11 Things You Should Know Before Eating a Klondike Bar
The things people will do to get their hands on one might make you literally LOL.
You've grown up eating these chocolate-coated square treats, but how much do you really know about them? What we've uncovered may surprise you.
It Was Designed to Be an "Adult" Snack.
That's why you won't find a stick in Klondike bars—the creator, Henry Isaly, thought frozen treats with a wooden handle = kiddie. He aimed for a more mature audience, so he removed it and packaged the bars in a fancy silver foil wrapper.
That Jingle—You Know the One—Was a Total Game-Changer.
Though the treat was invented in the 1928, it wasn't until the 1980s that Klondike became a household name. That's when it gained an entrepreneur's backing ($$$), a new factory in Clearwater, FL, and launched its infamous "What would you doooo for a Klondike bar?" tagline and jingle. By the mid-90s, sales had soared from $800,000 a year to more than $60 million, the Greenwich Daily Voice reported.
People Have Done Insane Things to Get Their Hands On One.
That famous question has spurred challenges, entire threads on Reddit, even a Delish Facebook Live, so we had to know: What's the craziest thing someone's actually done to try this chocolate-coated ice cream treat? "I've heard of people running outside of the house naked and running back in, in order to get a Klondike Bar, and someone who jumped into a pool, fully clothed," says Kevin Havelock, president of Unilever's refreshment division, which owns Klondike.
There Are 14 Flavors, But One Reigns Supreme.
Despite trendy flavors like cookie dough swirl, Neapolitan and chocolate caramel pretzel, the best-selling bar remains the classic, vanilla ice cream square covered in a hard chocolate shell.
The Lowest-Calorie Option Might Surprise You.
Out of all 14 Klondike Bar flavors, three varieties tie for the lowest calories: Rocky Road (pictured), Mint Chocolate Chip and Heath Bar. Each square has 230 calories, though Rocky Road has the fewest grams of fat (9, versus 10 in the other two).
It's Inspired Two Drinks.
People are so obsessed with that frosty, chocolate and vanilla blend that they've tried to recreate it in shot and cocktail form. (That shot helped break the ice when Vikings' defensive end Everson Griffen first met his wife, Tiffany.)
There's a Very Special Reasoning Behind the Packaging.
The average person spends 7 seconds looking at the shelves in the frozen foods section, Havelock says, which means your packaging has to really stand out to get people's attention. For Klondike, that comes down to three things: That long, rectangular box,which stands out among the half-gallon tubs of ice cream surrounding it; the Klondike logo big and bold, so people see it immediately, and the name of the flavor—or partnership, like Reese's or Heath. "A lot of people make the mistake of putting too much out there," he says. "We keep it clean and simple."
Their Name Was Almost...
Yukon. Isaly wanted the name to make you think of the cold, and in the end, decided "Klondike" did a better job of triggering that what's-cooler-than-being-cool feeling.
Not All Klondike Bars Fit the Square, Chocolate-Coated Mold.
The brand also sells square ice cream sandwiches, and Klondike Kandy Bars—rectangular ice cream bars with a gooey fudge or caramel layer underneath the hardened chocolate shell. The classic sandwich is another best-seller, along with the OG bar.
Klondike Recommends Pairing It With This.
Just to underscore how versatile the treat is, the company suggests serving Klondike bars with Chilean Sea Bass at a dinner party on its cheeky FAQ page. (Thankfully, we've got a recipe for that.)
Expect at Least One New Flavor a Year.
The company tries to release at least one new Klondike product a year. For 2016, that was the S'mores flavor, which features marshmallow ice cream and graham cracker swirls. Up next is anyone's guess, though the brand has said it constantly researches flavor trends (even things bubbling up on Instagram) to stay in touch with what people are loving right this second.
The Worst Things Health Inspectors Have Seen
I Tried McDonald's Snack Wrap After Its Decade-Long Hiatus
The Internet Is Freaking Out Over Popsicle Pregnancy Reveal
Ritz Sandwich Crackers Have Been Recalled
