Abba-Zaba
Abba-Zaba are taffy candy bars with peanut butter centers, made by the Annabelle Candy Company in Hayward, California.
According to the Candy Wrapper Museum, the first Abba Zaba bars were manufactured beginning in 1922 by Colby and McDermott.[1] Before Annabelle Candy Co. started manufacturing Abba-Zaba, the packaging featured racially insensitive imagery.[2] Annabelle Candy Co. will only say that the wrapper has been the same for as long as they have manufactured the candy.
The bar was later manufactured by the Cardinet Candy Co. along with U-No Bar. Annabelle Candy Purchased the Cardinet Candy Co. in 1978. Annabelle now manufactures both candy bars in addition to others.
Abba-Zaba bars can be found almost exclusively west of the Rockies. The wrapper features a yellow and black checkerboard "taxi" pattern. They can be purchased in bulk on the web. They can also be found in candy specialty stores anywhere in the US and Canada.
Recently Annabelle has produced a new Abba-Zaba that has an apple flavored taffy. There is also a new bar that contains chocolate spread instead of peanut butter.
Abba-Zaba bars are kosher pareve.
In popular culture
A favorite snack of a young Don Van "Captain Beefheart" Vliet, it lent its name to a song that appears on his 1967 Safe as Milk album. In fact, the album itself was originally to be entitled "Abba Zaba", changed only when the company would not allow the usage of their trademark name. The artwork on the reverse of the album sleeve still features a black and yellow checkerboard pattern reminiscent of the Abba-Zaba bar.
Abba Zaba bars were also referenced on a vinyl album titled "A Child's Garden Of Grass" in early 70's.
Abba-Zaba is also mentioned the 1999 song "Chocolate Jesus" by Tom Waits.
Abba-Zaba bars were featured prominently in the 1998 Dave Chappelle comedy film Half Baked.
In the Boardwalk Empire episode "Erlkönig", set in 1924, Gillian offers her grandson Tommy an Abba-Zaba.
In the American Dad! episode "Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls", Toshi picks up an Abba-Zaba with his samurai sword and takes a bite.
In the 2009 Two and a Half Men episode "Warning, It's Dirty", Evelyn offers her client Marty Pepper an Abba-Zaba.
Fenix TX included a song entitled "Abba Zabba" on their 2001 second album Lechuza.
In the Salute Your Shorts episode "Telly and the Tennis Match," Telly tries to buy a new tennis racket with her camp store account money but finds out there isn't enough because she spent most of the money on Abba-Zabas over the course of the summer. Ug suggests she join Abba-Zabas Anonymous.
In the 2005 Gilmore Girls season 5 episode "But I'm A Gilmore," Kirk attributes his candy hangover to "Abba Zabbas."
References
- ↑ The Candy Wrapper Museum. The Candy Wrapper Museum. Retrieved on 2014-03-30.
- ↑ http://redesignblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/cx_abba_zaba_box_sm.jpg
Other Sources
- Pacyniak, Bernard (September 2004). "Sweet on Annabelle". Candy Industry. 169 (9): 18–25. ISSN 0745-1032.
External links
- Annabellecandy.com - Official website
- Candy Wrapper Museum - Earliest known Abba-Zaba box and wrapper