Fargo fans are circling the bases to get the superstar candy bar that ‘tastes like childhood’

With every licoricey chew of Black Jack gum or fizzle of a Pop Rock on your tongue, it happens – you’re transported to the past when candy brought childlike smiles instead of adult guilt over sugar, fat, carbs and calories.

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It’s happening right now with the re-release of the Reggie candy bar, the disc-shaped chocolate, peanut, caramel confection named for New York Yankee superstar Reggie Jackson and a favorite of American kids in the late ‘70s to early ‘80s.

The first Reggie candy bars sold for 25 cents. The re-released version is closer to $3.00 a piece and is available at speciality candy stores across the country.

Tracy Briggs / The Forum

The Reggie bar was first introduced in 1978, just a few months after Jackson was dubbed “Mr. October” for his record-breaking performance in the 1977 World Series. But the story of the candy bar really began much earlier. As young player, the ever-confident Jackson touted that he should have a candy bar named in his honor.

If you believe it, you can achieve it. You go Reggie.

On April 13, 1978, Yankee fans would get the first chance to try the newly made Reggie bar (which was basically a re-branded Bun Candy Bar). It was given out free to fans on opening day. When Reggie hit a home run, many in Yankee Stadium showered him with candy bars. The mess took close to 15 minutes to clean up.

From there the popularity soared across the nation with sales exceeding 11 million dollars that year alone, according to Jackson. And it probably boosted Jackson’s already sizable ego to know that people appeared to be buying the candy, less for its taste and more because of his name. After all, the Reggie bar with its chocolate, caramel, and peanuts wasn’t anything you couldn’t get in a Baby Ruth or Snickers.

Reggie bars are made with chocolate, caramel and peanuts and shaped like a patty.

Tracy Briggs / The Forum

But Jackson’s fellow major leaguers joked that the Reggie bar was different.

Pitcher Catfish Hunter was quoted as saying, “When you unwrap a Reggie Bar, it tells you how good it is.”

Jackson was taking it all in stride–hitting the airwaves to promote his namesake candy bar.

When Jackson left the Yankees in 1981, the Reggie bar faded away, and eventually, so would Jackson, retiring from playing baseball in 1987.

But 42 years later, they’re both back. This spring the 77-year-old slugger, who now works for the Houston Astros, reintroduced the world to the Reggie bar via an Instagram post.

It was music to the ears of Danny Hallock of Fargo, who’s been a fan of the candy since he was a kid.

“I believe I got a few for Christmas when I was 10 or 11. Then for my birthday my mom and grandma got me a whole box,” he said.

He was such a fan, after hearing about the re-release of the candy bar he convinced Lee Paseka, owner of Sweet Dreams Confections in Fargo, to get them in stock.

Former Oakland Athletics slugger Reggie Jackson, now working in the management of the Houston Astros, chats with a fan before a game on May 26, 2023, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

D. Ross Cameron/USA TODAY Sports

“I told Lee I didn’t think his nostalgia section would be complete without the Reggie bars,” he said. “I even found the company to order from.”

Paseka placed the order. They arrived at the store a few weeks ago.

“I swear he must have smelled them because he (Danny) came in right away,” Paseka said.

And they’ve been a popular item with others who long for a taste of the past.

“It’s like all of our nostalgic candy. It always brings back memories, happy memories. So if they see something like that, they might think ‘I remember when I played little league baseball, we used to get those as a treat from our coach’ and all that kind of stuff. So, people see them and grab them right away,” Paseka said.

And Hallock said the good old days came back to him with the first bite.

Danny Hallock said he felt like a kid again when he bit into the Reggie candy bar. It was a favorite of his when he was 10.

Contributed / Danny Hallock

“It made me feel like a kid again. It helped bring back some fun memories of traveling to Twins games to see Reggie play.”

While he spent part of his childhood eating the Reggie candy bar, Hallock got to meet the man himself in 2001 while attending the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett.

While some have accused Jackson of being arrogant, narcissistic and cocky, Hallock said he wasn’t like that at all.

“He was over the top, just super nice to me,” Hallock said.

Maybe Mr. October just sensed he was meeting his candy bar’s number one fan. How sweet it is.

STEP BACK IN TIME WITH TRACY BRIGGS

Tracy Briggs, “Back Then with Tracy Briggs” columnist.

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Hi, I’m Tracy Briggs. Thanks for reading my column! I love going “Back Then” every week with stories about interesting people, places and things from our past. Check out a few below. If you have an idea for a story, email me at tracy.briggs@forumcomm.com.

Tracy Briggs is an Emmy-nominated News, Lifestyle and History reporter with Forum Communications with more than 35 years of experience, in broadcast, print and digital journalism.