In 1917, Chattanooga Bakery introduced the MoonPie, a popular Southern treat.
The original MoonPie combined two round graham crackers with a marshmallow filling, creating a portable snack that was inexpensive, filling, and easy to carry. The Chattanooga, Tennessee, bakery is said to have developed it after a traveling salesman heard a coal miner ask for a snack as large as the moon. The story explains both the product’s size and its memorable name.
MoonPies quickly became associated with the working-class South, especially coal-mining communities. The snack originally sold for five cents and fit neatly into a lunch pail. Over time, chocolate coating became the best-known version, although banana, vanilla, and other varieties were later added.
MoonPie is sometimes confused with a conventional pie or with other marshmallow-and-cookie snacks. It is closer to a soft, coated cookie sandwich. The treat also became linked with RC Cola as part of a famous Southern combination, and MoonPies were sent to American service members during World War II. Chattanooga Bakery continues to produce them today.