{"id":7867,"date":"2017-06-23T09:30:15","date_gmt":"2017-06-23T13:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=7867"},"modified":"2017-10-25T16:41:54","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T20:41:54","slug":"pittsburghs-candyland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/06\/23\/pittsburghs-candyland\/","title":{"rendered":"Pittsburgh’s Candyland"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Catherine <\/a>
Catherine Burns of the North Side packs a shipment of Zagnut bars. Picture taken July 6, 1972. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"This <\/a>
This undated photo features a member of Clark’s “Center of Attraction Zoo.” The television ad campaign showed cartoon animals crooning “I want a Clark Bar!” and ran during the 1960s. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Leaf <\/a>
Leaf workers pack Clark Bars into boxes after the bars come off a conveyor belt from the wrapping machine. Picture published June 2, 1987. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"William <\/a>
William Gross, a flavor blender, tests moisture content of raw chicle. Chicle, the gum of the sapodilla tree, served as the basis of chewing gum at the time. Picture taken March 21, 1948. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"This <\/a>
This undated picture shows a Clark Bar window display in Downtown Pittsburgh. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"These <\/a>
These candy bars are finished and ready for wrapping. Most of them were headed abroad, as 80 percent of the plant’s production went to military personnel during World War II and continued to feed service people overseas. Picture taken March 21, 1948. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

\u201cI want a Clark Bar!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Though usually heard coming from the mouth of a cartoon giraffe or camel in 1960s television commercials, that declaration was just as common in Pittsburgh grocery stores at any point throughout the last century. <\/span><\/p>\n

With a history that stretches back to 1884, the Clark Bar is as connected to Pittsburgh as Heinz ketchup or Iron City beer. It would easily be Pennsylvania\u2019s biggest contribution to the candy world, if not for one little-known operation just east of Harrisburg.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we at The Digs realized June was national candy month, we decided to celebrate by dipping into Pittsburgh\u2019s long confectionery history. And at the core of that history are the products of the D.L. Clark Company. From Clark Bars to Teaberry Gum, Clark treats traveled all over the world from the company\u2019s seven-story North Side factory, and it all began with a young Irish immigrant who was short on change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Born in 1864, David Clark went to work early. He found a job as a newsboy and soap salesman when he was 6 years old, knocking on doors for pennies. Two years later, he would immigrate to the United States with his family and settle in the City of Allegheny, which Pittsburgh later absorbed as the North Side. <\/span><\/p>\n

Clark supposedly had an intense sweet tooth as a child and was often scolded by his parents for spending money on candy. He didn\u2019t listen. When he was 16, Clark hired a friend to make batches of candy, which Clark would sell from the two back rooms he rented at a local shop. Despite limited resources, Clark\u2019s chocolate business earned a loyal following, and the small operation steadily expanded. <\/span><\/p>\n

Clark\u2019s Teaberry gum debuted in 1900 after the company secured a patent for \u201ceasy-chewing\u201d gum, inspired by the wintergreen flavor of mountain teaberry leaves Clark chewed as a child. The gum reached its top popularity during the 1960s, largely due to a Herb Alpert commercial featuring \u201c<\/span>The Teaberry Shuffle<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n