Pacers sweets were a very popular sweet of the 1970’s and into the 1980’s. Did you enjoy Pacers back in the day?
What Were Pacers?
Pacers were a soft and chewy spearmint flavoured sweet that were originally called Opal mints. The sweets were plain white in colour but came in bold white and green striped wrappers.
They were a square shaped mint with rounded edges and were a sister product to Opal Fruits (now known as Starburst).
More Old Retro Sweets:
Who Made Pacers Sweets?
The spearmint flavoured sweets were produced by Mars who are famous for their Milky Way and Mars bars
Origins of the Chewy Mints
Pacers as I mentioned above were first made in the 1970s as a very plain white chewy sweet and called Opal Mints. Sales were not great, and the product was rebranded to Pacers in the early 1980s.
Rebrand and TV Adverts
The rebrand included the green and white striped wrapper design and this was very much the focus of the advertising of the newly branded spearmint chews.
The adverts really pushed the more vibrant design of the sweets and promoted the sweets as offering two mint freshness. Many different characters can be seen trying pacers which results in their plain white clothing gaining vibrant green stripes.
The advertising although quite funny to watch now actually worked and increased sales.
Do You Remember Black Jack Sweets?
Football Connections – By Design
For a short time Scottish football team Celtic were nicknamed “The Pacers” by fans. This was simply due to the similar football kit and the well-loved sweet’s green and white stripey packaging.
Can You Still Buy Chewy Pacers Sweets?
Sadly, Pacers are long gone. They were discontinued by Mars way back in 1985 and have not seen the light of day since. Although TV advertising worked for the product in the early 80s it could not be sustained.
Products like Trebor Soft Mints have endured over the years and filled the shelf spaces left by this once popular chewy sweet.
Will They Make a Comeback?
As much as I would like to see them come back, I think the brand has been long forgotten. A lot of the popular retro sweet brands that are available to purchase today never really went away and still made sales over the years before the current popularity of retro sweets took hold.
I sadly can’t see Pacers coming back to sweet shops anytime soon.
More Retro Sweets and Snacks Nostalgia
For some more sweet shop memories of retro sweets and snacks from days gone by take a look at the articles below.
Heinz Noodle Doodle Pasta Shapes
Do You Remember the Secret Chocolate Bar?
About The Author
