Charles’ 
Slide of the Week: November 11th, 2005
Chicken Dinner Candy Truck, Milwaukee, WI 1956
A giant chicken nests on a pick-up truck parked in front of a Chrysler-Plymouth dealer. Behind it in the window a coral ‘56 Chrysler Windsor is on display. What the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile is to Oscar Meyer the Chicken Dinner Candy Truck is to Chicken Dinner Candy.
Yes, there really was a candy called “Chicken Dinner Candy.” It must’ve been something like eating sweet chicken bullion. The Sperry Candy Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin manufactured the odd candy. Even with its rusty chrome wheel cover the colorful one-of-a-kind pick-up promoted the candy better than any billboard could as it drove around town making promotion stops. Color-wise, the fender skirted, turquoise and yellow two-toned truck is a stark contrast to the hot pink chicken perched on top like a camper. Perhaps the big bird was stocked with the sweet treat and the wings flapped up to create shade for the window to buy the candy.
Whatever happened to this strange candy, this time it was made, who concocted it and where is this truck now? Was it vegetarian or was there chicken in it? I wish I could tell you. Mmmmm.
Speaking of Candy, one of Southern California’s sweetest holiday traditions continues nightly this holiday season until December 23rd at Logan’s Candies, in my hometown of Ontario. Since 1933 they’ve been making hand-made candy canes. The mesmerizing ritual takes place in full view of the customers. Watching candy canes being made is hypnotic. They range from 6″ to 16′ and are priced between one and one-thousand dollars. Also while you’re there make sure to stock up on some of their psychedelic colored ribbon candy. They’re also made right there. The old neon sign out front isn’t bad either.
Logan’s Candies is at 125 W. B St., Ontario, 909-984-5410.
Here’s to Chicken Dinner Candy, Logan’s Candy Canes and You!
Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles
November 2005
Sets this Slide belongs to:
Transportation
14 Comments on “Chicken Dinner Candy Truck, Milwaukee, WI 1956”
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February 28th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Upon further research the Chicken Dinner candy was actually an early nut roll bar according to American Heritage magazine. The Sperry Candy co also manufactured other mouth-watering creations such as the denver sandwich, cold turkey’s and the club sandwich candies. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
March 23rd, 2006 at 9:15 am
One of the early nut rolls, the Chicken Dinner bar was introduced by the Sperry Candy Company in the early 1920s, and its first wrappers carried the drawing of a roasted chicken. The unusual name was meant to echo the feeling of well-being and prosperity associated with “a chicken in every pot”—a slogan that went back to Henry IV of France and which would be revived for the 1928 Republican campaign. Fleets of Model A trucks disguised as giant, sheet-metal chickens were used by the Sperry people to deliver their creation. The makers took an amazingly long time to discover that a roast chicken didn’t convey the image of candy to most people, but at last, several years after the bar’s debut, the picture of the chicken was dropped from the wrapper. Sperry stuck with the name, however, and it is a tribute to the bar’s quality that it surmounted that obstacle for some forty years before finally disappearing in the 1960s.
October 20th, 2006 at 9:02 am
no commett
October 25th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
was great to see picture of the chicken dinner truck really brought back memories of when i was a kid always trying to get free samples when it came to or corner grocer
November 12th, 2006 at 3:17 am
Hmmmm. I wonder which came first, the chicken or the truck?
RIP Jerry
December 7th, 2006 at 7:26 am
The Sperry Candy company originated in Elkhorn, WI. in the upstairs of a cafe owned by my grandfather Glen Sperry and his brother. The names of the candy bars came from items off the menu of the cafe, thus the Chicken Dinner, Denver Sandwich, Cold Turkey, & Club Sandwich. My grandfather kept the cafe and my great uncle moved the candy company to Milwaukee.
May 8th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
I just received a Denver Sandwich bar wrapper today and it has The Redel Candy Corp., Milwaukee, WIS. as the manufacturer. I have not been able to find anything about The Redel Candy Corp.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
I have a chicken truck from the candy company mounted on a Ford pickup. I have a postcard of the truck as it appears here, a box that held candy bars and a few other small items
August 17th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
for lawrence lightfield i have some very old items from Sperry candy company and need some info, email me at hturtle56@aol.com i cannot find anyone who knows much about the company.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
My father, Norb, worked for Sperry and drove me to school in one of these trucks everyday. There were 4 of them. Chick dinner candy bars
were chocolate covered caramel with peanuts in them. Yes, there were boxes of samples in these trucks as well. As I was dropped off at school, kids would wait for samples.
When Sperry candy company when out of business, My dad bought all four trucks and sold them for $400.00. At that time, I do believe he thought he made a big profit.
Thanks for the memories. I was so surprised to see our Chicken Dinner truck on the web.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Hi Mr.Phoenix,
Is there any way I could get a picture of this
and send it to my day. He did own all four of these trucks after Sperry went out of business.
He is 85 now and I would love to give him a picture of this. Thanks!
May 29th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
My Dad bought one of these trucks in 1959 for our restaurant - Champion Chicken. We used the original chicken from the Sperry Candy company truck until last year. We had a cast of it made and it was reproduced in fiberglass. It has been the talk of Milwaukee for years. If you email me, I would love to send you pictures of our old chicken truck and our new chicken truck. There are also some pictures on our website - championchicken.com - click on the truck link on the bottom of the page.
Also, if anyone has any other pictures of the old Sperry Candy trucks, I would love to have them. I am trying to get a collection of the various trucks for our walls. I would love to hear from you.
Thanks!
May 30th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
can i buy any chicken role candy ?
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I would like to know if they still make the Chicken Dinner candy bar. If so where canI order it