The Beloved '80s Candy Buffet That Deserves A Comeback In 2026

When you think about the biggest candy brands, Hershey's, Milky Way, and Jolly Rancher might come to mind. But whether you recognize the name or not, Brach's has been a staple of the candy world for more than 100 years. The company is responsible for dozens of sweets, from classic Valentine's Day conversation hearts to the big bags of candy corn that excited shoppers pick up every fall. Brach's was also responsible for the iconic Pick-A-Mix candy stations that became a fixture in grocery stores during the latter half of the 20th century — a nostalgic staple many '80s kids still think deserves a comeback.

Brach's Pick-A-Mix candy buffets allowed customers to grab a paper bag and fill it with as much candy as their hearts desired. These displays, while different from the department store candy counter you've probably forgotten about, were often three-to-four levels filled with buckets of pre-wrapped Brach's candies such as Cool Starlight Mints, Juicy Jelly Bars, Chewy Caramels, Neapolitan Coconut Slices, and dozens of other options. 

"When I was a kid, it was a pretty good day [when] I got to get a handful of candies from the Brach's bin," said one Redditor. "The chewy cinnamon bears were the best," another wrote, while many on the thread shared their hopes for a return of the colorful candy buffet. Prices varied depending on the store and year, but often the range was between $.99 to $1.89 per pound, though pictures from the early days of Pick-A-Mix show it going for only $.49 per pound.

Brach's introduced the world to its Pick-A-Mix candy buffets in 1958, at the height of the bulk candy craze. The idea was reminiscent of candy selections at old-school general stores and drugstores, which allowed customers to scoop their own bulk candy, but Brach's brought the concept to supermarkets instead. Pick-A-Mix helped spur major growth for the company, contributing to its production of more than 200 million pounds of candy in 1961 alone. Unlike many competitors that focused on the highly competitive chocolate bar market, Brach's built its success around wrapped candies and seasonal favorites — a strategy that may have been why it outlived other discontinued candies of the 80s.

Although Brach's Pick-A-Mix was a monumental part of the company's history, the candy buffet is now simply a memory of a sweeter past. Brach's continued running ads promoting Pick-A-Mix into the '80s, and supermarkets published articles well into the '90s boasting strong sales of the candy buffet. But by the early 2000s, the displays seemed to have disappeared. Brach's didn't vanish from shelves entirely, though; the company was sold to the Ferrero Group in 2017 and still produces many of the same candies (except for Neapolitan Coconut Sundaes, among other store-bought sweet treats boomers miss). While there was never an official explanation for the quiet disappearance, one Redditor offered a humorous theory: "They went out of business because you all took a few pieces without paying as you walked past," pointing to the frequent theft that plagued the beloved candy buffet.