Wonka Bar

Interesting.

Because it tied into they released the Wonka Bar.

And they wanted General Mills, I can't remember exactly.

So they were like influential in changing the title.

And the Wonka Bar came out at the same time as the movie.

Gene Wilder

was a big part of that.

Yes

... and grabbing a Wonka bar that, uh, and by the way, wouldn't that be a good pop-up if you wanted to go get a drink? Where are you gonna be? I'm gonna be at Wonka Bar.

Uh, they grab a candy bar that has the names on it, and they go back and they don't reveal-

Yes

Quaker Oats financed the roughly $3 million production.

The company planned to release a real Wonka bar alongside the film, allowing the movie and the candy to kind of advertise each other.

Even the title changed from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, placing the invented brand name directly above the theater entrance.

And the product placement was not exactly subtle.

So from a marketing standpoint, the plan seemed pretty solid and tidy.

Unfortunately, the execution was not.

According to Wolper's later account, the real Wonka Bar developed a production problem and ended up having to be withdrawn.

Other accounts describe a formula that softened or melted too easily.