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The post-WWI era saw a boom in candy manufacturing across America. Dozens of regional candy makers were competing for market share.
The country was experiencing rapid technological advances in food manufacturing and preservation. These advances helped mass production and distribution of new candy bars.
This is the backdrop of where the history of Butterfinger started.
Butterfinger was invented in 1923 by Otto Schnering, the owner of the Curtiss Candy Company, based near Chicago, Illinois. The company was also famous for the Baby Ruth candy bar as well.
The candy got its name from a public naming contest in 1923, where a man named Klutz submitted the winning name, “Butterfinger.” He was inspired by baseball players who failed to catch the ball.
When Butterfinger was first introduced it was actually marketed as a meal replacement. Based on its high protein content. Kind of like the protein bar of its day.
Schnering used innovative marketing stunts to promote Butterfinger after its debut.
His most famous stunt: dropping Butterfingers out of airplanes across major cities across the United States. With a focus on New York City.
The company attached tiny parachutes onto each individual candy bar, dropping thousands of bars onto unsuspecting crowds on their daily commutes. The onlookers rushed to the middle of the streets to grab their free candy bar.
The stunt worked.
It gained notoriety in the newspapers based on the frenzied response of onlookers.
It helped the company boost sales and build market share in a very competitive candy market in this era.
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Butterfinger’s first celebrity endorsement came from Shirley Temple, who promoted Butterfinger in the 1934 film “Baby Take a Bow.”
It was one of the earliest examples of celebrity candy endorsements.
The promotion successfully linked the charm and innocence of Temple, enhancing its appeal to families.
During World War II, the U.S. military had an issue with supplying calorie-rich foods in the packs of its military personnel.
They decided to add Butterfingers to each soldier’s pack due to their high energy content and resistance to melting.
It was a favorite treat for soldiers, helping to boost sales of the candy bar when the men returned home.
The original recipe of Butterfinger is probably lost forever.
Nabisco merged in 1981 from Standard Brands, who apparently lost the original recipes for both Butterfinger and Baby Ruth in the messy merger process.
When Nestlé acquired both the brands in the 1990s, they only had the brand rights. They reportedly had to create both recipes by scratch.
The Simpsons and Butterfinger are known for having one of the longest-running advertising partnerships in history.
The partnership spans from 1988 to the present day, with hiatuses from time to time.
The campaign is best known for Bart Simpson’s famous slogan, “Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!” Where Bart Simpson plays a possessive spokesman for the brand.
In the modern day, Butterfinger has become synonymous with Bart Simpson.
Butterfinger has had many different variants that have failed over the years:
In 2008, Butterfinger pulled an April Fool’s prank, claiming they were changing the name to simply “The Finger.”
The campaign was complete with a fake website and video press release. Adding a flair of authenticity to the hoax.
It’s a creative campaign for which the Butterfinger brand has become known.
In 2012, Butterfinger launched a mock presidential campaign with the slogan “Vote for Crispety.”
The campaign was created to interact with consumers in a funny way during the actual presidential election season.
It featured Crispety as a fictional candidate, aiming to create buzz and connect with younger audiences.
Butterfinger used social media interactions and promotional events that encouraged fans to participate in the voting process for their favorite candy bar.
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