part in me becoming a candy collector.

Sometime back in the 1970’s, I was a wee lad shopping with my family at our local Tempo retail store when I spotted a compelling bit of candy packaging on one of the candy isle shelves.  At the time, I probably looked a little something like this:

CollectingCandy's Jason Liebig sometime in the 1970's

CollectingCandy’s Jason Liebig sometime in the 1970’s

Tempo was the first big retail store to hit our small Nebraska town in the late 1960’s, though stores like K-Mart and ALCO would follow a decade later and by the early 1980’s Tempo was gone.

Tempo retail store logo and phonebook ad - 1976

Tempo retail store logo and phonebook ad – 1976

So it was that I picked up that oddly-compelling bit of candy packaging with the strange illustration that decades later I would learn was a Trog-Lo-Dyte Action Pack.  I remember intently investigating the package for a few moments and finally asking if I could have it.  Receiving a parental veto of said purchase left me gazing upon this colorful oddity one final time before placing it back on the shelf, likely to never see it again.   But something about the artwork or the function of the packaging struck me, because the memory of it stayed with me even though the shape and form of that recollection would mutate over the years.

Decades later, when I embraced the hobby of candy, I sought to bring focus to that blurry memory.  The quest to bring clarity to my childhood confectionery mysteries is what initially prompted me to become a collector, and this was one of the big ones.

At the time, my foggy memory recalled a rectangular package with sideways opening flaps that somehow visually transformed a grasshopper illustration into a merged grasshopper-motorcycle centaur-like creature.  The name “Grasschopper” was part of it somehow and remained clear in my brain over the years.

So with that scrap of memory, I put the question of this strange Mad Fold-In like candy package to the Cerealbits.com forum hoping someone would have the answers I was seeking.  It was there that my buddy (and Mr. Toast creator) Dan Goodsell concluded that what I was describing sounded a lot like a Trog-Lo-Dyte package.

Dan’s tip would quickly lead to more information and eventually I would find my “Grasschopper” Trog-Lo-Dyte Action Pack, though it wasn’t exactly as I remembered.  Rather than rectangular it was square, and instead of side flaps it featured cut-outs that allowed a sliding panel to change the artwork.

The following is an animated GIF of the Grasschopper Trog-Lo-Dyte package:

Trog-Lo-Dyte Grass Chopper animation example - animated GIF

Trog-Lo-Dyte Grass Chopper animation example – animated GIF

Here’s a side view series of photos, showing how a Trog-Lo-Dyte package functioned:

Trog-Lo-Dytes usage visual example

Trog-Lo-Dytes usage visual example

So I finally had my answer in hand and it was awesome.  It was the culmination of a search and the answer to a confectionery mystery that began decades earlier in my youth.  It was also the first time I learned that memory does not always get things as right as you think and that sometimes it invents details that never were.

The confectionery product included within the Trog-Lo-Dyte Action Pack package was a simple piece of milk chocolate.  I don’t know exactly how it was placed within the package, as I’ve never found an unopened Trog-Lo-Dyte package or seen photos of one, and I don’t have any memory of the chocolate itself.  I assume it was tucked in between the movable back and front panel, though that’s just a guess.

Pangburn created Trog-Lo-Dytes to be collectible, as there were at least 46 different versions (I have 35 different in my collection) and each one was numbered.  The artwork and humor across the Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Packs presents quite a range and unfortunately I don’t know who any of the artists were.  If anyone out there knows who they might be, leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

Now it’s time to get to the fun – here are all of the Pangburn Trog-Lo-Dytes packs I’ve found over the years:

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #03 - Belly Buster - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #03 – Belly Buster – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #04 - Over Easy - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #04 – Over Easy – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #05 - Grass Chopper - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #05 – Grass Chopper – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #06 - Crash Gordon - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #06 – Crash Gordon – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #08 - Sharky Diverbiter  - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #08 – Sharky Diverbiter – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #09 - Bug Biter  - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #09 – Bug Biter – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #11 - Ping Pong - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #11 – Ping Pong – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #12 - Bearded Lady  - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #12 – Bearded Lady – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #14 - Have a Drink with a Friend  - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #14 – Have a Drink with a Friend – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #15 - Gummy Mummy  - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #15 – Gummy Mummy – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #16 - Fountain Flirtin' - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #16 – Fountain Flirtin’ – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #17 - Boa Convictor  - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #17 – Boa Convictor – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #18 - Holy Cow - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #18 – Holy Cow – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #19 - Sleeping Catawhompus - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #19 – Sleeping Catawhompus – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #20 - Lick Stick  - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #20 – Lick Stick – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #21 - Teddy Tattoo - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #21 – Teddy Tattoo – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #22 - Ben Bones - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #22 – Ben Bones – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #23 - Fladingo - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #23 – Fladingo – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #24 - Pinball Lizard  - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #24 – Pinball Lizard – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #25 - Easy Come Easy Go - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #25 – Easy Come Easy Go – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #26 - Vaccula - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #26 – Vaccula – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #27 - Jolly George and his Wooden Teeth - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #27 – Jolly George and his Wooden Teeth – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #28 - Gloria Gruesome - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #28 – Gloria Gruesome – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #29 - Kitty Kruncher - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #29 – Kitty Kruncher – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #31 - My Dog Cat - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #31 – My Dog Cat – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #34 - Bufoono The Great - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #34 – Bufoono The Great – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #35 - Jumbo & Jimbo - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #35 – Jumbo & Jimbo – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #39 - Birthday Boob - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #39 – Birthday Boob – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #40 - Pow Wow - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #40 – Pow Wow – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #41 - Snakesucker - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #41 – Snakesucker – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #42 - Arnold Addbad - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #42 – Arnold Addbad – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #43 - Ceasar's Palate - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #43 – Ceasar’s Palate – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #44 - Haunted House - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #44 – Haunted House – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #45 - Gruesome Twosome - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #45 – Gruesome Twosome – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #46 - Just Dropping In On You - chocolate candy package - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #46 – Just Dropping In On You – chocolate candy package – 1970’s

Aren’t those great?  As I was scanning all of these and bringing them together for today’s post, I noticed something I was never aware of previously – that each Trog-Lo-Dyte Action Pack has a variation!

I don’t know which came first, but apparently Trog-Lo-Dytes were printed with and without the “Keep on Troggin'” slogan on the back.  I have several examples of both versions of the same pack within my collection – here’s an example of one of them:

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #34 - Bufoono The Great - Keep On Troggin' variation comparison - 1970's

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #34 – Bufoono The Great – Keep On Troggin’ variation comparison – 1970’s

So, while a “complete set” of Trog-Lo-Dytes could amount to 46 different Action Packs, if you add in the Keep on Troggin’ variation, that number doubles to 92!   As for me, I’ll be quite thrilled to one day find the 11 missing packs that will complete my collection, variation or no.

I was a bit curious as to how these Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Packs were constructed so I unfolded one and was surprised at how simple it was.  No glue is used in the construction as everything is held together by cleverly engineered folds.  Here’s a look at one unfolded and flat:

Pangburn - Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #19 - Sleeping Catawhompus - unfolded and flat

Pangburn – Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Pack #19 – Sleeping Catawhompus – unfolded and flat

As you can see, some of the artwork has been scraped off, likely due to repeated use of the movable panel.

Because of my childhood encounter with them, Trog-Lo-Dytes will always be a special part of my collection and a confectionery release I’ll hold close to my heart.  I think they’re a unique and special offering that deserves to be remembered.

That’s everything I’ve currently got and have been able to figure out about Pangburn’s Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Packs.   I hope everyone enjoyed the look at this unique bit of confectionery packaging that is the Mad magazine fold-in of candy – Pangburn’s Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Packs!

See you next time!

CC_TrogLoDyte_CLosingIMagephoto

CC_TrogLoDytes closing image

About Jason Liebig

A New York City based writer, editor and sometimes actor. After spending much of the 1990′s in the comic book business helping tell the stories of Marvel Comics’ X-Men as series editor, he has since split his time between developing his own entertainment properties while still consulting and working on others. Having been described as “the Indiana Jones of lost and forgotten candy”, Jason is one of the country’s premier candy collectors and historians with his discoveries appearing in countless blogs, magazines, newspaper articles, and books. Always happy to share his knowledge and unique perspectives on this colorful part of our popular culture, Jason has consulted with New York’s Museum of Food and Drink and has also been a featured guest on Food Network’s Heavyweights, France’s M6 Capital, and New York’s TheActionRoom.com. My Google Profile+
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29 Responses to Pangburn’s Trog-Lo-Dytes Action Packs – The MAD Fold-In of Candy Packaging!

  1. Michael says:

    Hi, the chocolate was a big disc. I may still have one or the mice may have eaten it. I have all 46 packages.

  2. Paul says:

    These are the coolest candy packages I’ve ever seen.

  3. Darryl Heine says:

    The PINBALL LIZARD looks like a 1970’s Elton John (He did the song, of course!)

  4. Bud Jenness says:

    I remember the candy and the concept of the packaging, but none of the designs jump out at me for some reason. My parents, or grandparents, bought me some (because they were on clearance, probably) at our local K-Mart in Wilmington, NC, and I really loved the disc-shaped chocolate and the design as well. I distinctly remember this was when I was in the 6th grade, which would have been the summer of 1977, because I became so obsessed by STAR WARS after I saw it that all my schoolmates referred to me as “Star Wars Man.” That was the year I started collecting things en masse. Thanks for the post! No one else seemed to remember these.

  5. Deano says:

    thank goodness for this website – as I remembered these, but NO ONE else did….I thought they were simply awesome and I wish I would have collected all and kept them tucked away….I just thought the name was really neat.

    • Jason Liebig says:

      Thanks for the comment, Deano. Like you, I remembered these for many years and (I thought) no one else did. It took me years to figure out what they were and more years after that to bring together the pieces in the article. It’s gratifying to hear that I helped solidify the memory for you. -Jason

      • Deano says:

        I just purchased a lot of them off of eBay recently ! They were pretty pricey but I got the original display box that they shipped in. The chocolate had been removed to precent further degradation of the envelopes with the graphics. It’s great to have a part of candy history in my collection – as it’s been since the mid 70’s that I have even seen one of these confectionary marvels.

        • LAURA says:

          Thank you! Thank You! THANK YOU for posting this!!! I have been searching the internet for years and always had asked people if they remembered Trog-Lo-Dytes and I would always get the same answer! “NO.” I thought I was going crazy! I remember going to Ben Franklin and getting them when I was a young girl! I can’t thank you enough!!

  6. Darby Logan says:

    Just wow! I still have several packages. Loved them as a kid and still do at 48. Got my collection of all sorts of cards and memorabilia out and came across Trog.lo.dytes. Looked them up and here I am. Thanks for the history.

  7. Kate says:

    I searched for YEARS online for proof that these ever existed! Nobody knew what I was talking about on any of the candy forums I tried. THANK YOU so much for posting this!!!

    • Jason Liebig says:

      My pleasure, Kate. That’s always been the goal here, to do the deep digging and the real research to uncover, preserve and share the history of this wonderful material. 🙂

      -Jason

  8. Darrin says:

    I had one or two of these as a tween in late 70’s… I can’t remember the ones I had, I don’t see anything familiar here, but I do remember they spurred me to create my own based on their construction. I had a number of home-made versions, I wish they were still around!

  9. David says:

    I was digging through some packed boxes recently and I found some Trog-Lo-Dytes that have been stashed away for many many years! I recall seeing a lot of those in your collection. If anyone is interested, I listed my collection on eBay today. Moving soon and I have to downsize. Thanks for the nice post with pics.

  10. Oh this made me feel giddy with nostalgia! I LOVED that candy and was so inspired by it and the folding last page of Mad Magazine, that I would spend hours creating changeable pictures. It was one of my favorite things to do. And my favorite Troglodyte wrapper was #27: Jolly George. I loved that thing and kept it for years. I would not be surprised if my mom didn’t still have it socked away at her house somewhere. To this day, I still love to draw weird things. Wow…thank you for this blog post. I really enjoyed it.

  11. For some reason I recall Troglodytes using more of the monster images of the 70s or even like the Rat Fink type monster cars. These dont quite look like what I remember. Does anyone have a notion of a different candy with something like that. I was a kid in middle Ohio.

  12. Todd Riley says:

    I recent;y acquired nearly 2 full cases of these with the original chocolate still inside. After going through all the boxes I discovered the company had horrible collation as I only got 24 different titles. Still it was fun to get some of these as I have been looking for them for quite some time. I’m also trying to complete the checklist. Does anyone have the titles to: 1, 2, 13, 36, or 38?

  13. John Loch says:

    36. Killer Whale
    38. Ol Baldy

    The other numbers are unknown to me. What are 10 and 32?

    I have seen these titles but not the number for them:
    Knight Light
    Big Bad Bob
    The Big Jump

  14. Todd Riley says:

    Great! Thanks John. Now only 3 more.

  15. Jim L says:

    Yes! I do remember them. Thanks for posting the info – I almost forgot about them.

  16. Chaz says:

    Troglodyte was a Jeopardy answer tonight, and here I am

  17. Steve House says:

    Wow I just came across three Trog•Lo•Dytes that I had saved from many moons ago (29,34,45) and happened to find this wonderful article with all of the research all ready done. Here I was thinking that I was probably the only one who would save something as such let alone have any interest in them. Thank you very much. You made my day. I was actually hoping that I had one that you didn’t and was going to offer it to you. Cheers and thanks again.

  18. John Loch says:

    As of last week, I have 43 out of 46. I am missing #2 (?), #13 (?), and #36 (Killer Whale). Either #2 or #13 is Squiggle Wiggle, I think.

    I also found a weird variant of #30 Combat Wombat with no number, no logo, and no UPC code on the back.

  19. Deano says:

    I remember these being a “memory connector” to Marvel comic’s “Pizzazz” magazine. Just awesome cool stuff in the 70’s that we will no longer have….just memories.

  20. Marcy says:

    Hey thank you so much for this! I couldn’t remember what they were called! This is fantastic. Great memories of when I was a kid.

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