d . l . clark company
guide to the d. l. clark company papers and photographs 1923 - 1992
collection spotlight: d. l. clark company records | heinz history center library and archives
2 thoughts on “blue collar candy: the history of the d. l. clark company”
guide to the d. l. clark company papers and photographs 1923 - 1992 | historic pittsburgh
city council declared january 1986
save d. l. clark month .
history of the d. l. clark co. & the clark gum company from the victory old - time candy store
blue collar candy: the history of the d. l. clark company – a visit to the idea factory
my goal remains to eventually write the story of the d. l. clark company and seek publication. this is an ongoing passion and project .
this collection has been made accessible as part of an nhprc - funded basic processing grant. for more information on the d. l. clark company records, please see the collection’s finding aid .
although much of my work is fiction, i have invested some considerable time into a few nonfiction projects over the years. one nonfiction topic that is of special interest to me is the history of the d. l. clark company, former producer of the clark bar and zagnut. the d. l. clark company has an incredibly interesting history that would immediately appeal to anyone fascinated by 20 th century pittsburgh lore .
the clark brothers chewing gum company made teaberry and tendermint gum. by 1931, the candy bar business was so large that clark decided to sell the gum company and it was renamed the clark gum company .
the d. l. clark company traces its roots to pittsburgh’s north side in 1886 when david l. clark, an irish immigrant, first began selling candies out of a horse - drawn wagon. in 1911, the clark company considerably expanded their business by acquiring a candy and cracker company in the north side. during these years of development, the clark company quickly became renowned for their innovations in candy production. in particular, the company is known for its addition of mint, peanut butter and coconut to chocolate candies .
the d. l. clark company was founded in 1886 when clark started manufacturing candy in two back rooms of a small house in pittsburgh' s north side. he began selling his candy in the streets of pittsburgh. during his lifetime, his company became a leading candy manufacturer .
the d. l. clark company remained in the hands of the clark family until it was sold to the beatrice food company, who operated the company until 1983 when it was sold to the pittsburgh food and beverage company. in 1995 the pittsburgh food and beverage was thrown into bankruptcy. the company was shut down for several months and its assets divested. restructured as clark bar america, the company operated until may of 1999, when it was purchased by new england confectionery company (necco), the oldest candy manufacturer in the united states .
the d. l. clark company records consist of photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, advertisements, correspondence, annual reports, stock exchange documents, and newsletters related to the d. l. clark company. photographs, advertisements, and promotional literature document the various candy products manufactured by the clark company, such as zagnut bars, peanut butter logs, yogurt delights and clark bars. a vhs tape contains recordings of clark candy commercials. numerous photographs capture clark candy window and aisle displays, including a 1959 clark bar halloween window display at pittsburgh’s dollar savings bank. other photographs record clark candy cameos in films such as poltergeist, wiz kid, and open all night .
by 1920 the d. l. clark company was making about 150 different types of candy, including several five - cent bars, specialty items and a bulk candy line. clark was also manufacturing chewing gum in a building across the street from his candy factory. in 1921 they incorporated clark brothers chewing gum company as a separate business .
initially, i turned my research into a lecture (blue collar candy: the history of the d. l. clark company). i have been fortunate enough to share this lecture with several historical organizations throughout the pittsburgh region over the last four years .
by 1920, the clark company was producing close to 150 different kinds of candy. the clark company also ventured into the market of chewing gum production at this time. the most enduring evidence of this venture is the company’s production of teaberry gum. over the next ten years, d. l. clark recognized the growing market for candy bars and subsequently decided to concentrate production on five - cent chocolate bars. consequently, the company became internationally renowned for its production and sale of chocolate bars, including the clark bar and the zagnut bar .
all throughout these years of production, the clark company remained at the north side location it acquired in 1911. as a result, the oversized clark sign atop the factory became a longstanding pittsburgh landmark. in 1983, the confectioner company, leaf, inc. acquired the d. l. clark company. although leaf, inc. closed the north side factory in the spring of 1986, it chose to sustain clark candy manufacturing in the pittsburgh area by relocating production to a plant in o’hara township. leaf, inc. then sold the rights to the clark bar to pittsburgh food and beverage company. after years of financial instability, this company reconstituted itself under the name of clark bar america in june of 1995. in may of 1999, this company was purchased by the new england confectionary company (necco). clark company candy continues to be manufactured by necco today .
pittsburgh in the 19th and 20th centuries could, at times, be rough around the edges: the crackle of blast furnaces; the roar of locomotives; and the blast of steamboat whistles. those features made up the steel city we know and love – but that city had a sweeter side. amidst the coal barons, railroad tycoons, and industrialists, existed one of our nation’s most successive chocolatiers and confectioners –david l. clark. clark, an irish – born immigrant, established the d. l. clark company and helped pioneer various types of candy throughout the early 20th century. from the clark bar to the zagnut and every treat in between, d. l. clark company products have brought smiles to the faces of pittsburghers for over 125 years .
the history of clark bar begins all the way back in 1886 when a man named david clark (see the connection here ?) created the d. l. clark company after years of excelling in a multitude of professions. being the tough american entrepreneur with the “can do” attitude that he was, david clark quickly grew his candy manufacturing business into a national success, creating innovative candies filled with coconut, mint and peanut butter. you know, all the good stuff. the d. l. clark company produced many successful treats throughout its time in operation, with the most famous one being the reason you’re reading this right now: the clark bar. after several years of changing ownership, the clark bar has found a secure home with necco, a company known for its commitment to producing the classics, like the clark bar, at the high level of no - nonsense quality as david clark did back in 1886 .
bbb reports on a company that is out of business for one year from the date the company closes its doors or ceases to do business .
the clark gum company is still operating under the same name. click on the packets below for more information about that particular flavor .
i was immediately engrossed by the details of the company’s history. david l. clark was an irish american, who had started his own confectionery in the back of his house. those early efforts would expand into a brand that would become synonymous with pittsburgh and introduce products that would continue to be made long after the company ceased to exist .
today, workers complained, they have enough trouble getting local politicians interested in their problems, much less anyone in washington, d. c .
the clark bar has legions of hard - core fans, all addicted to the 114 - year - old chocolate - and - peanut - butter concoction first whipped up by irish immigrant david l. clark in a house on the north side .
once, the d. l. clark co. dominated pittsburgh' s north side from its headquarters on martindale street. in those heady days, the plant was a hive of activity that buzzed at a volume unknown in recent years. hundreds and hundreds of workers swarmed daily into the plant beneath the towering red - and - white brick smokestack with the words
clark bros .
running down its 170 - foot length .
on friday, 20 - odd workers straggled quietly from clark' s o' hara plant, the broken and bankrupt remnant of the once - mighty candy bar company clark had founded and made famous beyond his wildest expectations .
annual reports, correspondence, by - laws, stock exchange documents, and a spring 1977 issue of sweet talk, the clark company’s employee newsletter, shed light on clark company business practices. annual reports from 1929 to 1953 document the major financial transactions of the company. the correspondence in this collection dates to 1926 and revolves around the sampling stage of teaberry gum production development. another material worthy of note is a 1967 procedure manual that contains detailed information regarding the composition and production of various clark candies. clippings taken from pittsburgh newspapers document both the debates surrounding the closing of the north side clark company factory and the plans surrounding the factory relocation to o’hara township .
god bless the necco company for saving clark bars !
says a web site created by mark harp, a baltimore musician and clark bar connoisseur who can offer a detailed explanation on the flaws of butterfingers and 5th avenue bars .
the company doesn' t break out figures for individual brands, but said clark bar is a solid contributor to necco' s $ 100 million in annual sales. next month, necco will bring back a coconut crunch line from the clark family and begin offering a new package size of the smaller clark bar jrs .
copyright © 1998 - 2018 - victory seed company - all rights reserved victory seeds ®, victoryseeds. com and victorysweets. com are trademarks of the victory seed company. all other brands and trademarks are property of their respective owners .
clark employees alvin mitchell, left, and russ sarver talk with reporters outside the company plant in o' hara. mitchell has been a clark employee for 32 years; sarver is a 34 - year veteran. (steve mellon, post - gazette )
clark bars are an american institution near and dear to our black - and - gold pittsburgh hearts. they were formulated right here in our hometown of mckeesport, pa at the turn of the century by a gentleman named david l. clark. the candy bar was originally made just a few blocks from the warehouse where our candy company has resided since 1927! since our founder ernest prince was friendly with mr. clark, we were probably the very first candy wholesalers in the nation to offer this treat .
the company later changed its name to “dl clark company” and moved to downtown pittsburgh. it graced the city with an illuminated candy - bar sign and remained until 1955 when it was acquired by beatrice foods. over the years, they would be acquired by leaf confections and then again by hershey, who returned the candy bar and its headquarters to its roots in pittsburgh. it remained for three short but blissful years until new england confectionary company acquired it .
in 1886, so the story goes, an irish immigrant named david l. clark began making candy in a small house on the north side, peddling his product on the streets of pittsburgh. it was a low - key venture, one without fanfare or flamboyance .
for weeks, clark bar america' s work force had dwindled until only a skeleton crew was left friday. production of the company' s signature chocolate - and - peanut - butter flavored clark bar stopped days ago at the request of pearson candy co. of st. paul, minn, which has offered $ 1. 68 million for clark' s trademark and production line .
nothing worse than a stale clark bar. you could crack a tooth .
necco plans to eventually increase the clark bar' s exposure in the midwest and even the far west. already, the massachusetts company' s existing accounts along the east coast have boosted sales in places such as new york city .
despite their equanimity, workers like sarver spoke with some bitterness about putting their life into a company to get nothing in return. they criticized the management .
it started with the company' s namesake wafers, which have been around for decades. the only gimmick necco wafers offer is an odd tendency for the wintergreen ones to throw off sparks when they' re cracked or chewed under proper conditions. yet, the company continues to sell more than four billion annually .
chapin said clark bars have been a steady seller since the company was founded in 1996. buyers often seem to be people who' ve lived in pittsburgh or been through the area. real estate agents and people marrying clarks regularly order in bulk .
david l. clark (1864 - 1939) was born in ireland and came to america when he was only eight years old. he entered the candy business working for a small manufacturer in new york. after three years as a salesman, he bought a wagon, horses, and merchandise and went into business for himself .
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in truth, the workers' quiet exit from clark bar america provided a perfect bookend to the company' s humble beginnings. after 113 years, three locations, untold millions of candy bars and a parade of owners, the circle had almost closed .
i guess they' re fed up with it ,
karis said, referring to public assistance used to bail out the company during difficult times in the past .
in 1985, when clark was teetering toward failure and its parent company, illinois - based leaf inc. , talked about closing the pittsburgh plant and moving operations to chicago, the late mayor richard caliguiri formed a task force and pledged to work to reverse the decision .
there was still hope that someone would buy the company from owner jim clister during a bankruptcy court auction next month and keep the business here, hope that someone would preserve a pittsburgh icon .
the workers are represented by the same bakery confectioners and tobacco workers union that was active at clark bar america .
i grew up in pittsburgh. i will always remember the 5th grade field trip to the clark candy factory on the north side. clark bars, zagnuts, teaberry gum to name a few. great times, great candy
when leaf announced a second time that it would move its clark bar operations to chicago, local officials again rallied .
customers order everything from jujubes to wax soda bottles. st. paul - based pearson candy co. , another bidder for clark last year, also has products on the site, including the bun bar bought from clark bar america in 1998 .
in 1989, necco gobbled up candy house buttons, those sheets of paper with little buttons of candy on them. at that point, the company was selling a total of about $ 20 million worth of candy a year .
despite clark’s many owners and a few controversial ingredient changes (that were fortunately reversed), clark bars remain a tried - and - true classic combination of crunchy peanut butter and creamy milk chocolate. today, this retro candy qualifies as a piece of edible americana .
when considering complaint information, please take into account the company' s size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm' s responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints .
supervalu reports selling about 15 cases a week each of clark bars and clark bar jr. bags out of its xenia, ohio, warehouse. that compares to about 24 cases of the six - pack snickers bars and about 35 cases of snack - size snickers cases .
fans such as harp are the real assets that necco bought last year when it paid $ 4. 1 million for the assets of clark bar america .
distribution outside the pittsburgh region has long been spotty. the search for a clark fix helped spur harp' s creation of his fan site in late 1998 .
i was an employee of clark bar america for 7 years. i was there until the end. i was very young at the time but i was aware of the great history of the clark bar name. this is a very interesting article and i just wanted to say hi, from someone that was there .
already, company officials report the candy has proven its sticking power among consumers. although necco rushed to get bars out as early as july 1999, the three production lines bought at auction weren' t really operational until january. within months, necco reports, the business was profitable .
zimbalatti couldn' t estimate the number of people who now make clark bars, since the work varies with the seasons. winter clarks, a white version popular in the summer, aren' t made year - round. summer is the busiest time for cooking up the smaller clark bar jrs. , which are popular at halloween .
i am 66. the fact i got to be this age constantly amazes me. don’t ask why it would be too embarrassing to explain! my father was a cab driver for yellow cab when i was around 5 or 6. mom always stuffed me in the 1955 pontiac for the drive to the cab company to pick him up at 2 or 3 am. (hey, i was 5 !) the clark candy factory was right next door and i can still recall the sweet smell of the chocolate as i sat in the back seat waiting for dad to get off. i still eat clark bars to this day !
bankrupt, hammered with high rent at the regional industrial development park, plagued with poor product placement in supermarkets, clark bar america' s life in pittsburgh seemed to be winding down .
they were hankering for the clark bar. a strike by more than 400 workers had stopped production at the north side plant, at the time, one of the largest candy manufacturers in the country .
as they made their way from the plant, television news cameras dutifully recording the undramatic moment, clark' s employees refrained from outbursts, jeers, chants and breakdowns. they went out with a aplomb .
yes, long may both of these classics wave! the future of the clark bar is precarious as necco hasn’t found a buyer but lets keep hope high and fingers crossed… thanks for visiting candyfavorites. com !
the candy' s emotional appeal - - not to mention the 100 or so jobs it supported - - helped fuel at least two drives to keep clark in southwestern pennsylvania. both efforts ended in bankruptcy court .
these workers, most of whom had just ended what might have been the last shift at clark bar america inc. , were taking their historic role in stride. after all, they reasoned, what could they do ?
a half - century ago, the clark bar was more than a mere treat prettily packaged in a red - and - blue wrapper. it was a precious commodity that satisfied the sweet tooth of a nation at war .
grocery distributor supervalu, which supplies many shop' n save and foodland stores, puts clark bar in the regional category. that means the candy isn' t carried everywhere, and it' s relegated to the candy aisles .
at least twice more during the war, workers shut down production. by then, clark' s daily shipments to the armed forces had risen to 1. 5 million candy bars, or about 80 percent of its production .
i grew up with the clark bar, although i hardly knew that particular candy bar as anything unique among the world of confections. oddly enough, the clark bar was actually the one candy item at my grandparents’ house that was distinctly “off limits” to any visiting grandchildren. as a child, candy hunting at my grandparents’ house was a tradition. my grandmother stockpiled chocolate candy and proceeded to stash the treats all over the place – often in very humorous and creative ways .
his dad sold the candy in a baltimore luncheonette, but that closed years ago. harp said he now receives e - mail from other people trying to find clark bars .
it' s a nationwide obsession ,
he said .
we knew the day was coming. we just made the best of it ,
said russell sarver, 57. with 34 years of employment under his belt, sarver has the most seniority of anyone on clark' s payroll .
the clark bar is a classic! my father’s side of the family, the magees, are from pittsburgh since 1789. i am 65 (yipes) and have recently fallen in love with clark bars only to learn of its pittsburgh heritage. seems a good match! the other historical candy bar that i can’t live without is goldenberg’s peanut chews. made in philadelphia since 1912 these candy bars were used as food rations during world war i. absolutely spectacular both of them and long may they wave !
that made good sense to me. my grandfather’s name is clark. the five - year - old me was fully satisfied thinking that my grandmother had diligently sought out candy for my grandfather that just happened to have his name in blue lettering on the wrapper .
of course, that was wonderfully convenient. i didn’t know anyone named “goodbar” or “twix”, so for a long time i satisfied myself with avoiding the clark bar and thoroughly enjoying whatever else i might find hidden away in the recesses of my grandparents’ dining room .
on dec. 14, 1942, 11 days after the strike began, workers resumed production after an arbiter was appointed by the war labor board. the federal government had stepped in, and clark bars were considered by the government to be an
essential
wartime product .
clark bar' s resume matches up to any of those. one of its famous marketing hits came during world war i when, for the first time, each bar was individually wrapped to ease shipment to american troops. soldiers from all over the country then went home with a taste for the crunchy candy .
i rediscovered the clark bar two decades later while on a field trip with a group of students in downtown uniontown. my mind was immediately perplexed with how i had been able to forget such a clear memory from my childhood – let alone an absolute local history bonanza. that rediscovery touched off many years of research .
alvin mitchell, 53, who lags just behind sarver with 32 years on the job, complained that public assistance was going to build sports stadiums but not to help a work force that numbered roughly 100 people early this year. greg karis, 39, lamented that the 17 years he spent at clark were the best ones of his life .
hi joshua, what an interesting read. i never knew the history behind the clark bar. i love the memories of your grandparents. i have quite a few of my own as well. it sounds like you have a pretty large mission in front of you i hope all goes well! thank you for sharing with us at # simplifywednesdays. i hope to see you again next week! shared and tweeted
a few days after the presentation, i received a letter from renee exler of monongahela, pennsylvania, who is a member of the monongahela area historical society and pittsburgh history and landmark foundation. what i received turned out to be a copy of a letter renee had sent to andy masich, the president and ceo of the heinz history center in pittsburgh, pennsylvania. renee was kind enough to pass a copy along to me. the letter spoke well of the presentation, pointed out my research to mr. masich, and stated that, “people around the world have heard of the clark bar, perhaps eaten one, but this great pittsburgh history would be lost…if it wasn’t for someone like joshua scully. ”
but, in the past year, the faithful have transferred their adulation to cambridge, mass. , home of the candy' s newest owner. the
. bought the recipes and manufacturing equipment at a bankruptcy auction a year ago .
harp knows pittsburgh was the birthplace of the crunchy bar. he watched from afar last year as the former owners ran out of money and headed into bankruptcy court .
i cared deeply ,
he said, in an e - mail interview. his main concern seemed to be that the beloved candy not disappear .
sales remain strongest in southwestern pennsylvania and ohio, where the bars are a regional favorite .
we get tons of consumer letters ,
said lory zimbalatti, marketing manager for necco. many express gratitude for the candy maker' s role in feeding their cravings .
necco has built an entire business on the simple premise that few people are as loyal as candy consumers .
about a decade ago, necco began assembling a counter full of so - called nostalgic brands, long - time favorites that can be hard to find in certain parts of the country .
in 1990, a deal for the stark candy co. snagged the sweetheart conversation hearts that have been in valentine boxes forever as well as the sticky mary jane molasses and peanut butter candies. a few years later, necco picked up haviland thin mints, formerly owned by borden .
we considered it a perfect fit with our other brands ,
said zimbalatti .
lengthy tenure isn' t unusual in the candy business. m & ms; were first sold in 1941 and remain a preeminent brand .
you could almost look at the whole candy category as a nostalgic one ,
said jim corcoran, vice president of trade relations for the national confectioners association in mclean, va. he thinks many purchases are driven as much by memories as by taste .
necco' s niche has been finding candies that people will actually hunt out. many of its brands qualify for inclusion at
, a florida - based web site devoted to supplying fans of hard - to - find favorite foods .
the site carries only products still being manufactured - -
it' s just that you can' t find it in your area ,
said president colleen chapin .
i was just on the phone with necco saying,' where is my order?'
chapin reported, cheerfully .
necco moved manufacturing to an existing plant in massachusetts, under the theory that lower overhead expenses would make the balance sheet work .
that' s been a major factor in necco' s ability to make a profit so quickly, zimbalatti said .
in addition, she said, necco has a few other advantages - - it has enough other products to keep workers busy despite seasonal shifts, and can give customers' a variety of choices .
necco is aware many fans are still forced to search for clarks. its internet site lists several chains that carry the bars - - ames, dollar general, phar - mor and rite aid, for example .
we are selling slightly fewer than a year ago ,
said ray west, spokesman for supervalu' s central region. he said the drop has not been significant .
harp hopes to find more in stores around him. it' s still a hit - or - miss proposition at this point .
even more important is the question of whether necco makes as good a bar as the last guys. so far, so good, according to harp .
i' ve only had the snack - sized so far, and they were very fresh and delicious ,
he wrote .
note: this page is for historical purposes only. it was last updated in 2012 and is no longer being maintained .
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despite her efforts, we were often successful in finding the “goodies”. there was always a variety .
the monongahela area historical society was the first organization to host the lecture in 2012 .
and then there’s the zagnut, which has really created a niche all to itself .
david matter has led oxford development co. into new businesses, diversifying the long - time developer. (tony tye, post - gazette )
machinery stopped. workers walked away, wondering if they would ever return, knowing that if they didn' t, they wouldn' t receive any severance pay because of concessions made when clister bought the business in 1995. four employees will return to the plant next week to clean up and ship out whatever remains .
just a year after the united state entered the war, a newspaper story appeared here beginning like this :
american soldiers all over the world are begging and bartering for candy ...
that interruption was preventing 400, 000 candy bars a day - - 40 percent of the plant' s production - from going to the war effort .
the image of battle - hardened gis desperately scrounging for candy bars, like oliver twists in fatigues, seems absurd. but, according to one observer at guadalcanal in the south pacific, candy bars - - knownas
pogie bait
to the enlisted men - - ranked close to ammunition in terms of importance .
they could take the bombings and the snipings, and they could get along without vegetables and fresh meat ,
the observer wrote .
they wouldn' t yearn so much for the bright lights and the movies and the girlfriends - - if only they had some pogie bait. candy - - just candy. and there isn' t any .
in oct. 1943, the u. s. labor secretary even became involved in bringing the workers back on the job, and the following year, government officials promised that soldiers and sailors would be on hand to safeguard them as they entered the plant .
it will take all our inegenuity and strength to save it again. it' s more important because of the history behind it ,
former county commissioner chairman tom foerster said in sept. 1990. former gov. casey pledged the state would do everything it could to keep leaf in pittsburgh .
now we go home and cash the next to last check ,
sarver said just before he and mitchell drove away. meanwhile, a woman was emptying sandwiches from the vending machines inside the plant and packing them into a truck .
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the d. l. clark company was founded in 1886 in allegheny , pennsylvania , now part of pittsburgh , by david l. clark ( 1864 – 1939 ) , an irish-born candy salesman . in 1921 , clark brothers chewing gum company was spun off as a separate corporation ( and later sold to philip morris ) . the d. l. clark company was family-owned until sold in 1955 to beatrice foods , who sold it in 1983 to the pittsburgh food and beverage company . the pittsburgh food and beverage company entered bankruptcy in 1995 , and many assets from the d. l. clark company , such as the rights to the clark bar and zagnut bar , were sold . other candy names include honest square , black jack/wild cherry/banana caramel , peanut butter log , coconut , light ( coconut frosted peanut butter crunch ) , teaberry/tendermint/winter green/fruit punch/cinnamon/peppermint / sweetwood gum , boomer , zig zag , and alligator eggs . with some of the remaining assets , clark bar america , inc. , was created ; this was acquired by necco ( new england confectionery company ) in 1999 for $ 4.1 million ( $ 6 million today ) . 
the d. l. clark company was founded in 1886 in allegheny, pennsylvania, now part of pittsburgh, by david l. clark (1864 – 1939), an irish-born candy salesman. in 1921, clark brothers chewing gum company was spun off as a separate corporation (and later sold to philip morris). the d. l. clark company was family-owned until sold in 1955 to beatrice foods, who sold it in 1983 to the pittsburgh food and beverage company. the pittsburgh food and beverage company entered bankruptcy in 1995, and many assets from the d. l. clark company, such as the rights to the clark bar and zagnut bar, were sold. other candy names include honest square, black jack/wild cherry/banana caramel, peanut butter log, coconut, light (coconut frosted peanut butter crunch), teaberry/tendermint/winter green/fruit punch/cinnamon/peppermint / sweetwood gum, boomer, zig zag, and alligator eggs. with some of the remaining assets, clark bar america, inc., was created; this was acquired by necco (new england confectionery company) in 1999 for $ 4.1 million ($ 6 million today).
the d. l. clark company was founded in 1886 in allegheny, pennsylvania, now part of pittsburgh, by david l. clark (1864 – 1939), an irish-born candy salesman. in 1921, clark brothers chewing gum company was spun off as a separate corporation (and later sold to philip morris). the d. l. clark company was family-owned until sold in 1955 to beatrice foods, who sold it in 1983 to the pittsburgh food and beverage company. the pittsburgh food and beverage company entered bankruptcy in 1995, and many assets from the d. l. clark company, such as the rights to the clark bar and zagnut bar, were sold. other candy names include honest square, black jack/wild cherry/banana caramel, peanut butter log, coconut, light (coconut frosted peanut butter crunch), teaberry/tendermint/winter green/fruit punch/cinnamon/peppermint / sweetwood gum, boomer, zig zag, and alligator eggs. with some of the remaining assets, clark bar america, inc., was created; this was acquired by necco (new england confectionery company) in 1999 for $ 4.1 million ($ 6 million today).