What Is a Goo Goo Cluster?
- 3 sections
- 1 table
- 2 sources cited
A Goo Goo Cluster is a Nashville candy bar made of caramel, marshmallow, and roasted peanuts covered in milk chocolate. It was created in 1912 by Howell Campbell Sr. and his plant superintendent, Porter Moore, at Standard Candy Company (Tennessee Encyclopedia). Wikipedia describes it as disk-shaped and says it “is considered the first combination candy bar”, meaning it combined several types of candy instead of being all chocolate (Wikipedia). The name is not short for Grand Ole Opry. The candy came first, 13 years before the Opry was established in 1925, though Standard Candy later became a long-time Opry sponsor. Where the name came from is less certain. The Tennessee Encyclopedia says the best sources “agree only on one thing”: a woman who rode the same streetcar to work with Campbell each morning suggested it.
Goo Goo Cluster Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1901 | Howell H. Campbell Sr. founds Anchor Candy Company at Clark Street and First Avenue North |
| 1903 | Anchor is reorganized and incorporated as Standard Candy Company |
| 1912 | Campbell and Porter Moore develop the Goo Goo |
| 1914 | a fire moves the company to a building on Second Avenue North |
| 1920s and 1930s | advertised as "a nourishing lunch for a nickel" |
| after World War II | Howell Campbell Jr. leads the company, which sponsors the Grand Ole Opry |
| 1982 | Goo Goo Supreme, made with pecans, is introduced |
| 2019 | the Supreme is renamed the Pecan |
Sources: Tennessee Encyclopedia entry “Standard Candy Company” by David R. Logsdon, March 1, 2018; Wikipedia, Goo Goo Cluster.
The Varieties
- Original: caramel, marshmallow, and roasted peanuts in milk chocolate.
- Pecan: introduced in 1982 as the Goo Goo Supreme, with pecans in place of peanuts, and renamed in 2019.
- Peanut Butter: peanut butter replaces the marshmallow nougat and caramel, per Wikipedia.
Buying One
To buy one, check the Goo Goo Cluster company’s site for current stores and hours before you go. Other foods to try in the city are in what foods Nashville is known for besides hot chicken, and more sweets are in the best dessert in Nashville.