Abba-Zaba is a taffy candy bar with peanut butter center, made by the Annabelle Candy Company in Hayward, California.
History According to the Candy Wrapper Museum, the first Abba Zaba bars were manufactured in 1922 by Colby and McDermott.The Candy Wrapper Museum. The Candy Wrapper Museum. Retrieved on 2014-03-30. Before Annabelle Candy Co. started manufacturing Abba-Zaba, early packaging featured culturally insensitive cartoon imagery. 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 since the 1950s.
In 2005, Annabelle introduced an apple-flavored taffy variant of Abba-Zaba.
In popular culture
Music Fenix TX included a song entitled "Abba Zabba" on their 2001 second album Lechuza. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band has a song named after the candy on their 1967 album Safe as Milk.
Film Abba-Zaba bars are featured prominently in the 1998 Dave Chappelle comedy film Half Baked.
Celebrities Actor John Wayne had a sweet tooth and Abba-Zaba bars were his favorite candy. Actress and TV host Tiffani Thiessen counts the candy bars among her favorite snacks on set while filming episodes of Saved by the Bell.
References
Other sources
External links Annabellecandy.com - Official website Candy Wrapper Museum - Earliest known Abba-Zaba box and wrapper