Know Your Obscure Halloween Candy: Whatchamacallit

With Halloween coming soon, that means only one thing really: candy.

Anyone who trick-or-treated as a child knows that there's always one or two houses that dish out some obscure candy. So, between now and October 31st, we'll take quick looks at obscure candies (and some popular ones as well), just so you know what exactly you're getting yourself into.

Today:  Whatchamacallit

What it's made of:  When you think of quality candy, you should think of products with roughly two dozen ingredients and upwards of six variations of oil included, as Whatchamacallit has.

In 2008, as a cost-cutting measure, most of the cocoa butter in the product was replaced--which, by FDA labeling standards, prohibits Whatchamacallit claiming it's made with "milk" chocolate. You know how Kraft Singles can't be called cheese? Well, Whatchamacallit is the Kraft Singles of the chocolate world.

Who owns it:  The Hershey Company

Background:  Most candy we enjoy today is either fairly new or a century old. But the Whatchamacallit is a product of the swingin' '70s, with its beige, brown, and orange labeling channeling everything wonderful about bell-bottoms.

Placed on store shelves in 1978, it was named by a creative director at a marketing company hired by Hershey--with a moniker that became a catchphrase in a huge advertising campaign throughout the 1980s:




Right about now you should feel like wearing neon pink leg warmers while listening to A-ha.

What it tastes like:  Hair spray, hair gel, with a vague hint of chocolate.

Halloween Trick-or-Treat Grade:  D-

Whatchamacallit is missing--oh, that's right, real milk chocolate.