Zagnut
Encyclopedia
Zagnut is a candy bar produced and sold in the United States
. It was launched in 1930 by the D. L. Clark Company
, which sold it to Leaf later on and acquired by The Hershey Company
in 1996. Its main ingredients are peanut butter
and toasted coconut
, and it weighs 1.75 ounce
s (50 g
).
Unlike many other candy bars, it contains no chocolate
, though it does have a small amount of cocoa
. Since Zagnuts have no chocolate to melt, they have seen a resurgence in popularity among US troops in places like Iraq
and Afghanistan
. Stateside, candy and convenience stores stock Zagnut unevenly, since it has only a niche market
.
The origin of the name "Zagnut" is uncertain; the "nut" part presumably comes from the coconut coating, while the "zag" could be a reference to zigzag
, a slang phrase popular when the bar was created in the 1930s.
In the 1960s, Zagnut made fun of its unlikely name with a TV commercial created by Stan Freberg
. In the spot, a candy-company exec (played by Frank Nelson) is horrified to discover a computer has given the name "Zagnut" to its newest product: "That is without a doubt the lousiest name for a candy bar I've ever heard!" In the end, though, he is forced to keep the name since millions of Zagnut wrappers have already been printed. (Freberg himself gives the tagline
: "A Zagnut by any other name...would be a good thing.") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpEOhHK4cRM
In the film, Beetlejuice
, Betelgeuse uses a Zagnut bar to lure a fly to him. When the fly gets close enough, he grabs it and promptly devours--after tossing the candy bar aside.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was launched in 1930 by the D. L. Clark Company
D. L. Clark Company
The D. L. Clark Company was founded in 1886 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now part of Pittsburgh, by David L. Clark , an Irish-born candy salesman. In 1921, Clark Brothers Chewing Gum Company was spun off as a separate corporation . The D. L...
, which sold it to Leaf later on and acquired by The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
in 1996. Its main ingredients are peanut butter
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
and toasted coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, and it weighs 1.75 ounce
Ounce
The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
s (50 g
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
).
Unlike many other candy bars, it contains no chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
, though it does have a small amount of cocoa
Cocoa solids
Cocoa solids are the low-fat component of chocolate. When sold as an end product, it may also be called cocoa powder, cocoa, and cacao....
. Since Zagnuts have no chocolate to melt, they have seen a resurgence in popularity among US troops in places like Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Stateside, candy and convenience stores stock Zagnut unevenly, since it has only a niche market
Niche market
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing; therefore the market niche defines the specific product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact...
.
The origin of the name "Zagnut" is uncertain; the "nut" part presumably comes from the coconut coating, while the "zag" could be a reference to zigzag
Zigzag
A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular....
, a slang phrase popular when the bar was created in the 1930s.
In the 1960s, Zagnut made fun of its unlikely name with a TV commercial created by Stan Freberg
Stan Freberg
Stanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
. In the spot, a candy-company exec (played by Frank Nelson) is horrified to discover a computer has given the name "Zagnut" to its newest product: "That is without a doubt the lousiest name for a candy bar I've ever heard!" In the end, though, he is forced to keep the name since millions of Zagnut wrappers have already been printed. (Freberg himself gives the tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
: "A Zagnut by any other name...would be a good thing.") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpEOhHK4cRM
In the film, Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros...
, Betelgeuse uses a Zagnut bar to lure a fly to him. When the fly gets close enough, he grabs it and promptly devours--after tossing the candy bar aside.