Win a Year’s Worth of Chocolate in Gardners Candies’ Mascot Naming Contest

TYRONE, Pa., March 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Move over Count Chocula and Mr. Peanut, a new mascot is joining the food wars. Gardners Candies is introducing its first mascot, which depicts the brand’s signature Original Peanut Butter Meltaway Bar. The company is sponsoring a nationwide naming contest, with the winner to receive a year’s supply of Original Peanut Butter Meltaway Bars.

A Pennsylvania favorite for 128 years, Gardners premium confections are available for shipping to all 50 U.S. states. In addition to online sales, Gardners Candies are sold in thousands of convenience stores in the Eastern U.S. They also are carried by retailers including Sheetz, Giant Eagle, GetGo, Giant Food Stores, CVS and CIBO Express airport locations. Gardners operates several retail stores in central Pennsylvania.

The yet-to-be-named mascot will make its debut Saturday, March 15 during the annual Irish Heritage Festival in Gardners’ hometown of Tyrone, Pennsylvania.

At the same time, Gardners will introduce the mascot on social media and launch a nationwide naming contest. The winner will receive 365 Original Peanut Butter Meltaway Bars.

Visit www.gardnerscandies.com to enter the contest and view the rules. There also will be a link to the entry form on Gardner’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Entries will be accepted from March 15 through March 22, 2025. The judging panel will evaluate each submission on creativity, originality and appropriateness for the Gardners brand. A winner will be chosen and contacted the week of March 24. The winner and selected name will be announced the week of March 30.

“Mascots connect companies with consumers in fun and engaging ways,” said Jim Westover, Gardners’ chief operating officer. “They also create visibility, which is extremely important as we grow Gardners into a national brand.”

About Gardners Candies, Inc.

Gardners Candies was founded in 1897 by sixteen-year-old entrepreneur James “Pike” Gardner in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. The brand operates several stores in communities across Central Pennsylvania, distributes a variety of products to retailers across the country, and is most renowned for its famous Original Peanut Butter Meltaways. Beyond regional storefronts and online sales, Gardners Candies offers fundraising programs, business and custom gifting solutions, and private label services for various companies. Acquired by Sarris Candies, Inc. in 1997, Gardners Candies has continued to uphold a legacy of providing quality, locally sourced products with dedicated customer service.  For more information, visit https://www.gardnerscandies.com/ or follow Gardners @gardnerscandies.

Contact:

Brad Ritter, Ritter Communications

[email protected]

740.815.1892

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b520ecd2-3c20-482f-bc82-3e049ce4f4ac

Wall St Business News, Latest and Up-to-date Business Stories from Newsmakers of Tomorrow