18 Candy Wrappers That Changed Without Warning
Some of the sweetest treats didn’t taste different, but their wrappers suddenly did — and fans definitely noticed.
- Chris Graciano
- 4 min read
Candy brands often tweak their packaging, but sometimes, the changes happen so fast that fans feel blindsided. A bold redesign can make a favorite candy look almost unrecognizable. This leaves longtime customers nostalgic for the original. Here are 18 candy wrappers that switched things up without warning.
1. M&M’s
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The classic brown bags shifted to brighter colors in the ‘90s, giving the brand a playful edge over its competitors. The addition of the mascot characters made them feel more cartoonish. Older fans missed the simpler design.
2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Famartin on Wikimedia Commons
Reese’s orange wrapper has always been iconic, but small changes in logo style and shading made it noticeably different over the years. Subtle font tweaks kept longtime fans double-checking at the checkout line. It’s a wrapper that’s evolved more than most realize.
3. Skittles
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The shift from rainbow-heavy designs to bold red packaging was a major move for the Skittles brand. The sleeker look emphasized the logo instead of the candy itself. However, some fans still prefer the busier original style.
4. Butterfinger
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Butterfinger went through multiple wrapper redesigns, with some ditching the bright yellow for darker tones. Each version promised a “new look, same taste.” Still, the older packaging felt more fun for longtime customers.
5. Snickers
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Snickers streamlined its wrapper by making the logo bolder and cleaner. The change looked modern but left nostalgic eaters missing the busier design. Even tiny tweaks to the font sparked debate among fans of the candy bar.
6. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate
Willis Lam on Wikimedia Commons
Once adorned with more detailed fonts and borders, the Hershey’s candy bar transitioned into a simplified to a cleaner wrapper. The modern look felt corporate rather than nostalgic. Collectors still treasure the older designs.
7. Kit Kat
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Kit Kat moved from white-dominated wrappers to a much more bold red design. The new look was meant to pop on shelves, but longtime fans missed the classic styling. Still, the candy’s crunch made up for the shift.
8. Milky Way
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Milky Way wrappers changed from a more cosmic design to a sleeker green-and-brown logo, making the candy bar look more modern and cleaner. The old starry look fit the name better. The new style felt stripped down.
9. 3 Musketeers
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The wrapper once leaned into medieval-style fonts but later went shiny and metallic. The redesign made it stand out more than its competitors, but because of that, it lost its classic charm. Few people even recall the earlier version.
10. Twix
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Twix wrappers once had a simpler look before adopting a shinier gold design. The glossier packaging made it feel more premium and made the candy bar look cleaner by design. Still, the plain wrappers had their own charm.
11. Baby Ruth
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Baby Ruth’s wrapper has gone through several redesigns over the decades, each trying to keep the candy bar feeling current while maintaining its classic image. The original wrapper featured a detailed, almost nostalgic look that matched its early 20th-century roots.
12. Payday
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The Payday wrapper started out playful and full of energy, showcasing its peanuts proudly with bright, bold imagery that screamed fun and flavor. Over time, the design was toned down to emphasize the name itself, using cleaner lines and more subdued colors.
13. Starburst
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Starburst wrappers used to highlight individual fruit designs and vibrant illustrations, giving each piece its own playful identity. The colorful packaging made it easy to associate each wrapper with its flavor; strawberry, cherry, orange, or lemon.
14. Whoppers
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Whoppers’ wrapper evolution reflects a shift from vintage charm to modern simplicity. The older packaging had a soda-shop aesthetic, complete with nostalgic fonts and a classic red-and-cream color palette. It perfectly matched the malted milk flavor’s old-fashioned vibe.
15. Charleston Chew
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Charleston Chew’s wrapper once burst with bold color, flair, and vintage fun, a reflection of its roots in early 20th-century candy culture. The design featured playful fonts and dynamic layouts that evoked the swing and dance era it was named after.
16. Crunch Bar
Willis Lam on Wikimedia Commons
Nestlé’s Crunch once stood out with its patriotic red, white, and blue wrapper, proudly representing its all-American identity. The design was bold, confident, and easily recognizable in any candy aisle. Over the years, Nestlé darkened the colors and simplified the logo to give it a sleeker, more “global” appeal.
17. Milk Duds
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The iconic yellow Milk Duds box might look similar today, but subtle adjustments have changed its personality. Earlier versions featured more distinctive typography and bolder outlines that gave it a nostalgic candy-shop vibe.
18. Lifesavers
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Few packaging changes hit as hard as Lifesavers’ move from shiny foil rolls to plastic wrappers. The original foil design made opening a pack feel like unwrapping a small gift, with its crinkling sound and bright metallic gleam.