This Rare 5-Cent Hershey's Bar Was Only Produced For A Few Years In The 1930s

The Hershey Company has released countless iconic candy bars since its founding in 1894, yet like any long-standing business, it has plenty of failures in its history, too. Out of all the goodies that Hershey's no longer makes, few were as short-lived yet unique as the Aero bar. Like many of the discontinued chocolate candies you'll probably never eat again, the Aero bar had a short production life – it was only made from 1934 or 1935 to 1939.

Hershey's Aero was a bar of milk chocolate with tiny air bubbles dispersed throughout, creating a light, smooth, quick-melting texture different from your typical tempered chocolate. The bar cost just five cents, and advertisements featured an airplane motif, fitting for the name Aero. The bar was likely novel to Americans, but was actually nothing new. Before Hershey, British confectioner Rowntree invented, patented, and launched Aero in 1935, making it the first-ever aerated chocolate bar, according to several sources.

Interestingly, official Hershey's sources say the company acquired the rights to make Aero bars in the U.S. in 1934. Adding to the confusion, a small number of outlets claim that Rowntree debuted Aero in 1934, not 1935. While it's unclear when Hershey's version came out, we know its flight ended in 1939. According to Hershey Community Archives, the process of aerating the chocolate via vacuum technology was complicated, and the bar didn't see enough sales to justify the difficulty. Hershey's Aero hasn't been seen since, but you can still find aerated chocolate on shelves today.

Hershey's tried its luck at aerated chocolate a second time and released an Aero dupe in 2011 called Air Delight. It was essentially an aerated version of a regular Hershey's bar, with the same classic milk chocolate flavor. The Air Delight won its share of admirers, and the brand even released Air Delight Hershey's Kisses, but sadly, these products later joined the ranks of discontinued Hershey's chocolates. To this day, you can find fans mourning the bar online and praying for its return.

Another airy chocolate bar that only '70s kids will remember is Nestlé's Choco'Lite. This aerated milk chocolate set itself apart from the rest with the inclusion of "crispy chips" flavored with honey. The Choco'Lite enjoyed popularity among kiddos (and even had a "Star Wars" tie-in promotion) before it sloped off in the '80s, and Boomers still miss this store-bought sweet treat.

If you wish you could have tried Hershey's Aero, you're in luck. Rowntree's original Aero bar is still made today, now under the moniker Nestlé Aero. It enjoys popularity in the U.K. and several other nations, with flavor additions like peppermint and orange becoming successful as well. Folks in the U.S. can order Aero bars online or find them at stores that stock imported foods, such as World Market. The same goes for another aerated milk chocolate bar from the U.K., the Cadbury Wispa.