This past weekend, I went to see the new Wonka movie, starring Timothée Chalamet, which is a prequel to the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), based on the Roald Dahl novel.

I am a big fan of the 1971 movie and I did like the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well, although not quite as much as the original. I ended up liking this film a lot, and it definitely left me with a craving for some Wonka chocolate, as all of the concoctions that Mr. Wonka makes in the movie looked delicious.

Which leads me to: where are the Wonka Bars?

The answer: you can no longer buy them in the U.S.

According to the Wall Street Journal's article, "There’s a New ‘Wonka’ in Theaters, But No Chocolate Wonka Bars in Stores," the bars were once one of the "most recognizable pieces of intellectual property" from the 1971 movie. By the 1970s, Warner Brothers sold the rights to the Wonka name to Quaker Oats to finance the movie, and amateur Wonka historians say a successful version of the Wonka Bar arrived in 1976. 

In 1988, the Wonka brand was sold to Nestlé. In 2005, when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory premiered, demand for the bars were again high, but the bars became discontinued once the demand died off, in January 2010. Ferrero Group currently owns the rights to the Wonka Bars name, bought from Nestlé, but by then, the bars were gone in the U.S.

To promote the 2005 film, five different Nestlé Wonka products, including one Wonka Bar, were packaged with a Golden Ticket, as in the novel and original film. Each Golden Ticket awarded a different prize to its finder; the one in the Wonka bar awarded $10,000 cash.

The Wonka Bars were unfortunately not revived for the current Wonka movie, since Wonka Bars are not shown in the film. The bars were produced in Wonka's factory, which, as a young man starting out in the confectionery business, Wonka does not yet own. One could argue that Chalamet carries around the first Wonka Bar—a bar of chocolate his mother made for him, which inspired his love for chocolate—but because it's so significant to him, he does not eat it for a long time.

“We really felt we wanted to lean heavy and hard into the new film versus a nod to the old school Wonka golden ticket,” said Robert Oberschelp, head of global consumer products at Warner Bros. Discovery.  

Ferrero isn't closing the door entirely on Wonka Bars, though: “You never know when a new Wonka Bar might appear,” Oberschelp said, cryptically.

In August, however, Ferrero announced a new Wonka innovation: Magic Hat Gummies, which you can even buy at the movie theater, too, or at least at my local AMC. The gummy flavors include Strawberry Watermelon, Raspberry Grape, Orange Strawberry, and Magic Berries, and they reportedly will turn your tongue blue after eating them.

"And yet, whiffs of Wonka Bars continue to loft over the marketing of the new film," says the WSJ article, citing that the studio gave out its own custom Wonka Bar with Chalamet’s face on it, which were free to audiences at promotional events, but not on sale for the public. 

In July, CandyStore.com circulated a petition asking Ferrero to bring back Wonka Bars.

"But why the enduring affection? Wonka Bars represent more than a chocolate bar; they're a tangible piece of a beloved narrative. Each wrapper holds the promise of adventure, each bite a taste of nostalgia. It carries the enchantment of childhood memories and the magic of a timeless story," said the website.

"In the face of such unwavering public love for Wonka Bars, the question isn't why bring them back—it's why not?"