Man, there was nothing in the world like walking into Lawson's with a whopping fifteen cents in my pocket. No question about what I'd get. It was a no-brainer.
The marathon bar had all of my favorite stuff. Gooey caramel. Lots of chocolate. And it would take days to eat it because it was, like, three feet long. A real kid's candy bar.
For fifteen cents, it was the best deal going. No, it wasn't just a deal. It was a STEAL!
Okay, so it was only eight inches long. And there's some talk that it wasn't any better of a deal than any other candy bar. They SAY that because it was all braided (which is the other thing that made it way mobie cool), it was mostly air and didn't weigh any more than any of the other candy bars. That's why they SAY they stopped making it. They SAY it's because parents all around the world refused to believe what an awesome deal The Marathon Bar was, and sales just didn't cut it, so Mars stopped making the best candy bar in the world. I think it's because they realized what a steal it was and couldn't handle losing any more money to all of the wisest shoppers.
I was twelve. That's when my childhood ended.
I never understood the appeal of Mallow Cups or Chunky Bars or Three Musketeers. And Toffee Fay. Ugh. That's another story completely. "Too good for kids." Harumph. Don't even get me started on that crock.
Oh, but to go home with a three-foot-long Marathon Bar...sigh. Those were the days.
