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The Butterfinger candy bar got its name in 1923 through a public contest orchestrated by Otto Schnering, founder of the Curtiss Candy Company.
The naming contest christened the new chocolate bar and sparked public interest in the product before its launch.
In 1920, Curtiss Candy Company lifted their marketing strategy skyward.
Small planes circled above American cities, releasing thousands of Butterfinger candy bars that drifted down to eager crowds below.
The aerial drops drove sales through spectacle rather than traditional advertising.
Butterfinger's appearance in the 1934 film "Baby Take a Bow" was a pivotal moment for the candy bar.
Placing the candy bar alongside Shirley Temple, the film industry's highest-earning child star, transformed Butterfinger from a simple confection into a product associated with Hollywood's allure.
Butterfinger forged its connection with The Simpsons in 1988, when the animated series existed only as short segments on The Tracey Ullman Show.
The partnership crystallized in 1992 with the launch of "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger" — a slogan delivered by Bart Simpson.
The ad campaign evolved through deliberate phases.
After a period of dormancy, Butterfinger acknowledged its Simpsons heritage in 2009.
By 2010, the brand refreshed its message with a subtle shift: "Nobody's gonna lay a finger on my Butterfinger."
This variation maintained the core possessive theme while adopting a more casual tone.
In 2013, Butterfinger returned to its roots, reinstating both the original slogan and Bart Simpson as its defender.
The partnership's endurance manifested again in 2024, when The Simpsons family appeared on Butterfinger packaging to mark the candy's centennial celebration.
In a calculated April Fool's Day campaign, Nestlé announced that Butterfinger would shed its name in favor of "The Finger."
The 2008 marketing stunt included a fabricated website and video announcement, citing invented market research that painted the original name as unwieldy.
In October 2011, Butterfinger created "Butterfinger The 13th," a short horror-comedy film that wove the candy brand into its storytelling.
It was the company's first step into producing original entertainment content, moving beyond traditional advertising to reach viewers through narrative film.
Ferrero acquired Butterfinger from Nestlé in January 2019 and immediately overhauled the candy bar's recipe.
The company called this change the "Better Butterfinger" campaign, targeting both the bar's ingredients and its wrapper design to refresh the brand while preserving its signature taste.
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