In 1920, while working for the NECCO candy company, Howard B. Stark invented a caramel and vanilla-swirled nougat filling he named Snirkle. In 1939, he founded the Howard B. Stark Company in Milwaukee and began making Snirkles Caramel Bars which became a regional hit. The company was later acquired by his former employer who changed the name of the candy bar to Slap Stix.